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 »
Cincinnati (OH) officials are considering a battery-powered system for the city’s planned streetcar line. A wireless system would be cheaper to build and operate than a conventional streetcar system, and eliminating overhead wires has significant aesthetic advantages. But the battery-powered vehicles need a charge every five miles and they face a challenge on hills. “IRead… Read more »
Governing paid a visit to the personal rapid transit system in Morgantown (WV). Serving the West Virginia University campus and downtown Morgantown, the 71 blue and yellow cars carry about 15,000 passengers on a typical day. Boeing built the $120 million system in 1975 with federal funding. Now that Boeing is out of the transitRead… Read more »
Tweet Print PDF Broadband access in the United States is an issue fraught with strong opinions on topics from speed to funding to net neutrality. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) backed by the support of the Obama Administration is pushing a variety of initiatives to increase broadband access nationwide in order to close the technologyRead… Read more »