Blog Archives
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Digital Displays in Transit Venues
By Peter Kaszycki - Tuesday December 18, 2012
With indoor environments, everything is nice and comfortable. It does not rain inside, temperatures and humidity are controlled, the sun does not shine indoors, ambient light conditions do not change, the air is clean, power is consistent, the wind does not blow, and vandalism is rare. Basically, digital displays that are deployed indoors are in a controlled environment in virtually every respect. However, in transit-type settings, everything changes — and it changes dramatically. Most transit venues are outside (like bus shelters) or semi-outside (like train platforms, subway entrances). Even when they are underground, these venues are not as clean and controlled as true indoor environments like shopping malls … not even close... -
Presto Card Allows Public Transit Riders to Move Quickly and Efficiently
By Bruce McCuaig - Friday December 14, 2012
Presto is one Metrolinx initiative and more specifically, a key component of Metrolinx’s strategic plan “The Big Move” to address congestion in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA) for riders and to support the region’s economic development and quality of life. Presto is very similar to other global efare systems such as the Oyster card in London, UK or Hong Kong’s Octopus card. It is an advanced electronic payment system that is designed to allow transit riders to travel seamlessly and more conveniently throughout the GTHA. From Oshawa to Hamilton, Presto riders can move quickly and efficiently. Currently there are more than 400,000 active Presto card holders and growing at a rate of more than 22,000 per month on... -
USHSR Conference: Global HSR & CHSRA's Dan Richard
By Leah Harnack - Tuesday December 4, 2012
High-Speed Rail Around the World At the US High Speed Rail Association’s High Speed Rail Conference: Bringing High-Speed Rail to America, the session, “High-Speed Rail Around the World” had representatives from around the world to share best practices and lessons learned from other countries. UIC Director General Jean-Pierre Loubinoux by pre-recorded video talked about Washington Day it held around the time of the UIC World Congress on High-Speed Rail in Philadelphia, Pa., this summer. There were a series of exchanges between American politicians and rail leaders from across the globe which created a new milestone in the efforts to promote and illustrate the benefits of HSR. Siemens Industry Inc. Director, HSR Development... -
Developing California's High-Speed Rail
By Leah Harnack - Monday December 3, 2012People looking to bring high-speed rail to the United States are meeting in Los Angeles, Calif., this week for the US High Speed Rail Association’s High Speed Rail Conference: Bringing High-Speed Rail to America. USHSR President & CEO Andy Kunz began the conference pointing out the five challenges facing HSR in America: Confusion to the public about what high-speed rail is, is it Amtrak, how fast is it? There’s a well-funded negative campaign out there by those industries that don’t want this to move forward There’s a lack of dedicated funding sources Benefits are not clearly articulated or consistent There are long lead times to seeing results so a lot of people lose interest during that time Over the next few days... -
Operator Safety isn’t about Installing Shields, it’s about Training Operators in Post-War Approaches to Dealing with a Traumatized Public
By Charlotte DiBartolomeo - Monday November 5, 2012
In 2011, Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP), sponsored by the Federal Transit Administration, conducted a study to discover the practices within ?the industry that are used to protect bus operators from assaults. This study ?also reviewed the causes of passenger violence toward operators, and which protection practices were most effective in lowering the risks. Contrary to what many operators and their unions continuously request, installing plastic barriers between the operator and his passengers is not an effective safety practice. Feelings of claustrophobia and isolation only contribute to an operator’s inability to connect with his passengers. According to TCRP, operator trainings are considered by transit agencies... -
Fiscal Responsibility Through Sustainability
By Leah Harnack - Monday August 6, 2012Forget the “saving the planet,” or the “reducing the carbon footprint.” To get people listening today it’s about “cutting costs” and “saving money.” With transportation being a hot political button as of late and scrutiny over money spent on any infrastructure project, many of the attendees at the American Public Transportation Association’s (APTA) 2012 Sustainability and Public Transportation Workshop were sharing how that message shift has helped them in generating community support. The afternoon started with a luncheon with a keynote by Federal Transit Administration Deputy Administrator Therese McMillan. While there was a definite battle in getting authorization out of the gate, she stressed that this was a... -
Industry Leaders Connect Sustainability and State of Good Repair
By Leah Harnack - Monday August 6, 2012
The American Public Transportation Association’s (APTA) 2012 Sustainability and Public Transportation Workshop kicked off in downtown Philadelphia, Pa., this week. “ Innovative Partnerships for Sustainability and State of Good Repair ,” will focus on the connection between sustainability and “state of good repair” (SOGR) and how innovative partnerships are being forged to advance both objectives. Here to Hear Best Practices APTA Sustainability Committee Chair; APTA Board of Directors Member; and General Manager, King County Metro Transit Kevin Desmond welcomed attendees to the workshop and outlined the goals and objectives. With the increasing fiscal constraints, agencies experiencing record ridership growth in all modes... -
In Memory: Linda Somilleda
By Leah Harnack - Thursday July 26, 2012
It was with deep sadness I learned of the passing of a transit friend, Linda Somilleda. Linda had been with Foothill Transit in West Covina, Calif., for 17 years and was an instrumental part of the leadership team. According to Director of Marketing and Communications Felicia Friesema, Linda played a huge role in shaping Foothill Transit's brand and image and more recently, taking on challenges in operations and customer service. She was a Leadership APTA (American Public Transportation Association) graduate and believed strongly in APTA's goals and in the importance of Marketing and Communications. She will be deeply missed by her peers and our thoughts are with her Foothill Transit family, her husband Nick, and her daughter Natalie... -
Is Extension No. 10 in Our Future?
By Leah Harnack - Friday June 22, 2012Could this be it? We’re getting down to the wire as Extension No. 9 ends at the end of the month Meetings have been going on between conferees for a transportation bill, sorting out the differences of the House H.R. 4348: the short-term extension that includes the XL Keystone pipeline provision and the Senate Bill, S.1813: the two-year, $109 billion extension. The big news now is yesterday’s meeting with Rep. John Mica (R-Fla.) and Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.). They issued a joint public statement that progress has been made and the goal is to create a bipartisan highway reauthorization bill by next week. And apparently, Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) was reportedly optimistic a highway bill would be passed before the... -
Bringing High-Speed Rail to America Part II - Global Examples
By Leah Harnack - Wednesday May 30, 2012
The United States High Speed Rail Association held its high-speed conference: Brining High Speed Rail to America in San Francisco last week. Experienced high-speed rail experts met with business and political leaders to discuss challenges and opportunities of bringing high-speed rail to the United States. The conference was held at Autodesk, a leader in 3D design, engineering and entertainment software. During “ High-Speed Around the World ,” presenters shared best practices and lessons learned in high-speed rail from across the globe. Armin Kick, directory, HSR Development, Siemens Industry Inc., Mobility Division talked about HSR development in Germany. The government’s plan took off in 1973; they developed a federal...
