October 5, 2007
The Jamestown Press reports the Rhode Island Turnpike and Bridge Authority (RITBA) has chosen Wilbur Smith Associates, with offices in New Haven, Conn., to oversee installation of an electronic toll collection system, commonly known by the brand name EZPass, on the authority's Claiborne Pell - Newport Bridge.
The authority voted Sept. 25 to award the contract to the Smith consulting firm based on its proposal to work 1,672 hours for a total cost of $229,840 to have a system operational by November 2008.
Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth 
at 9:18 AM | Permalink
June 19, 2007
The breathtaking cost of gas has companies adopting programs to curb commuting costs and employees developing more economical alternatives to driving to work, according to USA Today.
Employers are taking action as average national gas prices persist above $3 a gallon. Nearly 90% of employees drive to work, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
Thirteen percent of companies offer transit subsidies, and 7% subsidize carpooling, according to a 2006 survey by the Society for Human Resource Management. Twenty-six percent allow telecommuting on a part-time basis.
Posted by at 2:31 PM | Permalink
April 30, 2007
Last Friday was my birthday and I decided to treat myself to a new car. My favorite exotic - and I am not alone - is the Lamborghini Muira, the first great super car that hit the roads in 1967.
I was a student in France at the time and became a lifelong fan after a visit to Monaco to see the Grand Prix. There were quite a few Muiras bubbling around and I have never recovered from the sight of what many argue is one of the most beautiful cars ever.
So I treated myself to a burnt orange Muira circa 1971 - in a 1/18 scale version! Like the real thing, it was not cheap and had to be ordered over the Internet, but it is incredibly detailed and certainly the closest I'll ever get to owning one. By the way, if there is anyone out there in Rhode Island or southern Mass. who owns one of these beauties, I'd love to profile you and the car.
No, I am a journalist and I went into this business for honor and glory rather that riches. So while I am interested in buying one of the new German diesels due next year - the VW Jetta Sportswagon caught my fancy at the recentt New York Auto Show - I decided to buy yet another second-hand Volvo wagon, trading in my 180,000 mile version for one with 105,000 miles on it.
Why buy such an old car? I guess we all have favorites and the tank of a Volvo wagon is certainly mine. I figure Volvo owners are like me - boring and responsible - and so look after their cars well which means second-hand Volvos are in pretty good condition. And with children, I like the safety aspect.
Finally, I like the comfort. Unlike the TV ads which would have me thundering across mesas in New Mexico or speeding snow covered mountain passes in glorious solitude, I spend most of my driving with my fellow commuters in traffic jams that range from 50-to-0 mph.
So rather than railing at the ride, I would rather be sitting in a big leather chair with a good sound system and just enjoy the scenery.
Posted by at 10:18 AM | Permalink
April 16, 2007
The Detroit Free Press reports that ashttp://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070416/BUSINESS01/704160362/1014/BUSINESS01 more than 35,000 engineers and executives gather in Detroit this week for the Society of Automotive Engineers World Congress, one question will dominate the convention: What will power the car of the future?
The gas engine has dominated the U.S. auto market for decades, but gas-electric hybrids and diesel engines are gaining ground. Ethanol is being promoted as an alternative fuel, and hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles are being tested in real-world conditions.
Posted by at 12:36 PM | Permalink
April 6, 2007
The government says it will require all new passenger vehicles to have anti-rollover technology by the 2012 model year, predicting it could save thousands of lives and dramatically reduce rollover crashes, according to the Associated Press.
The Transportation Department said "electronic stability control" could prevent between 5,300 and 9,600 deaths annually and up to 238,000 injuries a year once it is fully deployed into the nation's fleet, AP says.
Posted by at 10:00 AM | Permalink
April 3, 2007
France's high-speed TGV (Tres Grande Vitesse, or very high speed) train broke the record for speed on a rail today in a much publicized test, according to the Paris-based International Herald Tribune. The train, code-named V150, reached a maximum of 574.8 kilometers an hour, or 357 miles an hour, but fell just short of the record for all types of train.
That record is held by the magnetic levitation train of Japan, whose technology means it does not touch the rail. It reached a speed of 581 kilometers per hour, or 361 miles an hour, in 2003. But the Japanese technology is more costly, typically runs shorter distances and is less compatible with existing rail networks.
Posted by at 4:13 PM | Permalink
After a seven-month financial drought, the state Department of Transportation is about to resume the multimillion-dollar flow of contracts that build and repair the state’s highways and bridges, reports The Providence Journal's Bruce Landis.
Edmund T. Parker, the DOT’s chief engineer, told Landis his agency hopes to advertise 16 contracts, worth an estimated $29 million, for bids from contractors this month and next, after the release of $104 million by the Federal Highway Administration.
Posted by at 10:00 AM | Permalink
March 26, 2007
Motorcoaches are the most fuel-efficient transportation mode in the United States, according to a new study authored by Nathan Associates and released today by the American Bus Association Foundation.
The motorcoach industry provided 148.4 passenger miles per gallon of fuel in 2004, the study reported, more than double the second most fuel-efficient sector, intercity trains at 74.1 passenger MPG.
Total transit achieved 55.8 passenger MPG, air carriers achieved 40.9 passenger MPG, and automobiles achieved 35.4 passenger MPG.
Posted by at 1:16 PM | Permalink
