More than 7,000 crashes occur annually in highway work zones in Illinois, causing approximately 2,000 injuries. The number of work zone fatalities in the state reached a peak of 44, including 5 workers, in 2003. Speeding is one of the most important contributors, affecting the frequency and severity of work zone crashes. In 2004 the Illinois Department of Transportation deployed two self-contained vans to implement a legislatively mandated speed-radar photo enforcement (SPE) program in work zones on highways. The speeds of vehicles approaching the SPE vans are monitored with two radar systems: down-the-road radar and across the-road radar.

The speed obtained from the down-the-road radar is displayed on a light-emitting diode display on top of the SPE van. The display gives speeding drivers a final chance to reduce speed and comply with the work zone speed limit. If the speed of the vehicle, measured by across-the-road radar, is greater than a specified value, the two onboard cameras are activated to take pictures of the driver and the rear license plate of the vehicle. Trained Illinois State Police officers staff the SPE vans and regular speeding fines in work zones apply to violations.

Aggressive law enforcement, including the use of SPE vans, in conjunction with educational campaigns and improvements to work zone traffic control, have reduced work zone fatalities from a high of 44 in 2003 to 31 in 2009. Illinois DOT has expanded the SPE program to five SPE vans, one for each region in the state.

The success of SPE in Illinois led to similar initiatives in Maryland, Oregon, and Washington. The Research Advisory Committee of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials recognized “Speed Photo Enforcement in Illinois Work Zones” as a high-value research project at the regional level.

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Montreal, QC (CANADA) – Nov. 22, 2011 – IEG is very pleased to announce the newest member to the A.I.M.S.™ family of clients, Airspace Lounge. Baltimore based Airspace Lounge selects IEG’s Access Information Management System (A.I.M.S.)™ for the operation of their airport lounges. The agreement will see the deployment of A.I.M.S. in their flagship lounge located in Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI).

“We wanted a proven solution that could be implemented quickly and would securely interface with our marketing partner,” said Anthony Tangorra, CEO & Founder, Airspace Lounge. “The sought after solution must support our immediate needs, positions us for new business initiatives and does not divert from our mainline focus of customer service,” continued Anthony Tangorra. In addition to the baseline passenger tracking, reporting and accounting aspects of A.I.M.S., Airspace Lounge acquires the framework to launch ancillary revenue business initiatives including monthly Club Memberships.
“We are pleased that Airspace Lounge has chosen IEG and A.I.M.S. to help address a key element in the delivery of a lounge product,” said Michael Di Corpo, Managing Director, IEG Inc. “We are privileged by the selection and look forward to supporting Airspace Lounge in its growth, from baseline customer tracking service to monthly membership support.”

A.I.M.S. is delivered within IEG’s FrontOffice Touch-Point essential CRM (eCRM)™. To enable strategic growth, IEG has intentionally addressed, and solved, the most complex and difficult portions of the life-style tracking for every checkpoint. With A.I.M.S., a Client rolls out the framework to cover all touch points. You can limit yourself to the lounge needs or grow on the path of creating passenger life-style experiences.

ABOUT AIRSPACE LOUNGE

Airspace Lounge is the first comprehensive airport lounge developer in the United States. Airspace Lounge is building a large-scale lounge network throughout the world with an initial focus on North American airports. Airspace Lounge’s first location is at Baltimore Washington Thurgood Marshall International Airport (BWI)-Concourse D; serving United (UAL), Continental, Delta (DAL), US Airways (LCC) and Cape Air. Airspace Lounge is available to any customer no matter which airline they’re flying for an affordable price inclusive of Airspace’s comfortable lounge atmosphere, business technology and food & beverage. For more information, please visit www.airspacelounge.com on Facebook at www.facebook.com/AirspaceLounge and Twitter @anthonytangorra.

ABOUT INFORMATION ENGINEERING GROUP

Information Engineering Group (IEG) has a very successful 20-year history of delivering exacting software solution to support its Client’s business goals. From its founding, it was involved in the passenger airline industry by developing Customer Loyalty Systems (such as Aeroplan and Unisys’ CLS) for several world class airlines. Leveraging its industry knowledge and the need to improve customer loyalty, IEG has evolved a solution portfolio centered around its FrontOffice Touch-Point eCRM™ Where many airlines are satisfied to simply capture customer travel from point “A” to point “B”, IEG’s approach is to understand the whole travel story and deliver on the commitment to enhance the customer’s travel experience.

CONTACT INFORMATION:

Michael Di Corpo
Tel: +1.514.871.4910 ext. 13
Email: mdicorpo@ieg-america.com

Jim Smith
Tel: +1.514.871.4910 ext. 19
Email: jimsmith@ieg-america.com

www.IEG-America.com/airline-and-airport-systems/

By now, municipalities across the province, their police departments and boards, will have received a request from the Nottawasaga Police Services Board to support its call for the Ontario government “to reinstitute the photo radar program for the provincially regulated Police Services Boards to manage and use at their discretion.”This morning, Simcoe County’s Performance Management Committee received it for information. It has yet to show up on New Tecumseth council’s agenda.

In 1994, Ontario’s NDP government introduced photo radar use provincial highways, which photographed license plates of speeders, then followed that up with tickets issued through the mail. The Mike Harris government cancelled the program after its election in 1995.

Since then, the McGuinty government has flirted with the idea of letting individual municipalities implement the program but to date, as the PSB points out, has “yet to reinstate it in spite of numerous attempts made at the municipal level.”

The city of Toronto could generate more than $2-million in revenue if it increased the effectiveness of its red light camera program, according to the auditor general.

The red light camera project was initiated in 1998 as a pilot program “aimed at improving safety for all road users by reducing red light running at intersections,” according to the city of Toronto’s website.

Currently there are 87 cameras that are rotated among 114 intersections. Motorists do not know which intersections have the active cameras and which have no camera.

The province of Ontario increased the fine for red-light running from $180 to $325 in January, 2010. The government determined the seriousness of red-light running and concluded a penalty increase was warranted.

Is this red light camera program about the money or about the safety?

Statistics from a 2006 study show that the rear-end collision rate fell at intersections with red light cameras while the rate increased at non-camera intersections. “Data compiled by the city from 37 intersections monitored by red light cameras show a dramatic difference in rear-end collisions between locations with cameras and those without,” a report in the Toronto Star said.

Red light running is a very dangerous offence. The resulting t-bone crashes often prove fatal and are almost always serious.

Two leading causes of red light running are driver distraction and impatience.

In the driver distraction cases, the cameras have little, if any, effect on driver behaviour. It is simply a case of the driver not even realizing what they are doing and, as such, any deterrent is not applicable regardless of how severe. These careless drivers don’t even realize they are going through a red light, never mind if there is a camera to catch them at it!

For impatient motorists, this infraction is simply one of selfishness. The red light they are about to encounter is an inconvenience, and if they can just get through it without crashing or being ticketed, all will be well in their world.

The time saved by running a red light is minimal, yet the risk is monstrous. Almost all red lights take less than a minute to change back to green with the majority lasting only 30 to 45 seconds.

Many times I have witnessed a red light runner scoot through an intersection, only for them to get caught at the next red light. More often than not, I usually catch up to the red light runner at the next few lights. Even if that motorist got the next series of green lights, they may have saved 30 or 40 seconds. Is that worth risking someone’s life for?

The good news is that the $325 fine seems to be having some effect. And the statistics appear to back this up.

The bad news is, since the authorities rely on taking a picture of the rear licence plate of the offending vehicle, it is the owner who will receive the ticket. For this reason, demerits points can not be added to the fine as it would be unfair to hit the owner for demerit points if they were not driving the vehicle at the time of the infraction.

At least with the fine, the owner can recoup the cost of the infraction from the actual driver. It is the responsibility of the owner to know who is driving their vehicle for legal reasons and, as such, they should know.

This actually may be one of those win-win situations, if the city increases the effectiveness of their red light camera program.

A win for all motorists is that there seem to be fewer crashes at intersections with cameras. Any time collisions can be reduced, we all win.

It is also a win for the city, as revenues can increase.

The only losers are those who run the red lights. If they survive crossing through the intersection without killing or being killed, they will receive a hefty fine in the mail.

“We wanted a proven solution that could be implemented quickly and would coincide with our entry into the Star Alliance” said Laeke Tadesss, Director, Commercial Systems “We wanted a solution with the ability to facilitate partner invoicing and settlement from the start.” A.I.M.S. will aid Ethiopian Airlines make a smooth transition into the Star Alliance network of over 970 Lounges worldwide and 27 other member airlines.

With A.I.M.S., Ethiopian Airlines gets a proven technology and IEG’s reputed customer service. A.I.M.S. increases passenger information accuracy, automates passenger and guest tracking in real time. A.I.M.S. ergonomic design improves communication with lounge agents by providing instant global updating for new carriers, business rules and guest policy. IEG’s Corrective Analytics™ engine ensures the validity of VIP Customer Data while driving more revenues towards our Customers.

“We are pleased that Ethiopian Airlines has chosen IEG and A.I.M.S. to help meet the demanding needs of the industry,” said Michael Di Corpo, Managing Director, IEG Inc. “A.I.M.S. delivers a highly flexible solution that can be customized to an airline’s preference and tailored to meet their distinctive corporate needs.” Leveraging IEG’s services, Clients can rapidly respond to changing business needs with a solution requiring extremely low on-going maintenance and above all, no disruption & loss of productivity for airline personnel.

“A.I.M.S. is the key enabler that paves the way towards a FrontOffice Touch-Point eCRM strategy. Measuring ROI on cost savings alone is validation enough for AIMS. Consider other benefits as Ancillary Revenues, In-depth Customer knowledge, Managing Events and Recognize Trends” said Mr. Di Corpo. “When everything is measured, you begin to adopt a strategy that can win competitive advantage. It all starts with your VIP Customers & A.I.M.S.”

ABOUT ETHIOPIAN AIRLINES

Ethiopian Airlines, representing The New Spirit of Africa, is the third African carrier to join the Alliance and is one of the largest and fastest growing airlines on the African continent. From its hub in Bole International Airport the airline serves a network of 64 international destinations and 16 domestic ones. The carrier flies to more destinations in Africa than any other airline.

ABOUT INFORMATION ENGINEERING GROUP

Information Engineering Group (IEG) has a very successful 20-year history of delivering exacting software solution to support its Client’s business goals. From its founding, it was involved in the passenger airline industry by developing Customer Loyalty Systems (such as Aeroplan and Unisys’ CLS) for several world class airlines. Leveraging its industry knowledge and the need to improve customer loyalty, IEG has evolved a solution portfolio centered around its FrontOffice Touch-Point eCRM™ Where many airlines are satisfied to simply capture customer travel from point “A” to point “B”, IEG’s approach is to understand the whole travel story and deliver on the commitment to enhance the customer’s travel experience.

INFORMATION

Michael Di Corpo
+1.514.871.4910 ext. 13
mdicorpo@ieg-america.com

Jim Smith
+1.514.871.4910 ext. 19
jimsmith@ieg-america.com

This recognition reflects IEG’s dedication to remaining compatible and current with the latest technical advances. As our client organizations are committing resources to migrating to Windows™ 7 over the coming months, IEG is ready to support in their initiatives with enhanced confidence with any Microsoft Windows environment.

About CMS

IEG provides VIP Lounge Club Management Solution for airlines. Designed to manage lounge memberships and simplify member communications. It has the ability to create campaigns, track member communications, tag revenue generating club activities and, link programs to members, spouses and guests.

IEG was instrumental in creating a transparent system of access control for WiFi use without the need for daily passwords or negotiable tokens. With A.I.M.S. in the lounges, passengers and their guests are authenticated for access using boarding pass, loyalty cards, affinity cards and one time entry pass. Members requesting WiFi connectivity are validated against established Air Canada policy for complimentary or pay web.

Air Canada has successfully gained control over its WiFi. They were able to introduce ancillary services based on three tier connectivity according to a passenger’s consumption and desired web experience such as Bronze, Silver or Gold service.

“WiFi access control is a sample demonstration of Ancillary Revenue generation with A.I.M.S.” said Michael Di Corpo, Managing Director of IEG. “With A.I.M.S. in the lounges, our customers can expand on ancillary services to include tailored offerings such as Conference Room booking, shoe shine, dry cleaning or even local specialty gourmet treats.”   Ancillary services can be offered either complimentary or as a paid service. A.I.M.S. allows you to leverage your global lounges to support operational, revenue, Customer Relationship and Strategic corporate ambitions.

• Multi-user positions for initialization and analysis,
• Automated download of traffic data and violations to a central repository,
• Interfaces to motor vehicle databases,
• Third party printing,
• Online payments such as credit card, IVR and cashiers,
• Workflow analysis supporting multiple and varied business rules,
• Call center support,
• Full reporting.

The environment is designed for high throughput processing and scalable to exceed 3000 citations per day.

Leveraging the flexibility of COPS2000, The City was able to introduce new camera hardware without any disruptions to its current back office citation processing operations. COPS2000 flexibility permits The City of Lethbridge to continue to leverage its current camera hardware while introducing technology all using the same back office citation system. The City reported no disruptions to its current operations while maintaining productivity.

Speed demons beware. One Milton councilor-elect is rallying behind the proposed re-introduction of photo-radar in Ontario.

“My platform called for photo-radar in Milton. And I believe I was handily elected because of this,” said Tony Lambert, who as of this Monday will represent the residents of Wards 1,6,7,8 as regional councillor.

“When I went door-to-door, to 20,000 houses, over and over I heard how much this is a great idea and how this should be looked at by the Province.”

Lambert’s wish came true recently when Liberal MPP David Caplan introduced a private members’ bill to allow photo-radar.

The technology takes pictures of speeding cars and mails the driver a ticket. Bob Rae’s NDP government launched photo-radar on Ontario streets in August 1994, and 11 months later Mike Harris scrapped the program.

Transportation Minister Kathleen Wynne said she has no plans to reinstitute the speeding measure, but she’ll be listening to the debate.

Last week, Lambert wrote to Wynne, Caplan and Premier Dalton McGuinty, throwing his support behind the bill and asking the Province to permit photo-radar.

“The Province has changed their minds on UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championships), they changed their minds on hydro rates, they changed their minds on eco fees. Let’s make this the fourth. There’s a precedent for governments to listen to the debate and reexamine issues,” Lambert told the Champion, adding that “Although they’ve decided, they’re not closed off to listening. Perhaps they’ll revisit the issue before the elections.”

Lambert, who’s chair of the Milton Community Policing Committee, said there’s a tremendous desire from Miltonians, especially those in his wards south of Derry Road, to add to the photo-radar debate.

“The people throughout Milton are going to be leading the debate in Halton Region,” he said.

Lambert has been in contact with Regional staff and police to discuss speeding measures in Halton. Two programs are currently in place.

Speedi takes pictures of speeding cars and Road Watch allows residents to report bad drivers to police. In both programs, drivers are visited by police officers after the first or second offence. However, Lambert said he thinks the measures aren’t effective enough.

“There’s no way to follow through on charges. And in my opinion, a visit from police will not alter these drivers’ behaviour.”

This spring Lambert said he’ll be visiting the 40,000 residents in his wards with a petition to re-introduce photo-radar.

“As a Province we do not have to react to a traffic fatality because of speeding — we can be proactive,” he wrote to the minister. “My recommendation is to have motorists lose demerit points if photo-radar is brought back to have the maximum effect on behavior.”

Lambert said photo-radar isn’t simply an additional revenue stream for the government; rather it will help families feel safer on their street.

“This is not a political issue, it’s a safety issue.”