Air Quality & Weather Systems

The results of a two-pronged investigation by researchers from the Minnesota Traffic Observatory at the US University of Minnesota on the safety related effects of flashing LED stop signs have just been released. They conducted two studies: a statistical study to compare the crash frequency after installation of a flashing LED stop signs at 15 intersections to a prediction of what that crash frequency would have been had the flashing LED stop signs not been installed; and a field study using video to exa

TrafficLand, US distributor of live traffic video is to install its TLX™ video aggregation technology in Massachusetts Department of Transportation’s (MassDOT) highway operations centre to distribute real-time video from its road-side camera network to multiple stakeholders in the region. Under the agreement, TrafficLand will serve live video from 375 MassDOT traffic cameras to the DOT website. The number of cameras will expand to 500 by the end of 2014. TrafficLand will also provide specialised access

A specially adapted Sideway-force Coefficient Routine Investigation Machine (SCRIM) manufactured by UK company WDM and used by the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) to survey the country’s road network has been, says NZTA ‘a very efficient and effective safety strategy’. SCRIM measures wet road resistance and uses lasers to scan the road surface. Video technology helps delivers a complete set of highway asset data. WDM has also helped NZTA develop the first state highway skid resistance policy. As a r

Driving through a road construction zone usually involves obeying flashing signs or traffic signals. Japan has another answer to moving motorists through a road construction zone –battery powered robots. Called Anzen Taro, which roughly translates to ‘Safety Sam’, the dead-eyed entities range from electronic cartoons to crude scarecrows and disembodied torsos and are used to control traffic around government-funded construction sites in Japan. Their complexity varies from a simple metal plate to clothed

In a deal that will see their traffic and weather solutions offered outside the transportation market, Iteris has entered into an agreement with Tinga to provide Iteris’ products on Tinga’s Air Exchange (Airex), a cloud-based independent marketplace that gives investors on-demand access to financially actionable information and reports. Under the agreement, Iteris’ traffic and weather information products and services are offered on the Airex online marketplace, opening new markets for Iteris to deliver

A consultant's report prepared for the Australian Capital Territory ACT) Roads department found that a full-scale rollout of intelligent transportation systems could cost about US$79 million but save US$116 million per year through lower rates of accidents and traffic delays. The government has included plans for a traffic management centre in its infrastructure, to be considered for future budget funding. The centre could eventually be linked to a network of cameras, road weather monitoring stations, v

The first smart motorway scheme in the UK’s south west has been officially launched, covering seven miles of motorway around the Almondsbury interchange and including junctions 19-20 on the M4 and junctions 15-17 on the M5. It is designed to help reduce congestion and improve safety and journey times by introducing variable speed limits and opening the hard shoulder during busy traffic periods. The improvements to the M4 and M5 use a range of technologies and operational systems to reduce congestion and

The Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) has installed a new US$750,000 electronic sign system on Interstate 80 in Parleys Canyon that will allow engineers to adjust the speed limit during storms or icy weather. Eight electronic signs are in eastbound lanes, and seven in westbound lanes. Data from road sensors shows the road condition, along with the canyon’s temperature and humidity and traffic speed, while cameras will show visibility, enabling traffic engineers to remotely adjust the speed limit s

The first over-height vehicle detection system (OVDS) in Qatar has been launched at the Duhail intersection in Doha. The new system will help provide greater control over trucks and protect bridges and tunnels, the Public Works Authority (Ashghal) said yesterday. The system is operated and controlled by the traffic signal control room (TSCR) at Ashghal. The OVDS uses integrated sensors or height detectors, electronic message board and CCTV, to detect vehicles that violate the maximum permitted height of

Japan's Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) has received an order to supply Sri Lanka's Road Development Authority (RDA) with the country’s first highway traffic management system (HTMS). The system, slated to go on-stream by the end of 2014, will also be MHI's first installation of its full-scale traffic management system for expressways. As part of a package agreement, MHI will handle all aspects of the project from engineering, procurement and installation to adjustment and training. The HTMS will b