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Air Quality & Weather Systems

Swarco strengthens position in American ITS market
August 26, 2016
Austrian traffic technology group Swarco has entered a definitive agreement to acquire California, US-based McCain based, which supplies traffic controllers, cabinets, signals, signs and software for the urban traffic market. The deal, scheduled to close on 31 August 2016, outlines Swarco’s intent to purchase 100% of the shares of the McCain. The parties agreed not to disclose the purchase price. Swarco plans to build upon the McCain brand; founder and owner Manfred Swarovski said they both have comp
When weather warnings get hyperlocal
August 24, 2016
David Crawford looks at new technologies to cope with the age-old problem of driving in bad weather. On the 10-year average, between 2005 and 2014 bad weather contributed to more than 1.5 million vehicle crashes in the US each year, resulting in more than 800,000 injuries and 7,400 deaths. These were the findings of analysis by Booz Allen Hamilton of NHTSA data which concluded that the loss of life, hospital treatment and damage to assets costs an annual average of $42bn.
SES America’s solar powered VMS operates anytime, anywhere
August 24, 2016
SES America’s solar-powered variable message (VMS) sign comes in a wide range of types and models, including eight, 12 and 18-inch characters and front, rear or walk-in access and is suitable for deployment in most applications including rural areas, heavily congested roads, evacuation routes and seasonal traffic.
New Zealand to trial mobile road weather data acquisition
August 16, 2016
From September 2016, MetService and the New Zealand Transport Agency will commence a road weather mobile data acquisition trial, in conjunction with road contractors Fulton Hogan and Downer. The aim of the trial is to provide MetService, the Transport Agency, road contractors and the travelling public with pre-warning of challenging and dangerous driving conditions or potential road closures during severe weather. The six-month trial follows a pilot sensor-assessment process and aims to expand road
Frankfurt airport installs intermodal travel information displays
August 12, 2016
Frankfurt airport in Germany has installed new intermodal displays in Terminals 1 and 2 to provide passengers and visitors with information for their onward journey. In English and German, the displays include departures from the airport’s railway stations, bus schedules, the latest highway traffic information and available car and bike-sharing options. In addition to real-time information on possible delays, the bus and rail displays also show the walking time to the nearest station. Car users can get
Veri-park’s new counting system aids parking information, traffic flow
August 10, 2016
Ticketless parking payment systems specialist Veri-park has launched an advanced vehicle counting technology that can be integrated with Swarco and third-party variable message signs (VMS) to better direct traffic through busy town centres.
New clean diesel cars and light trucks to ‘help US achieve greenhouse gas reductions’
July 25, 2016
Advances in emissions control technology in clean diesel passenger cars and light duty pickup trucks will have a positive effect on efforts to reduce future Greenhouse Gas Emissions, according to the federal government’s newly-released Draft Technical Assessment Report (TAR). The Draft TAR, which covers vehicle model years 2022-2025, confirms that automotive manufacturers are introducing new technology to market at a rapid pace, and predicts that the MY 2022-2025 standards are achievable with a wide ran
Siemens to run North Yorkshire traffic signal network
July 25, 2016
Traffic management company Siemens has been awarded one of its first operational services contract to provide traffic signal network management and monitoring for North Yorkshire County Council (NYCC) in the UK. The new contract follows investment by NYCC in new technology and hosted systems combined with the introduction of Siemens Stratos, a cloud-based solution for all traffic management, control and monitoring requirements. As part of North Yorkshire’s Highway Maintenance Service, the County Counc
EU sets emissions targets to 2030, richer countries bear the burden
July 22, 2016
The UK’s Freight Transport Association (FTA) and FIA Europe have welcomed the European Commission’s package of measures, presented this week, to accelerate the transition to low carbon emissions in all sectors of the economy in Europe. The EU says the measures set clear and fair guiding principles to Member States to prepare for the future and keep Europe competitive. Responding to the announcement, the FTA said that the proposed measures are a step in the right direction to reducing freight carbon e
Study finds fewer cars, improved emissions with one-way car-sharing
July 20, 2016
The University of California, Berkeley Transportation Sustainability Research Center (TSRC) has released results from the first-ever study of one-way car-sharing in North America and its impact on mobility. The researchers say the findings clearly illustrate that one-way car-sharing reduces the number of cars travelling on city roads and occupying parking spaces on city streets. The study, which gathered data from nearly 9,500 North American car2go members residing in Calgary; San Diego; Seattle; Van