Air Quality & Weather Systems

Istanbul-headquartered Isbak, a specialist in traffic management and electronic payment systems, has launched Wait'n Fun, an innovative variable message sign designed for mounting on traffic lights to communicate traffic information, speed limits, weather information, commercials, traffic light countdowns and so on.

Alberto Arbaiza, ES4-Mare Nostrum Chair, Directorate General of Traffic, Spain and Antonio Lucas-Alba, ES4 Secretariat, INTRAS, University of Valencia, Spain write about progress towards variable message sign harmonisation in Europe . Particularly in Europe, national road administrations have been faster at generating and adopting new road signs than the standardisation process has been at generating them.

The ability to bundle together travel data from several discrete sources and fuse it to give a more comprehensive overview of events to stakeholders is the key aim of Viajeo, which is conducting trials in several cities around the world. Here, Ertico's Yanying Li writes about the project in more detail

Inrix has announced that it has expanded its European real-time traffic coverage to 18 countries, making it the largest traffic network in Europe.

The Seattle Smarter Highways initiative has been recognised by ITS America with a Smart Solution Spotlight award for using innovative technology to create a safer, cleaner, more efficient and sustainable transportation system.

Husam Musharbash, Traffic Tech Group, talks about tunnel management system implementation on the new route between Doha and the soon-to-open New Doha International Airport. The new Ras Abu Aboud Tunnel in Qatar, which opened to traffic in January of this year, will serve the New Doha International Airport once the latter opens in 2011.

Dutch technical services provider Imtech has won nearly US$69 million in contracts for projects in the Netherlands and the UK.

A vast array of new products and systems for aiding road safety were displayed at the ITS World Congress in October. David Crawford assesses a selection of safety initiatives exhibited in Orlando. Vital roles for ITS applications in road traffic safety emerge clearly from a new report from the US Transportation Safety Advancement Group. The report has been carried out for the Next Generation 911 What's Next Forum, which is preparing the way for future development of the US national 911 emergency single call

Following the successful introduction of a 511 traffic information system for the Inland Empire, the Riverside County Transportation Commission (RCTC), in a cooperative venture with the San Bernardino Associated Governments (SANBAG), in California, has awarded Iteris a US$1.1 million, three-year contract to operate and maintain the system.

The Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) has deployed an end-to-end Proxim wireless network for a state-wide intelligent transportation system. The network connects traffic and video components over hundreds of square miles throughout the Northwest Indiana and Indianapolis areas.