MISTAKES:Contra Costa Co SR-4

Last issue (TR#11 Jan 97 p3) a serious stupid mistake was published. We mislocated the section of SR-4 where Contra Costa County CA is considering for study of private investment in express lanes. The section proposed for study is east of I-680 — not west of it as we wrongly reported. Our map also reflected the error. Maxwell emphasizes that express lanes are only one option to be looked at in possible consulting work. (Contact: Paul Maxwell 510 938 3970x135)

91-Express Lanes run from the T-interchange with SR-55 at the west end (not from SR-57 i/c as we carelessly miswrote last issue p1) to around the Riverside co line at the east end. Humblest apologies and free copy of TR to any who got lost.

Dulles Gway e-toll & airport wind sheer

In TR#9 Nov 96 p2 we reported a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) official as telling us that the electronic tolling at the Dulles Greenway had caused some intermittent interference with the wind sheer alert systems at Dulles airport for a couple of weeks in the spring of 1996 and that the problem had been fixed and had not recurred. We also reported another false alarm in the fall. The report was accurate as far as it went. Since then we have got all the internal documents on the case through Freedom of Information filings at FAA and FCC and dug deeper. It remains true that some FAA technicians in charge of the wind sheer and other radio systems at the airport thought that they were suffering interference from the e-toll equipment on the Gway. However the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) which investigated the FAA complaints could find no basis for the FAA techs' charges of Gway radio interference. It seems that the problems were caused by other transmissions or by deficiencies in the FAA's own equipment. The e-toll gear got a bum rap, it appears.

"What gets us into trouble is not what we don't know. It's what we know for sure that just ain't so. " Yogi Berra

TRB's long railroad

Speaking of mistakes we were intrigued by the News Briefs report in the latest "TR News" (p32) from our favorite people at the Transp Research Board on rail electrification New York to Boston which said "the project will allow high-speed passenger-rail service along the 734km (456 miles) between New York City and Boston." Heck it must be a winding roundabout route that is going electric! New York to Boston maybe via Steamtown Scranton PA? If you take I-95 NY-Boston is only 310km (194 miles) according to the road atlas. Another demonstration of the uphill battle that rail faces in getting people out of their cars?

Lively ITS

There we were soberly browsing the web searching for ITS (intelligent transport systems) offerings thinking only of electronic transponders, advanced traffic management, smart traveller info and suchlike and we hit on "www.ITSlive.com" We wondered: Is this the new "ITS awareness campaign" on behalf of ITS America? Click. Return...My Gawd! "Hottest Girls in Dallas Get Erotic for you Live" "You are just a click away. From a cyber lay"etc. ITS America insists it has no connection.