Blog Archives
-
COMTO: Resetting the Nation's Transportation Agenda
By Alexandra Spencer - Friday May 10, 2013The late American politician Shirley Chisholm said, “You don't make progress by standing on the sidelines. . . . You make progress by implementing ideas.” For nearly 50 years, the Conference of Minority Transportation Officials (COMTO) has been implementing effective ideas by leveling the playing field and maximizing participation in the transportation industry for minorities, businesses, and communities of color. And they have accomplished this through advocacy, networking, training, education, and professional development. “COMTO is many things to many people, but ultimately, it’s about the power of the network,” explains COMTO president and CEO Julie Cunningham. Leading COMTO since 2001, Cunningham draws on a vast array... -
Security Surveillance Technology Takes on Big Data
- Thursday May 9, 2013Most of us can’t make it through a day without being barraged by a steady stream of text messages, e-mails, friend requests, Facebook posts, etc. We live in an ultra connected digital world with unprecedented access to information — anytime, anyplace. With this data onslaught, it’s easy to switch into “automatic mode” or just filter most of it out. After all, are those 34 spam e-mails really a life or death matter? And will the earth come to an end if we miss out on Aunt Sally’s Facebook post about what she ate for dinner last night? While it’s acceptable to filter out such non-essential clatter in our personal lives, we certainly wouldn’t find it acceptable if the command center for the transit system we rode to work... -
Administrator Rogoff Addresses Safety at APTA Bus Conference
- Wednesday May 8, 2013With the many questions about changes in federal funding with MAP-21, Federal Transit Administrator Peter Rogoff requested to have a special informal session where he could address many of those concerns and lead a discussion about safety initiatives at the recent American Public Transportation Association’s Bus and Paratransit Conference. The idea to have this session came to him when testifying recently and there was a lot of anxiety and concerns raised. He thought it would make sense to have a dialogue because, he said, “It’s important for people to understand what we’re doing and what we aren’t doing.” He reiterated that the safety initiative is meant to add value with adding a lot of cost or bureaucracy. And... -
People Keeping Buses Running - Buses Keeping Transit Running
By Leah Harnack - Monday May 6, 2013Indianapolis, Ind., is the place to be at this week for the American Public Transportation Association’s Bus & Paratransit Conference and International Bus Roadeo. There are more than 1,700 attendees, will be 25 vehicles on display today and there will be 93 exhibitors at the Product Showcase tomorrow. The weather may not be as sunny as it was in Long Beach last year but the Roadeo started over the weekend and everyone was having a great time at the event hosted by IndyGo and Allison Transmission. Talking about the maintenance portion of the roadeo, APTA International Bus Roadeo Chair/Proterra Director of Regional Sales Mike Hennessy said, "This is the piece the industry doesn’t get to see. This is what keeps the nation’s buses... -
Considering Cities: Communications Infrastructure
- Thursday May 2, 2013
Current trends in urban growth demand big thinking and creative solutions. As our cities expand, these dense populations will require sophisticated infrastructure, transportation and communication systems. According to the World Health Organization, some one hundred years ago two out of every 10 people lived in an urban area. By 1990, around 40 percent of the global population lived in a city. As of 2010 more than half of all people live in urban areas. By 2030, six out of every 10 people will live in a city and by 2050 this figure will jump to seven out of 10 people. This trend is clearly evident across North America. Recently it was announced that Toronto had surpassed Chicago as the fourth largest city on the continent. Toronto’s... -
- Wednesday April 24, 2013Most of us can’t make it through a day without being barraged by a steady stream of text messages, e-mails, friend requests, Facebook posts, etc. We live in an ultra-connected digital world with unprecedented access to information — anytime, anyplace. With this data onslaught, it’s easy to switch into “automatic mode” or just filter most of it out. After all, are those 34 spam e-mails really a life-or-death matter? And will the earth come to an end if we miss out on Aunt Sally’s Facebook post about what she ate for dinner last night? While it’s acceptable to filter out such non-essential clatter in our personal lives, we certainly wouldn’t find it acceptable if the command center for the transit system we rode to work...
-
Seon Supports Cancer Fundraising Run for Transit Camera Customer
- Monday April 1, 2013
When Seon ’s Transit Division Sales Manager, Mike Bismeyer, found out about a run to raise money to help one of his favorite customers fight cancer, he knew he just had to be there. This past Easter weekend, Mike participated in a 5K run to support one of Seon’s transit customers — Cody Ponder , assistant director of transportation Services at University of Oklahoma – Cleveland Area Rapid Transit (CART). Cody is facing a tough battle with cancer for the 2nd time around. He was diagnosed with esophageal cancer nearly two years ago and fought back, only to find out recently his cancer had returned. Friends and family in his hometown of Ardmore, Oklahoma, organized a community event to help raise money for Cody’s medical bills... -
Trainsforming America
- Wednesday March 27, 2013It is one of the oddities of America that it needs a film like this. America once had the biggest passenger railroad network in the world and its most prosperous railway industry but this has mostly been forgotten as the car has become the dominant form of travel since World War Two. In an act of short-sightedness, the passenger railroad was all but shut down in a remarkably short period in the first 25 years after the War, and only the creation of a federally-owned company, Amtrak, saved it from total extinction. All that is left now are regular services on the East Coast corridor, commuter trains in a few cities, notably New York and Chicago, and long distance trains extending in all but a couple of states. Vast swathes of the... -
Mobile Wi-Fi Challenge #2: Providing Solid Internet Connectivity
By Rob Taylo - Friday March 15, 2013A couple of decades ago, traveling meant being out of contact. Now, people are more connected than ever before while moving between destinations, whether riding an inner-city bus or soaring 30,000 feet above the ground. Increasing numbers of passengers use digital devices during transit. A DePaul University study, for instance, found that of 7,770 passengers on 92 buses, trains and planes, about half were using portable devices such as iPads and laptops at any given time. Many workers take advantage of their commute time to start in on the workday. Others simply want to unwind with online entertainment. But until recently, one needed a special wireless card to access the Internet en route. Fortunately, however, Wi-Fi technology is... -
Mass Transit & Mobile Wireless Internet: The Challenge of Costs
By Rob Taylo - Tuesday February 19, 2013Given the ubiquity of W-iFi these days, it can be jarring to walk onto a bus or train and lose your signal. After all, you can get wireless access almost anywhere: in restaurants, on planes — there’s even a hotspot at Mt. Everest’s base camp. For those who commute to work, lack of connectivity equates to wasted productivity. Yet many transit authorities report that installing Wi-Fi systems would be financially unfeasible. But is mobile wireless Internet really exorbitantly expensive for mass transit agencies? Not necessarily, judging from the presence of Wi-Fi on Boston, Miami and Silicon Valley transportation systems. Passengers on Miami buses, Boston trains and Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority’s (VTA) light rail...
