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Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) has released ActiveVision, a machine vision tool that transportation agencies can use to autonomously detect and report changes in traffic conditions. Dan Rossiter, SwRI research analyst, says: "The goal is to help transportation officials enhance their ITS capabilities with advanced algorithms that autonomously scan vast amounts of visual data, extracting and reporting actionable data." SwRI says the tool’s algorithms process camera data to provide real-time informatio

The UK government has wasted hundreds of millions of pounds painting white lines on busy roads to use as cycle lanes, says former Olympic cyclist Chris Boardman. Boardman, cycling and walking commissioner for Greater Manchester, has reportedly joined fellow commissioners Dame Sarah Storey (Sheffield City region) and Will Norman (London) in writing to transport secretary Chris Grayling calling for new measures to be adopted. The Guardian says the letter argues that painted cycle lanes do not make cyc

Electric vehicles (EVs) are being used to power people’s homes on an island in the Atlantic Ocean. Part of Portugal’s Madeira archipelago, Porto Santo is using solar-powered EVs, according to a BBC report. They are charged during the day, with unused energy returned to the grid at night. The Portuguese island is not the only part of the world seeking to harness the potential of solar energy for EVs. In India, Bharat Heavy Electricals is setting up a network of solar-based electric vehicle

Sony Europe’s Image Sensing Solutions (ISS) has unveiled a windscreen glare-removal function designed to help tolling and enforcement operations. It is available on the XPL-SDKW software development kit (SDK) for XCG-CP510 polarised camera modules. Sony ISS says the application is designed to improve road safety through ITS applications such as tracking seatbelt and mobile phone use or identifying a driver caught by speed and red light cameras. The SDK system enables system integrators to cut developm

Engineering company Ansys has joined forces with BMW to develop a simulation tool chain for developing autonomous vehicle (AV) technologies. Eric Bantegnie, vice president and general manager at Ansys, says the solution is designed to address “safety validation requirements for autonomous driving”. Ansys says simulation greatly reduces the need for physical testing which would require billions of miles of road tests across a range of driving conditions. The agreement is expected to help develop

Careem is expanding its ride-hailing service to the Iraqi city of Basra, according to a report by Albawaba. The report says Careem’s app will provide a more reliable service for riders who currently have to deal with unmetered taxi prices. Mudassir Sheikha, CEO and co-founder of Careem, is quoted as saying: “Our technology is helping create employment opportunities and providing essential mobility for millions of people in Iraq.” Mohamed Al-Hakim, general manager of Careem Iraq says: “Within the ne

French public transit operator RATP has signed an agreement to trial a hydrogen bus from Solaris in real operating conditions in France next year. The two-month trial is part of RATP’s ambition to convert its 25 bus depots to electric and biogas by 2025 and to operate a clean bus fleet of 4,700 vehicles. RATP says the Solaris bus will be housed at the Thiais bus depot in the Val-de-Marne department, located south-east of Paris.

Communauto is to launch a car-sharing service comprising hybrid and electric vehicles (EVs) in Saint-Laurent, a borough in Montreal, Canada. Mayor Alan DeSousa says the Communauto Flex service will allow users “to get around more quickly in Saint-Laurent and easily access other Montréal boroughs”. It is free to join and works on a pay-as-you-go structure. Daily trips cost $0.41 per minute, $15 per hour and $50 per day. Drivers will only be allowed to park the Flex vehicles in a zone located by Boulevard

Inrix has launched a traffic solution which it says uses artificial intelligence (AI) to provide updates to traffic conditions and pinpoint traffic speeds in different lanes. Inrix AI Traffic provides road authorities with information to help promote public safety and future-proof roadways, the company adds. According to Inrix, the solution also provides: • Estimated time of arrivals to ensure drivers arrive at their destination on-time • Instant updates on road conditions such as roadworks, accidents

Kapsch is to equip 30 toll rebate stations on the Olympia Odos motorway in Greece. The company says these will provide a distance-based pricing model for drivers in the country. Olympia Odos has links to the cities of Athens, Corinth and the port city of Patras on the Peloponnese, via 202km of motorway. The toll stations offer a rebate to road users if they do not travel the full distance corresponding to an average distance charging zone, Kapsch adds. Additionally, the solution will include th

Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has announced it is receiving power generated from a waste-to-energy plant to operate the Pink Line metro service in the Indian capital. DMRC says it is currently receiving 2 megawatts (MW) of power from East Delhi Waste Processing Company’s (EDWPCL) 12 MW capacity plant located in the town of Ghazipur. EDWPCL’s waste-to-energy plant was realised from an agreement with the government of Delhi and the East Delhi Municipal Corporation. The facility is expected to pro

Flowbird Urban Intelligence has launched terminal-based digital technology to enable local authorities to levy variable surcharges on vehicles that exceed set levels of carbon dioxide (CO2). The digital system is loaded onto Flowbird’s solar-powered terminals and is expected to help authorities encourage people to switch to lower carbon vehicles and use public transport in congested areas. Flowbird says the system can generate a separate fee for higher polluting cars at the time of parking via data linke

The US Department of Transportation (USDoT) is to pledge $15 million to two University Transportation Centres (UTC) to advance research and education programmes that address transportation challenges. Elaine Chao, US transportation secretary, says: “These investments in transportation research will help address our country’s congestion and durability challenges.” The University of South Florida will focus on congestion relief while Washington State University will focus on improving the durability of tra

Autonomous vehicles (AVs) could have value as the mainstay of inner city transport networks in future. “It’s pure speculation, but we are likely to see more segregated road networks,” said Chris Hayhurst, European consulting manager at MathWorks. For example, level 5 (completely driverless) AVs could simply be used to pick up and drop off people in the centre of a town. “In an inner city where there are no conventional cars at all it could have huge value,” he added. Hayhurst spoke to ITS Internat

Heathrow Airport is to introduce an ultra-low emission zone (ULEZ) for passenger cars and all private hire vehicles in 2022. The project is seeking to tackle air pollution and reduce congestion by encouraging more people to use sustainable ways of getting to and from the London airport. The ULEZ will introduce minimum vehicle emissions standards for vehicles entering car parks or drop-off areas at all terminals. Initial proposals for the ULEZ could set the charge figure at £10-15, in line with cha