Air Quality & Weather Systems

Truck CO2 standards ‘must be part of Government CO2 reduction policy’

July 4, 2016

In response to the UK Government’s Fifth Carbon Budget, Freight on Rail says that the Department for Transport must support EU plans to introduce CO2 truck standards to bring HGVs into line with cars and vans. In the UK, HGVs contribute 17 per cent of surface transport’s CO2 emissions even though it only makes up five per cent of road miles driven. Philippa Edmunds, Freight on Rail manager, Campaign for Better Transport said CO2 standards and reduction targets for HGVs are long overdue as truck manufac

Parsons to design traffic management system for Florida’s I-95

July 1, 2016

The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) District Two has selected Parsons to provide final design services for an expansion of FDOT’s freeway traffic management system on I-95 from north of the Jacksonville International Airport to the Georgia state line. The 17-mile project will include various intelligent transportation systems and solutions, including archived data management, automatic vehicle identification, closed-circuit television cameras, dynamic message signs, microwave vehicle detectio

Veri-park’s new counting system aids parking information, traffic flow

June 29, 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. The system uses loop counting detection at car parks’ entrances and exits, removing the need for onsite hardware. Data is securely transmitted by Veri-park’s new system via the cloud to the VMS to give drivers up-to-date and accurate information on the availability of

Are truck bans the wrong move in the battle for air quality

June 29, 2016

Low emission zones and heavy goods vehicles’ access to city centres may at first glance appear attractive but how effective are such controls? Jon Masters reviews emerging trends across Europe. Around 1,700 European cities have implemented low emission zones (LEZs) and in addition some have restricted city centre access for heavy goods vehicles (HGVs). Even those that restrict HGV access, such as Paris and Rome, allow exemptions at certain times and for particular classes of vehicle. But with what effect?

New technology creates signs for safer roads for schoolchildren

June 28, 2016

Messagemaker has developed a new electronic speed reduction safety sign, which uses the latest LED technology and is fully programmable to initiate a temporary 20mph speed limit during school arrival and departure times, using 3G data modems to remotely set sign parameters and for retrieval of collected speed data. The signs can also be configured to revert to vehicle activated speed signs outside of the core school times.

North Carolina selects Here to improve traffic congestion

June 23, 2016

The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) recently selected location technology company Hereto provide probe-based, real-time Traffic services to improve traffic congestion and corridor management for big construction projects. The data will enable the NCDOT to communicate up-to-the-minute information about current traffic conditions and travel times via dynamic signs on the roads. The Department will also utilise the Here visualisation tools in its traffic operations centres to help manag

Dynniq tests virtual tool for air quality evaluation and monitoring

June 23, 2016

An air quality evaluation system that utilises existing data has been modelled on the UK’s motorways and tested in Manchester as Peter Kirby and Paul Grayston describe. It has long been known that emissions from road transport are the principal source of NO2 pollution, especially in the urban environment, and that appropriate transport management can play a big role in meeting environment and public health objectives.

Regulating rural road use

June 20, 2016

David Crawford looks at problems facing indigenous communities and those unfamiliar with driving in rural areas. While it is well known that the fatality rate for road crashes in rural areas is higher than in towns and cities, some groups suffer far more than others. For instance, the rates of death and serious injury from vehicle accidents is much higher for American Indian and Alaska Native (AI and AN) populations living in rural tribal lands than for any of the country’s other ethnic populations. Crashes

UK city gets smart

June 17, 2016

Israeli wireless connectivity specialist Siklu is to provide the wireless part of a hybrid wireless connectivity network for the city of Bradford, UK as part of an extensive smart city project to integrate multiple information and communication technologies. The project includes providing the wireless connectivity for more than 300 surveillance cameras and two-dozen traffic management devices. The system was installed by solution integrator Net View Systems. The new Siklu-enabled network connects the Bo

French city chooses HIKOB wireless traffic management

June 15, 2016

French wireless technology specialist HIKOB is to supply the city of Troyes, France, with wireless vehicle detection and weather monitoring systems to optimise traffic signal control and road winter service operations, replacing the old in-ground loop detection system. HIKOB says its sensors offer a dual functionality: they can be configured to collect either traffic data or road surface to power both advanced urban traffic management and road weather monitoring. HIKOB wireless sensors for vehicle det