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ITS New Mexico’s 2015 award has gone to the state’s Bernalillo County for establishing implementation criteria for adaptive traffic control and the installation of the state’s first system on Alameda Boulevard in Albuquerque. This uses Rhythm Engineering’s InSync Technology.
March 15, 2016 Read time: 3 mins
An InSync installation on Alameda Boulevard Albuquerque, New Mexico.
ITS New Mexico

Award for adaptive signalling documentation


8357 ITS New Mexico’s 2015 award has gone to the state’s Bernalillo County for establishing implementation criteria for adaptive traffic control and the installation of the state’s first system on Alameda Boulevard in Albuquerque. This uses Rhythm Engineering’s InSync Technology.

The county, the most populous in the state, has developed a file of the system engineering documentation needed to support the case for deployment. Its initiative is being followed by other NM administrations, with the state DoT adopting the documentation as a template for wider take up. 

Video cameras collect real-time traffic information to enable the optimisation of a new timing system across a designated set of intercommunicating signals covering seven intersections by adjusting green phases in peak periods. The county states that this does not significantly increase waiting times on side streets. Another phase is due to become operational by spring 2016.

“Bernalillo has set the standard and is leading the way for municipalities around us,” says county commissioner Lonnie Talbert.

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TTS Italia

Franco-Italian drive for new ITS markets


To join forces in competing effectively for, and winning, new business in the growing connected vehicle and smart mobility sectors is the challenge being set for French and Italian ITS-oriented companies, following a December 2015 meeting in Rome staged by 4155 TTS Italia and Business France. TTS secretary general Olga Landolfi stressed the value of the event for exchanging experience and information on best practice.

She also highlighted the importance of EC Member States implementing the ITS national plans they submitted to the European Commission. Full-scale enactment of Italy’s own plan, she said, could increase the existing transport infrastructure’s capacity by up to 10%.

“In France,” said French Embassy economic adviser Martin Landais, “the sector is worth between €5bn and €6.5bn (US5.5bn and US$7.2bn) and there is a political will to encourage and support ITS development.” He cited a pilot SCOOP@F project which is focussing on delivering real-time traffic information into vehicles, and due for national rollout during 2017.


ITS Australia

Lifetime accolade for Australia’s Garrett


858 ITS Australia has presented a lifetime achievement award to Andrew Garrett for four decades of service to the transport industry. He is best known for his introduction of Australia’s first school traffic zones and for working on the development of the country’s first dynamically variable speed limits.

  Garrett has also served as an ITS Australia board member at various stages over the past 25 years.

Other winners included: 
Seeing Machines, for their driver distraction and fatigue intervention technology for commercial vehicle fleets. 

The Department of Transport and Main Roads Queensland for its real-time travel information system installed across the state’s south eastern network. 

Data61, for its Advanced Data Analytics in Transport (ADAIT) research into improving urban traffic modelling.


ITS Finland

ITS Finland’s Sampo Hietanen resigns

Sampo Hietanen has resigned after three years as CEO of 7350 ITS Finland to head up the newly-formed 8356 MaaS (Mobility as a Service) Finland – the first such mobility company in the world.

He aims to put into practice the MaaS concept he has helped to create, of replacing private car ownership with a range of subscription-based multi-modal travel options.

He believes that these can “beat the service level of a car, or at least be comparable to it”. 

Hietanen hopes to get an initial system for Finland under way in 2016 and “in one or two other interesting areas.”

A vigorous proponent of MaaS, he presented the concept to 7075 ITS Ireland in November 2015.

As ITS International went to press, ITS Finland was in the process of appointing his successor.

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