Officials have moved to an automated ticket system for Golden Gate Ferry (CA), replacing full-time ticket agents at the Larkspur, Sausalito, and San Francisco terminals. The move eliminated seven positions, although five of the agents have been offered or accepted jobs within the Golden Gate Bridge Highway and Transportation District. Twelve ticket machines were installedRead… Read more »
For years, people have talked about a phenomenon called “suburban sprawl” – what happens when cities tend to blend into each other along a stretch of road, making it difficult (if not impossible) to tell when you have passed into a bordering community. This is often said of the Chicago to Milwaukee corridor – bothRead… Read more »
Deltek Sr. Analyst Chris Cotner reports. In my blog last month on Governor Perry’s veto of Texas House Bill 2499, the fate of the Department of Information Resources (DIR) and its pending sunset was largely unclear. “This veto is a clear shot across the bow by the governor indicating his keen and continued interest inRead… Read more »
David Raths of Government Technology reported recently on an interesting question: Should state and local governments be allowed to “opt out” of a controversial DHS program that automatically shares criminals’ fingerprints with federal immigration officials? The program, called “Secure Communities,” suffers from confusion about whether governments get to choose if they want to be involvedRead… Read more »
Chicago-area transit agencies have four years to develop a universal fare card, thanks to a new state law enacted Thursday. Illinois Governor Pat Quinn signed the measure, which will allow passengers to use a single fare card to travel on Chicago Transit Authority, Metra commuter rail, and Pace Suburban Bus. Although the three agencies hadRead… Read more »
With Phoenix reaching triple-digit temperatures this week, a new solar-cooled rail stop provides welcome relief for commuters waiting for Valley Metro (AZ) trains. Customers can press a button at the shelter, and fans will blast them with cold air for 15 minutes. According to a Reuters story, the blowers can cool the stop by asRead… Read more »
The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (DC) is testing a feature that will enable riders to add value to their SmarTrip cards online. The pilot includes 5,000 riders, including 50 recruited via Twitter. Riders can add between $10 and $200 online but, as Greater Greater Washington notes, the system cannot instantly update the card balance.Read… Read more »
Google has introduced a transit navigation feature in its latest release of Google Maps for Android mobile devices. Still in beta, Transit Navigation enables transit riders to track their progress stop-by-stop along a route in more than 400 cities worldwide. (Engadget reports on its field test in New York City here.) When riders enter theirRead… Read more »
Last month MTA Metro-North Railroad (NY) joined NJ TRANSIT to launch First In, Last Out, a program to designate quiet cars on commuter rail trains serving Hoboken station. If that experiment works out, Metro-North will begin a quiet car trial on the New Haven, Harlem, and Hudson lines. While quiet car programs tend to beRead… Read more »
Tweet Print PDF Tweeting, texting, blogging and answering email are all activities that have become ubiquitous over the course of the day. However, many people find that engaging in these activities while in meetings or in other settings requiring focused attention is unprofessional and even rude. Recently, more state legislatures and city councils have takenRead… Read more »