Air Quality & Weather Systems

New plans to allow local councils in Great Britain the freedom to cut down the number of road markings and signs have been announced by Roads Minister Robert Goodwill. The changes are included in a new consultation which also contains proposals for clearer road markings and new low-level signals for cyclists which will help improve safety on the roads.

Devices used by traffic control systems are vulnerable to being hacked, according to computer security specialist IOActive. Hackers could gain complete control of these devices and cause traffic issues for the cities in the US, UK, France, Australia, China and beyond.

Growth in demand in its Eastern European market has led French electronics specialist Lacroix Group to enlarge its factory in Kwidzyn, Poland. The new factory will be inaugurated on 12 May and will be home to the company’s electronics division, as well as Lactoix Sofrel, specialising in remote monitoring of technical facility networks, and Lacroix Signalisation, which provides traffic management and control, traffic signs and street furniture for the transportation market.

Agreement between the Council and Parliament negotiators on the deployment of EU-wide eCall, which requires member states to upgrade existing eCall receiving infrastructure by 1 October 2017 at the latest to be able to respond to calls from eCall devices in cars has been approved by MEPs. According to text approved by the Parliament, EU member states have to install the necessary eCall answering infrastructure for the proper receipt and handling of all eCalls no later than 1 October 2017 and at least six

The smart transport corridor between Helsinki in Finland and St Petersburg in Russia will bring new services for passengers, car drivers and public transport. Development of the Vedia multi-service concept, led by VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland and Vediafi, unites newly opened mobile services that will result in smoother passenger traffic across the Finnish–Russian border and enhance passenger experience and traffic safety. Vedia multi-service is a key element of the Finnish–Russian intelligent

Iteris has partnered with International Media Training Center’s (IMTC) television morning show CCN Sunrise to provide traveller information for the show’s traffic segment. The news show airs daily from 7am – 8am in Pasadena on channel 32, AT&T Uverse and online. Iteris’ BlueCommute traveller information system, active since 2012 through a project supporting Los Angeles County Department of Public Works, provides real-time traffic information, incidents, weather, road construction and event informatio

Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) and Swarco Traffic are working together on a scheme funded by the Department for Transport under the Local Sustainable Transport Fund (LSTF) to provide enhanced driver information on roads around Greater Manchester. The scheme is part of the wider LSTF initiative being undertaken by TfGM to enhance network management and provide accurate real time traveller information to the public through a wide variety of media. Full colour matrix variable message signs (VM

The Addis Ababa-Adama expressway in Ethiopia will be first expressway in Ethiopia and East Africa when complete and also the first toll road in the nation. It will connect the capital city Addis Ababa to Adama in Nazareth. Construction started in April 2010 and is scheduled to be complete in April 2014. The project is estimated to cost US$612 million and when complete the expressway will be able to accommodate 15,000 vehicles per day. The project is financed through a US$350 million loan from Export-Imp

Final preparations are taking place for the M25 to become England’s first smart motorway, improving journeys and boosting the economy. Two sections of the motorway opening this month and next are between junctions 23 and 25 in Hertfordshire and between junctions 5 and 6/7 on the Kent/Surrey border. For the first time on a motorway scheme in England the hard shoulder will be used as a permanent traffic lane, with enhanced technology to manage traffic flow to improve the reliability of journey times.

With its integrated transport information system (ITIS) in ruins and waiting to be sold for salvage, Kuala Lumpur’s government has awarded a contract to improve its traffic management. GTC Global won the US$62 million contract last year to bring ITIS back on track. The company was recently acquired by Telekom Malaysia. In 2002, a traffic surveillance system costing more than US$93 million was launched to gather, process and supply real-time traffic information to reduce congestion in Kuala Lumpur. It we