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ITS
CANADA BYLAW AMENDMENTS
By
Michael Bailey, Member of ITS Canada’s Board of
Directors
During
the past year, ITS Canada’s Board has developed
a series of proposed amendments to the bylaws of the
Society, to make the process of electing the Board
more efficient and to make the Board more effective
for members.
An
electronic vote on the amendments has now been initiated
by ITS Canada's Board of Directors, via an email to
the Primary Contact on each membership. Every vote
on these questions is very important: ITS Canada's
bylaws require that 2/3 of membership support any
amendment to the bylaws. A secure Internet voting
site is being used to conduct this referendum. Future
elections of the Society will use a similar Internet-based
platform.
For
questions, please email ITS Canada at askus@itscanada.ca.
ITS
CANADA SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES
On
the recently completed ITS Canada Member Survey, 45
percent of respondents were unaware of sponsorship
opportunities provided by the Society.
Generally
speaking, members are provided sponsorship opportunities
in relation to events held by the Society. For example,
the Annual Conference provides members with a unique,
high-profile sponsorship option that provides visibility
of your organization for a wide audience of ITS industry
participants. Sponsor levels are tiered, providing
a variety of financial levels to allow members to
participate at their chosen level of contribution.
Each level is tied to a specific group of “benefits”:
for lower levels, your organization’s logo could
be displayed on the website and the program, while
the highest levels often include a speaking opportunity
at the event. For each event, when the call for sponsors
is announced, Sustaining Corporate members are usually
given priority over other members for an initial period
of time. Similarly, smaller regional events often
provide opportunities to fund various parts of the
program, such as a coffee break or lunch.
If you are interested
in pursuing sponsorship options, please contact ITS
Canada at askus@itscanada.ca
for more information.
TAC
PROJECTS
TRANSPORTATION PLANNING
The
Transportation Association of Canada (TAC) has completed
a report on best practices for the technical delivery
of long-term Canadian transportation planning studies.
The research project focused on analytical tools and
associated data that support the long-range transportation
planning practices of small and medium-sized communities
in Canada.
The
upcoming report has three main applications. It will
serve as a reference work on available transportation
planning methods, tools and data, a benchmarking tool
for current planning practices across Canada, as well
as a summary of needs that organizations can address
in this area. The publication will also contain a
stand-alone user guide for application of best practices,
designed to assist transportation planners in making
choices and responding to the transportation planning
needs of their communities over the long term.
With
an expected completion in the summer of 2008, the
report is targeted at municipalities with a population
of 10,000 to 250,000 residents, although the results
are equally applicable to larger communities since
much of the research reflects best practices applied
in more populated centres. For more information, visit
www.tac-atc.ca.
URBAN TRANSPORTATION INDICATORS
TAC is also undertaking another in its series of surveys
of urban transportation indicators, following those
done in 1995, 1999 and 2003. The overall goal has
been the establishment and maintenance of a consistent
and reliable database of urban transportation indicators
for Canadian municipalities. The final deliverable
from this project will be a comprehensive report,
to be made available free of charge on TAC’s
website, consisting of the fourth survey results analysis
and summary, an electronic database, and a briefing
that will highlight the results of the project. The
consultant is expected to be selected this summer
with the project report scheduled to be available
by the middle of 2010.
FUNDING
NEWS
ONTARIO
In June, the governments of Canada and Ontario announced
funding for widening of Essex County Road 22 from
Lakeshore Boulevard to Patillo Road. This project
is one of several projects under the Let's Get
Windsor-Essex Moving strategy. Funding for this
strategy comes from the Canada-Ontario Border Infrastructure
Fund, a joint commitment by the federal and provincial
governments to invest $300 million in the Windsor
Gateway. The widening of Essex County Road 22 from
two lanes to four lanes will provide improved traffic
operations, better highway access to the border for
regional commercial and commuter traffic in Essex
County, and improvements to safety and capacity. Included
in the project will be several ITS investments, such
as traffic cameras to improve traffic management,
video monitoring and driver information.
ALBERTA - TRANSIT
The Government of Alberta has announced $2 billion
in public transit investments. Funds for the Green
Transit Incentives Program will come from this year's
surplus, predicted to be significantly larger as a
result of higher than expected oil and gas prices.
All municipalities, regional entities, non-profit
organizations, and private sector groups can apply
for funding, which will be allocated on a project-by-project
basis. This complements the Public Transit Trust Fund
set up earlier in 2008 by the Government of Canada.
Eligible projects include purchase of transit vehicles,
transit systems that provide service to regional communities
and reduce commuter traffic, light rail transit (LRT)
and commuter rail systems, new public transit projects
such as LRT extensions, planning for and acquisition
of transit or commuter rail corridors, park-and-ride
facilities to enhance public transit, planning and
design of transit-oriented developments in new residential
areas, or construction of regional transit terminals
and facilities. Complete information on funding criteria
will be developed by Alberta Transportation in consultation
with stakeholders. Details will be announced in the
fall of 2008.
INTERNATIONAL
NEWS bITS
U.S. TO UPGRADE VEHICLE RATING PROGRAM
Each year, America’s National Highway Traffic
Safety Administration (NHTSA) performs rollover and
crash tests on new cars and trucks and assigns them
a safety rating. For nearly 30 years, the safety rating
system has been a catalyst for encouraging major safety
improvements to new vehicle design. U.S. Secretary
of Transportation Mary E. Peters has announced new
upgrades to the Five Star Safety Rating Program for
vehicles, with the goal of providing consumers with
better, more complete safety information about vehicles.
Beginning with the model year 2010, vehicles will
be given an overall safety rating that combines results
from frontal, side and rollover tests. The upgraded
system also will include new frontal crash tests,
and a new side pole test to simulate wrapping a vehicle
around a tree. Female crash dummies will be added
to the tests, so women and larger children are represented,
and new testing for leg injuries will be done. With
regard to ITS technologies, a new rating on emerging
advanced technologies will be added so consumers will
know whether specific crash avoidance technologies,
namely electronic stability control, lane departure
warning systems and forward collision warning systems,
are optional or standard features on new vehicles.
MANCHESTER CONGESTION CHARGING
Greater Manchester’s TIF bid (Transport Innovation
Fund) has secured £1.5 billion of funding from
the UK’s Department for Transport (DfT) for
a package of measures that includes congestion charging
by 2013, along with many other transport measures.
Up to £3 billion of funding will be available
for transport improvements in Greater Manchester.
This comprises government grants of £1.5 billion,
£1.2 billion of local funding supported by future
revenue from a limited peak-time-only congestion charge,
and £0.1 billion in third-party contributions.
The
congestion charge will come into operation during
rush hours only from the summer of 2013, and is designed
to tackle congestion at the time, place and direction
where it is at its worst each weekday. The system
is based on two charging rings picking up vehicles
heading inwards in the morning and outwards in the
evenings. The charge is expected to be no more than
£5 per day. Less than 20 percent of drivers
in Greater Manchester will pay a charge, and the average
weekday daily charge will be less than £3 (relative
to 2007 prices).
The
DfT has also confirmed that it will fund extra railway
rolling stock and other enhancements for a range of
local rail services serving Greater Manchester and
supporting in excess of 7,000 extra passengers at
peak times.
For
more information: www.gmpte.com/news.cfm?news_id=6042551
RAIL SECURITY
www.its-uk.org.uk/events/event.aspx?id=46
The
presentations from the recent Geneva European ITS
Congress seminar on the security of rail passengers
and goods can be accessed at the above link. Included
are:
• Railway
Security Priorities
• Summary of WSC Workshop on Transit Security
• Security Arena Lindholmen, Sweden
• International Standardization within ISO/TC
223 on Societal Security
• Making the Case for Intelligent CCTV.
HELP
PROMOTE ITS CANADA
 |
Place
this logo, along with a link, on your website
to help promote the Society.
Contact
ITS Canada for the file:
askus@itscanada.ca |
GOING TO A SHOW OR EVENT?
ITS Canada has purchased a 10-foot booth and a literature
stand, and a banner is on order. These materials can
be used by members to promote ITS Canada at events
you attend.
UPCOMING
EVENTS
Newsletter
published by ITS Canada.
Submissions
or comments can be emailed to askus@itscanada.ca.
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