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As
Art Director Michael Tamburello says, I've got the easy job. As editor
of the Cotrip Quarterly virtual publication, I usually agonize with
our authors over subjects, photographs and even spelling. Thanks to
Lead Public Information Officer Gene Towne who took over those duties
as Associate Editor. This time as we round out our publications for
the first year of Cotrip with our September issue I simply have to compose
this editorial. But the occurrences of Tuesday, September 11, and the
continuing uncertainty make this task (and most tasks) anything but
routine, normal or easy. I missed the normal work on this issue because
I have just returned to work from eight weeks of getting over a serious
illness. My personal trials and tribulations pale in comparison with
our national and international tragedies. More on that in a bit.
While giving a preview of articles in this edition, these editorials
also should at least touch on a subject or two facing transportation
in general and ITS (Intelligent Transportation Systems) in particular.
While scanning world wide publications for the latest on ITS and transportation,
the intrusion of Big Brother was getting a lot of attention. The state
of New York has banned cell phones being used by drivers. Other localities
are considering a similar ban. Does that mean police could add another
charge of driving while phoning if a person was caught speeding while
running a red light and phoning at a video enforcement intersection?
A triple threat? How about a satellite transponder on every vehicle
so the government and employers can know where we are, or at least where
our cars are, 24 hours a day? It promised to be a lively discussion
but the reality of the "airliner as weapon" era makes such
arguments less engaging.
We now know that we will be giving up certain liberties for security.
The head of one airline said air travel has changed forever at least
for this generation. Phone records will most likely be used without
our knowing and perhaps that's the way it must be. The AUTHORITIES will
be asking for and presumably getting many more ways to keep an eye on
domestic and foreign activities. There isn't much of an outcry about
what appear to be necessary precautions in a new time of global conflict.
Even the exact form of the coming conflict is still unknown. But what
will this mean to transportation?
On a day-to-day basis it seems commuting in most urban areas (outside
New York and the District of Columbia) should not be affected. Even
here in Colorado and the Denver metro area work on highways and light
rail expansion (including the massive T-Rex project in SE Denver) will
continue. But national and even international travel on highways is
bound to explode. Especially for states like Colorado the influx of
traffic "just passing through" will most likely grow at an
enormous rate. Vacations that require a day or two in the family vehicle
will make a reappearance unseen since the 50's when the trip "back
to Grandpa's farm" was an annual event. The demand for better highway
management and road and weather condition reports will increase and
we in the transportation field will be faced with the challenge. Here
in Colorado we already have more Internet cameras available on I-70
and I-25. We are constantly striving to upgrade our road conditions
gathering capability with cameras and other sensors as well as updated
reports coming more often from the Colorado State Patrol.
One answer to highway delays is the Weigh In Motion (WIM) program that
was recently implemented in Colorado. The Centennial State joins about
two dozen others in the new initiative that allows over the road haulers
to get identified, weighed and passed along without stopping. This saves
time and fuel by eliminating the need to stop, go through the process
at a port of entry and then restart highway travel from a standstill.
ITS's Dave Judy tells the story of how our 16 30-year-old ports have
been transformed.
Keeping our efforts on view and sharing the latest technology with others
in the field is a matter of constant effort in ITS. Colorado ITS attended
a forum in June that was ideal for this purpose. The gathering on local
and national government Internet technology (The Colorado Executive
Leadership Forum) was held in downtown Denver and ITS deputy Frank Kinder
and Michael Tamburello were on hand to tout our division's website (Cotrip.org)
and share virtual knowledge. You can get a handle on our presentation.
Here at Cotrip we also like to keep in touch with the traveling public
by sharing tales of accidents that held up traffic, efforts to cut down
delays and similar stories. This time Claudia Lamb takes a look at a
record breaking day in the mountains. This summer more vehicles than
ever before went through the Eisenhower Tunnel at the Continental Divide
in one day. The story gives us a good look at the tunnel and an explanation
why a beautiful drive in the pristine Rocky Mountains turned into a
traffic distraction.
In closing, our thoughts and prayers are with the workers and their
efforts in New York and Washington and all the families and friends
of the thousands of victims of the September 11th attacks on America.
We continue to pray that in the weeks and months and years ahead that
our leaders and our forces proceed on the best path and that such atrocities
as we have seen are never repeated.
Brian Jordon
Editor and CDOT Public Information Officer
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