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Thales and Australian mobile network provider Telstra are working together to enable the management of low altitude airspace for autonomous flying taxis, drones and helicopters. The partnership is investigating how 4G and 5G technology and Internet of Things capabilities could enable robust navigation and monitoring of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) – more commonly called drones. Chris Jenkins, chief executive of Thales Australia, says the partnership intends to help customers integrate unmanned aircra

MTR Nordic has launched its MyHeadsapp travel app which it says will provide public transport updates for service disruptions on routes in Stockholm, Sweden. The firm operates and maintains the city’s metro and commuter trains in cooperation with public transport company Storstockholms Lokaltrafik (SL). Mark Jensen, CEO of MTR Nordic, says: “We have developed an app that gives travellers information about any disturbances on their own journey from start to finish, no matter how many changes you make.”

Tolling organisation ASECAP has welcomed a European agreement which would force governments to take ‘systematic account’ of vulnerable road users (VRUs). But it warns that the industry must guard against any unintended consequences of the provisional agreement between the European Council and European Parliament, which is designed to strengthen road infrastructure management in a bid to reduce fatalities and serious injuries. The wording has yet to be endorsed by the Council and the relevant European Par

Practical applications of new and developing technologies in the transport sector will dominate the agenda at the fourth MaaS Market conference taking place in London on March 20-21. City authorities, transport operators and senior tech industry presenters will discuss their direct experience of participating in Mobility as a Service (MaaS) projects while addressing issues such as data exchange, payment systems, interoperability and political accountability. These will include Lauri Suokannas of Taksi

Gotcha is to deploy 1,000 electric bikes across southern California this summer in a bid to improve air quality and reduce vehicle usage. The agreement with the San Gabriel Valley Council of Governments in the US state, and covers 15 municipalities, including Pasadena, Pomona and El Monte. Riders will be able to use the Gotcha app to locate bikes at mobility hubs throughout each area and have the option to pay on a daily, monthly or annual basis. Steps are already being taken to improve air quality in

Genetec has upgraded its Security Center platform for automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) and video surveillance to include cybersecurity and privacy features. The Security Center 5.8 comes with a security score which ranks compliance with guidelines and firmware available. The score is available through the built-in system health dashboard and measures individual cybersecurity processes. The open-architecture platform works with the Genetec KiwiVision Camera integrity monitor feature to detect pot

Barcelona City Council has approved a tax which will require bike and moped shared services to pay €75 per vehicle per year to operate. The tax is designed to regulate companies to limit their presence and minimise impact on public space. Licences are obligatory and non-transferable for vehicles, valid for three years, with the option of an additional year. They will be regulated through a ‘decree’ which is expected to be finished by the end of March. A second decree will regulate parking facilities to

McCain is to deploy 13 variable message signs (VMS) in San Jose, California, showing the availability of parking garages in the city. Niko Stieldorf, project lead at McCain, says the signs will help drivers locate available parking, thus reducing congestion and greenhouse gas emissions. McCain says its VMS will be used to direct travellers to more than 6,200 spaces in eight parking garages throughout the metropolitan area. Additionally, the solution utilises Skidata’s parking access revenue control sys

BMW and Daimler are investing €1 billion to cooperate on developing their mobility offerings in car-sharing, ride-hailing, parking, charging and multimodal transport. Harald Krüger, chairman of BMW, says: “These five services will merge ever more closely to form a single mobility service portfolio with an all-electric, self-driving fleet of vehicles that charge and park autonomously and interconnect with the other modes of transport.” The partnership will combine existing services to form five joint vent

Intercomp has launched a low-speed Weigh in Motion (LS-WiM) system which it says allows fleet managers to collect the weight of vehicles without hampering traffic flow. The system is suitable for high-volume entry and exit gates and, unlike full-length truck scales, does not require incoming and outgoing traffic to stop every time a vehicle needs to be weighed, the company adds. According to Intercomp, the system’s small footprint allows it to be installed at most facilities at approximately half the co

Transport Research Laboratory (TRL) has developed new vehicle safety standards which it claims will save 25,000 lives and assist European countries in the development of autonomous vehicles (AVs). Matthias Seidl, senior researcher - vehicle safety & regulation at TRL, says the advanced safety measures will protect all road users. “Intelligent speed assistance and drowsiness and distraction recognition will support drivers in their ongoing tasks, autonomous emergency braking and emergency lane keeping wi

Volkswagen Financial Services (VWFS) is acquiring a 75% stake in Utrecht-based Truck Parking Europe with the aim of improving safety for truck drivers in the Netherlands. Truck Parking Europe - a PTV company - offers a range of services for truck drivers, planners, dispatchers and parking operators via a free app for Android, iOS and the web. These services allow users to filter and find truck platooning locations, connect with other truck drivers, the possibility to claim and secure parking locations a

The European Parliament and Council Romanian Presidency negotiators have agreed to strengthen the road infrastructure management rules to help improve road safety in the European Union. The rules require road safety audits to be carried out during the design and construction of infrastructure projects and when roads are in use. The agreed rules extend these requirements beyond the Trans-European Transport Network roads to motorways and primary roads. Rapporteur Daniela Aiuto, member of the Europe of

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) and non-profit organisation Partnership for New York City have announced six finalists for the inaugural Transit Tech Lab programme. The eight-week project will allow the technology companies to introduce products to New York’s transportation agencies which are expected to improve subway and bus services. Participants will employ predictive maintenance to help reduce cost and subway delays, deploy a platform for transit network planning, utilise comp

Ford has joined forces with geocoding start-up What3words to offer its drivers in North America and Europe with more precise navigation. What3words, a global addressing system, divides the world into a grid of 3m x 3m squares and assigns each a three-word address made up dictionary words. Ford says its drivers will be able to enter destinations by voice or text for any location, including destinations without an address. Ford drivers will be able to connect the company’s SYNC 3 infotainment plat