News

The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has pledged approximately $19 million in its first round of funding to help transit agencies invest in cleaner modes of transport. This initial round has been distributed to local companies as part of the Driving a Cleaner Illinois Programme – an initiative which seeks to improve air quality in the state by removing old diesel engines from service. Funding is expected to provide clean air benefits for working families and children in ‘environmental jus

Antaira Technologies has launched its ARS-7234-AC-T industrial wireless unit which is designed for indoor wireless access applications. ARS-7234-AC-T allows users to position the wireless antenna in a better signal-broadcasting location for improved wireless coverage and signal strength, the company says. The wireless unit has been released alongside the ARX-7234-AC-PD-T and ARY-7234-AC-PD wireless units for outdoor wireless applications. According to Antaira, all three units are embedded with Qualcomm

InDriver has launched its ride-hailing app in New York City (NYC) which allows the driver and passenger to negotiate lower fares. The app allows users to set a fare for a selected route. Nearby drivers receive the destination and fare and can either accept or bargain for more money. The passenger receives multiple offers from drivers, allowing them to make a choice based on fare amount, driver ratings, estimated time of arrival and vehicle make/model. The service is available to communities in Brooklyn,

An organisation representing telecoms network operators has warned European lawmakers that their vision for the development of cooperative ITS (C-ITS) risks being too narrow. In a letter to European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker, the board of the NGMN Alliance highlights a key piece of EC legislation which will determine the technologies used for connected vehicles – and urges the inclusion of cellular-V2X (C-V2X) on the list. “Despite the EC’s stated commitment to technology neutrality, we

VTT’s Technical Research Centre in Finland has carried out an experiment using the 5G mobile network to help improve road safety, control self-driving cars and assist road maintenance providers. The company says 5G networks and fast data transmission solutions can collect sensor, video and radar data from vehicles. Public funding agency Business Finland subsidised the VTT's 5G-Safe project. It is part of the Challenge Finland competition, an initiative which explores the use of augmented reality an

Poor road safety worldwide is a serious cause for concern, with thousands being injured or killed across the glove every single day. The issue is highlighted by a new report by the World Health Organisation (WHO). This indicates road traffic deaths continue to rise, with annual road fatalities now reaching 1.35 million, compared with 1.25 million just three years ago. The WHO Global status report on road safety 2018 highlights that road traffic injuries are now the leading killer of children and young pe

WSP USA has appointed Patrick McGowan, former head of ITS World Congress 2011, as mobility operations director. Based in the company’s Virginia office, McGowan will oversee the marketing, management and development of mobility operations such as ITS and tolling. McGowan has three decades of experience in leading national programmes, teams and major initiatives in the ITS industry. He designed and led the operation of TransGuide – the Texas Department of Transportation’s advanced traffic management operat

Kapsch TrafficCom is to deliver 30 roadside co-operative ITS (C-ITS) devices over two years in support of a connected vehicle trial in Australia. This project, led by the Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads, will seek to develop C-ITS technology to reduce road and pedestrian deaths in the Australian state. From late 2019 onwards, the roadside units will be located along a distributed roadside ITS station network in and around the city of Ipswich in Queensland. Around 500 public and fleet ve

A partnership between data and car-share providers has been formed in the US city of Seattle to help improve parking utilisation. Data solutions company Populus will receive real-time GPS data from Lime’s free-floating car-share fleet, LimePod, which launched last month in the city. The Populus platform will then deliver reports to the Seattle Department of Transportation in a bid to evaluate the use of curb space and develop parking strategies that will help reduce vehicle ownership. Populus says its

Luxembourg is to become the first country in the world to allow free travel for everyone on public transport.

Loughborough University in the UK is leading a three-year initiative which aims to assess the impact of introducing connected and autonomous vehicles (C/AVs) in Europe. The £5.7m project, called Levitate, is funded by the European Union and will help European cities to plan for the effect C/AVs will have on infrastructure and society. Levitate began this month and will consider how AVs might improve safety, congestion and the environment, while looking at key policy decisions which would maximise thei

Waymo has launched a driverless taxi service in Phoenix, Arizona, where riders will be charged for the journeys they take. In a blog post, CEO John Krafcik says the commercial self-driving service – called Waymo One - is available to early riders who have already been using Waymo’s technology. The company hopes to make the service available to more members of the public as it adds more vehicles and drives in more places, he writes. “Self-driving technology is new to many, so we’re proceeding carefully wi

Redvision has launched its outdoor Vega 2052 camera which it says is waterproof and resistant to vandalism. The company says the bullet camera does not require a junction box and is made from die-cast aluminium. It features a marine-grade plating as well as durable powder-coating. The camera’s cabling is routed through the housing and inside its walls or pedestal mounting brackets. Vega 2052 features a 2MP camera module with a Sony Exmor low light sensor.

Videalert’s CCTV cameras are being used by Blackburn with Darwin Council in north west England to tackle dangerous parking at a nearby red route. The cameras are located on the A678 at Copy Nook on the Furthergate Link Road, a route which was widened under the Pennine Reach Scheme to help improve the flow of bus traffic between Hyndburn, Blackburn and Darwen. Videalert says its low-cost Digital Video Platform will deliver this enforcement via a single lamp post-mounted processor which is equipped w

Ericsson’s Connected Vehicle Cloud (CVC) platform is being used by Volvo Cars to further develop its digital services. The five-year deal is expected to allow Volvo Cars to provide drivers with services such as automation, fleet management, telematics, navigation and infotainment. Ericsson says its platform takes account of legal, security and privacy obligations – such as compliance with the European Union general data protection regulation. Åsa Tamsons, head of business area technologies & new business