NTOC Talks Newsletter: July 23, 2014
Have you visited the NTOC Forums and Library?
http://www.ntoctalks.com/
The NTOC Forums and Library is your source for the latest transportation management and
operations news! Check the site for recently added blog posts, forum discussions, archived
information, events, reference documents, and more. NTOC newsletter items are now added on a
regular basis through the site. Create your free membership profile today at
https://ntoctsl.groupsite.com/join and stay in the loop!
Webinars/Trainings/Conferences for July 2014
Webinars/Trainings/Conferences for August 2014
USDOT Announces the Alpha Release of the Systems Engineering Tool for Intelligent
Transportation (SET-IT) Software
The USDOT's Intelligent Transportation Systems Joint Program Office (ITS JPO) is pleased to
announce that the SET-IT software is available as an Alpha release from the Connected Vehicle
Reference Implementation Architecture (CVRIA) website at
http://www.iteris.com/cvria/html/resources/tools.html. SET-IT software integrates drawing and
database tools with the CVRIA so that users can develop project architectures for pilots, test
beds, and early deployments.
The Alpha version of the SET-IT software is provided as-is with the current capabilities of the
tool at this point in its development. Future versions will include additional functionality such as
an enterprise view, a communications view, correspondence between views, more output,
hierarchical models, etc. Microsoft (MS) Visio 2010 or 2013 (32-bit) is required to use this tool.
To utilize tabular output functions, users must also have a copy of MS Word or MS Excel. The
Alpha-version designation indicates that the distribution of the software needs wider testing
before being upgraded to a "General Availability" release. User input is essential to this wider
testing and release. The USDOT welcomes your comments.
U.S. House Passes $10.9 Billion Transportation Funding Extension
Link to article from Yahoo News
"The U.S. House of Representatives last week overwhelmingly passed a $10.9 billion extension
of U.S. transportation funding through May 2015, a measure aimed at averting cutbacks in
August in federal money for road, bridge and transit projects. The measure, paid for largely
through revenue generated by pension accounting changes and higher customs user fees, passed
on a 367-55 bipartisan vote, despite opposition from outside conservative groups." To read more,
click on the link above.
Secretary Foxx and Predecessors Pen Open Letter to Congress
Letter to Congress via USDOT
Secretary Anthony Foxx and 11 of his predecessors offered the following open letter to
Congress. In addition to Secretary Foxx, Secretaries Ray LaHood, Mary Peters, Norman Mineta,
Rodney Slater, Frederico Peña, Samuel Skinner, Andrew Card, James Burnley, Elizabeth Dole,
William Coleman and Alan Boyd all signed the letter. Their message: Congress' work doesn't
end with the bill under consideration. Transportation in America still needs a much larger,
longer-term investment. A portion of the letter follows below:
“This week, it appears that Congress will act to stave off the looming insolvency of the Highway
Trust Fund. The bill, if passed, should extend surface transportation funding until next May.
We are hopeful that Congress appears willing to avert the immediate crisis. But we want to be
clear: This bill will not "fix" America's transportation system. For that, we need a much larger
and longer-term investment. On this, all twelve of us agree. Taken together, we have led the
U.S. Department of Transportation for over 35 years. One of us was there on day one, at its
founding. We've served seven presidents, both Republicans and Democrats, including Lyndon
Johnson, Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and
Barack Obama.
Suffice it to say, we've been around the block. We probably helped pave it. So it is with some
knowledge and experience that we can write: Never in our nation's history has America's
transportation system been on a more unsustainable course.” (To read more, click on the link
above.)
Establishing Monitoring Programs for Travel Time Reliability
TRB's second Strategic Highway Research Program (SHRP 2) has released a project brief that
describes how travel time reliability monitoring systems can help transportation agenciesespecially those with transportation management centers-track the performance of their system,
understand the impacts of the various factors that influence travel time variability, provide
credible information to the system users, and decide what actions to take to help improve
reliability. Click here for additional information.
Technology Will Influence Consumer Choice of Vehicle
Link to article on fleetnews.com
According to a BVRLA survey, technology will have a major impact on the way the fleet
industry chooses, operates and manages its vehicles over the next five years. Sixty-one rental,
leasing and fleet management industry executives questioned in the survey believe that
connectivity and smartphone integration will be ‘very important' or ‘important' in vehicle choice
by 2019, compared to 78% now.
Within that proportion, the number of industry professionals that consider it ‘very important'
rises three-fold (from 20% now to 61% by 2019). BVRLA chairman Gerry Keaney, who was
speaking at the organization's recent Fleet Technology Congress, said: "Driverless cars are way
ahead in time, but the pace of innovation is startling. Autonomous braking is now prevalent, but
didn't really exist on the market five years ago. "It's now not going to be too far in the future
before you see our members buying only cars with that sort of technology in place. To read
more, click on the link above.
President Obama Tours Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center/Speaks on V2V-V2I
Via Augusta Free Press and ITS news release
President Barack Obama visited FHWA's Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center in
McLean, VA last week where he was given a tour of the research and testing facility and
delivered remarks on the importance of vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) and vehicle-to-infrastructure
(V2I) communication technology. ITS America also toured the facility alongside the President.
Partial remarks by President Obama--visit Augusta Free Press for full transcript.
"As the father of a daughter who just turned 16, any new technology that makes driving safer is
important to me. And new technology that makes driving smarter is good for the economy. One
study shows that Americans spend 5.5 billion hours stuck in traffic each year, which costs us
$120 billion in wasted time and gas - that's 800 bucks per commuter. Then you've got outdated
roads and bridges that mean businesses pay an extra $27 billion in freight costs, which are then
passed on to consumers. So, all told, transportation eats up more of the typical family's
household budget than anything except the rent or a mortgage - which means that the cuttingedge research that all of you are doing here helps save lives and save money, and leads to new
jobs and new technologies and new industries. And that's why America has to invest more in the
kind of job-creating research and development that you're doing right here at the Highway
Research Center." ITS America also distributed a news release on the event.
Sixth Edition Available: Journal of Transportation of the Institute of Transportation
Engineers
The Journal of Transportation of the Institute of Transportation Engineers was conceived to
provide the transportation community with the results of research in the areas of traffic
engineering and related policy. It also provides a venue for academicians and practicing
professionals to share research results. All papers submitted to the Journal are subject to an
extensive peer review process prior to acceptance for publication.
Click here for the PDF of the Sixth Edition of The Journal of Transportation of the Institute of
Transportation Engineers. Past issues of the Journal have now been moved to a separate page
on the ITE website at www.ite.org/JOT.
Call for Papers: all submissions must be received via e-mail to learnedjournal@ite.org. For
submission requirements, visit http://www.ite.org/jot/Submission.pdf.
New Website Helps Local Communities Prepare for Connected Vehicle Pilot Deployment
Program /CV Pilots Deployment Project
The U.S. Department of Transportation has announced plans for several regional connected
vehicle pilot projects in different parts of the U.S., and a new website has been established to
help educate interested stakeholders about this potential opportunity. The USDOT plans to
release a request for proposals for the pilot program in early 2015. These pilots will serve as
initial implementations of connected vehicle technology deployed in real-world settings with the
aim of delivering near-term safety, mobility, and environmental benefits to the public. Details
about the program can be found at http://www.its.dot.gov/pilots.
The new website includes the following: the latest news about the Connected Vehicle Pilot
Deployment Program; a downloadable fact sheet; examples of how local communities can
participate in the pilot program; a list of proposed applications; a high-level roadmap outlining
how the program will be rolled out; and a proposed program schedule. Visit USDOT ITS Joint
Program Office for more information.
TIM: The Responder Newsletter – July 2014
Message from the TIM Network Liaison/posted by Erin Arva
Written by Eric Rensel
Towing: They Lose More Personnel Than All of Us
“As this issue features a WreckMaster article about the towing industry, I thought it was timely
to talk about the losses that the towing industry incurs each week. Historically, the towing
industry loses more personnel to highway incidents than any of the other responder disciplines.
We have to work together to stop these deaths. Even one responder death is too many, and the
towing industry loses more than one tower each week on our highways.
The towing industry plays a huge, invaluable role in Traffic Incident Management (TIM). We
can work toward reducing the time to clear incidents all we want, but if we don't include towing
in every aspect of the process, then our work will not be successful. The towing industry has the
specialty equipment that the others do not. And, they are highly skilled in the use of this
equipment. Experienced, professional towing personnel will reduce the time that we all are
exposed to traffic.” To read more of this article and view the July 2014 TIM Responder
Newsletter, click here.
Sharp Increase in Interest for Fourth Round of the SHRP2 Implementation Assistance
Program
Via AASHTO Journal
An impressive 158 applications were received for 19 individual products being offered in the 4th
round of implementation assistance for the second Strategic Highway Research Program
(SHRP2). Thirty-seven state transportation departments, along with numerous
other organizations, submitted applications to receive financial or technical assistance through
the Implementation Assistance Program (IAP).
Of particular note, 30 applications for the first ever safety-related SHRP2 offering were received.
Transportation agencies will be able to use data from the Naturalistic Driving Study and
Roadway Information Database to investigate new alternatives for reducing crashes and
improving highway safety. To read more, click on the link above.
President Obama Launches Build America Transportation Investment Center
Link to Fast Lane blog
By Anthony Foxx
“....Today, under a failed bridge on I-495 in Delaware, the President announced the Build
America Investment Initiative, a government-wide initiative to increase infrastructure investment
and economic growth by engaging with state and local governments as well as private sector
investors to encourage collaboration, expand the market for public-private partnerships and get
more out of existing federal programs that provide financing options to qualified projects. In
addition to making government programs more accessible to project sponsors, this initiative will
harness the potential of private capital to complement government funding.
One part of that initiative that we're particularly proud of at DOT is the Build America
Transportation Investment Center, our new one-stop shop for state and local governments, public
and private developers, and investors seeking financing strategies for transportation
infrastructure projects.” To learn what the center will provide, please click on the link above.
Some Consumers Uncertain About the Connected Car
Link to article from The New York Times
While news about and demonstrations of the connected vehicle have captured the interest of
many, there are still some motorists that really don't understand what the driverless car is all
about or what exactly a "connected car" is. This information comes from a report from Spanish
telecom company Telefónica, which surveyed drivers from the United States, Britain, Germany,
Spain and Brazil.
In addition, many consumers don't appear to be interested in downloading applications and
keeping up to speed with social networks while they drive and are also still very wary about
the invasion of privacy that will be part of the connected vehicle package. The lack of and
interest and understanding could pose obstacles for tech companies looking to build on people's
seemingly insatiable desire for the latest smartphone, application and wearable device, as
companies try to make a beachhead in the automotive industry. To read more, click on the link
above.
Report Stresses Long-Term Economic Benefits of Transportation Investment
Via AASHTO Journal
In a report released last week by the White House, economists said investing in transportation
carries strong long-term economic benefits and that now is the time to utilize innovations to
increase productivity and efficiency to get the most out each dollar.
The report, completed by the President's Council of Economic Advisors and the National
Economic Council, found that investments made now in the nation's transportation infrastructure
will prove beneficial for a long time. For example, investment would reduce road congestion
(meaning faster, more reliable travel times for people and products), cut down on product costs
(as congestion adds to the cost of products due to longer shipping times, complicated supply
chains, or more distribution centers) and result in higher land values and local economic
development (as lower transportation costs help grow cities while infrastructure investment
raises property values). Additionally, transportation investment creates jobs immediately.
To read more, please click on the link above.
FBI Warns Driverless Cars Could Be Used for Crime
Link to article from The Guardian.com
While the driverless car will definitely offer safety benefits, it could also allow for "multitasking"
by those looking to behave in criminal activity, says the FBI. FBI believes the "game changing"
vehicle such as Google's driverless car, could revolutionize high-speed car chases within a matter
of years. The report also warned that autonomous cars may be used as "lethal weapons."
In an unclassified but restricted report obtained by the Guardian under a public records request,
the FBI predicts that autonomous cars "will have a high impact on transforming what both law
enforcement and its adversaries can operationally do with a car." In a section called
Multitasking, the report notes that "bad actors will be able to conduct tasks that require use of
both hands or taking one's eyes off the road which would be impossible today." To read more,
click on the link above.
Identification of Utility Conflicts and Solutions: Pilot Implementation of SHRP 2 R15B
Products at MDSHA
TRB's second Strategic Highway Research Program (SHRP 2) Renewal Project R15C has
released a prepublication, non-edited version of a report titled Identification of Utility Conflicts
and Solutions: Pilot Implementation of the SHRP 2 R15B Products at the Maryland State
Highway Administration (SHA). This report introduces the utility conflict data model and
database, and implements a stand-alone utility conflict matrix and related training course at the
Maryland SHA. This report is an update to the SHRP 2 Report S2-R15B-RW-1: Identification of
Utility Conflicts and Solutions.
Alternative Delivery Methods for Winter Maintenance Operations
TRB's National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Research Results Digest
387: Alternative Delivery Methods for Winter Maintenance Operations develops a decisionmaking framework to guide public road agencies' delivery of winter maintenance operations.