News

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

Tonnjes Card is to build a production plant for vehicle number plates to help authorities in Senegal identify drivers. The €1 million plant will be in the West African country’s capital, Dakar. Tonnjes will work under the name of Afriplaque to produce and supply blank plates in the local area. Once finished, the number plates will be issued by 20 licensed printing shops. Tonnjes says its reflective security number plates contain a machine-readable code to make the supply chain traceable and to help remov

Air Liquide has entered into a joint venture called HysetCo to boost the number of hydrogen fuel cell taxis in the Île-de-France region to 600 by 2020. The company says HysetCo will make it easier to roll out hydrogen fuel cell vehicles and their recharging infrastructure. It will also aim to cut emissions for taxis and chauffeur car providers to zero by the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. HysetCo members include energy and environment services company Idex, hydrogen taxi firm Société du Taxi Électrique Parisi

Here Technologies is extending its suite of location services to China following an agreement with NavInfo, a provider of digital maps and location services. Peter Kürpick, chief technology officer at Here, says: “By simplifying the sourcing of mapping and locations services, we can also help customers to reduce development time and save costs.” The services include map data (including map rendering and 3D maps), routing (for vehicles, pedestrians, bicycles and public transit as well as traffic-enabled r

Congestion costs would drop by more than a quarter if automated vehicles (AVs) account for 30% of kilometres travelled, says Alan Tudge, Australia’s minister for cites urban infrastructure and population. Speaking at the Australia-New Zealand Cities Symposium in Sydney, Tudge revealed findings from the Bureau of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Economics. “They estimate it would drop from $37 billion of avoidable congestion to $27 billion,” Tudge says. A 30km freeway journey in Melbourne has increas

UITP, the international organisation for public transport, has partnered with Metropolis, the world association of the Major Metropolises, to cooperate on sustainable mobility. Metropolis is a global network of major cities and metropolitan areas which allows members to connect and mobilise on a range of issues. It comprises 140 cities and metropolitan areas including the German city of Berlin and the US state of Atlanta. The partners will share information on urban transportation policies, planning, man