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Connected Signals improves driver safety in Florida
September 5, 2018
Connected Signals is providing drivers in Gainesville, Florida, with real-time predictive traffic information to let them know when traffic lights are going to change. The company says sharing the data with vehicles and drivers can improve fuel efficiency by 8-15% and reduce red-light crashes by 25%. Aggregated real-time signal information, fed through predictive algorithms, is sent to Gainesville drivers via the company’s Enlighten mobile app. The app will eventually be integrated with connected car dis
Redvision launches open-platform control system
September 5, 2018
UK-based manufacturer of rugged CCTV cameras Redvision claims its VMS1000 will offer end users and installers a cost-effective, server-based control system. Digifort’s video management software powers the solution. Stephen Lightfoot, technical director at Redvision, says the device maximises the functionality of the company’s X-Series and Volant rugged pan tilt zooms and Vega fixed cameras and is also integrated with 245 other CCTV brands. “This enables the re-use of legacy CCTV cameras into surveillance
Byton starts ‘real world’ M-Byte trials in China
September 4, 2018
Byton is to begin trialling ten battery-powered M-Byte prototype vehicles under actual traffic conditions and on test tracks in Nanjing, China. The SUV will also be trialled in cold weather tests during the winter. Dr. Carsten Breitfeld, CEO and co-founder of Byton, and the company’s president and co-founder Dr. Daniel Kirchert, accompanied the roll-out of the first test vehicles at the prototype manufacturing plant in Nanjing. “The fact that the first M-Bytes are now undergoing road testing is a sign
Petrol/diesel cars could be fined for using London’s ‘electric streets’
September 4, 2018
Drivers in London, UK, could be fined £130 for not using electric or hybrid vehicles on nine ‘electric streets’. The project is intended to cut pollution and improve air quality. Drivers of petrol and diesel cars will be restricted from using some roads in the Shoreditch and Old Street areas of the city between 7am-10am and 4pm-7pm on weekdays.
More public transit can cut city traffic deaths by 40%, says study
September 4, 2018
US regions with higher public transportation use can cut traffic fatality rates by 10-40%, according to a new figures from the American Public Transportation Association (APTA). APTA analysis of recent National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and Federal Transit Administration data shows that metropolitan areas with public transit use of more than 40 annual trips per capita have up to 40% of the traffic fatality rate of metro areas with fewer than 20 annual trips per capita. APTA and the Vision
Ola launches car-sharing service in the UK
September 4, 2018
Indian ride-hailing company Ola has entered the UK and says it will offer users in South Wales the option of private hire vehicles (PHVs) and taxis on one platform. The company has also obtained a licence to operate in Greater Manchester and is working with local authorities across the UK to expand nationwide by the end of the year. Ola says it screens all drivers through a disclosure and barring service. In addition, the firm offers riders 24/7 voice support and the option to share ride details with
Gig economy drivers and riders at increased risk of collisions, warns UCL
September 3, 2018
Self-employed courier or taxi drivers who get their work through apps could be more likely to be involved in a collision, says a new study. The University College London (UCL) research found 63% of ‘gig’ economy respondents – who are not paid a salary - are not provided with safety training about managing risks on the road. The emerging issues for management of occupational road risk in a changing economy: A survey of gig economy drivers, riders and their managers also revealed 65% of drivers did not
Didi Chuxing issues public apology for death of female passenger
September 3, 2018
Chinese ride-sharing company Didi Chuxing has blamed its own ‘vanity’ for lapses in safety which led to the rape and killing of a 20-year-old female passenger. The firm issued a public apology for the incident which took place on 28 August and says it will now prioritise safety over growth. In an emailed statement, Didi founder Cheng Wei and president Jean Liu say: "We see clearly this is because our vanity overtook our original belief. We raced non-stop, riding on the force of breathless expansion and
Volkswagen to launch e-mobility car-sharing service in Berlin
September 3, 2018
Volkswagen will deploy 2,000 all-electric vehicles in Berlin, Germany, under its We Share brand in the second quarter of 2019. The company says it will motivate young, urban users to engage with e-mobility and stimulate interest in the technology. According to Volkswagen, We Share is a free-floating car sharing service which is aimed at providing people who do not own a car with electric vehicles at any time. The first fleet will comprise 1,500 e-Golf vehicles while an additional 500 e-up! models will a
US NOCoE to host first TSMO awards ceremony
August 31, 2018
The US National Operations Center of Excellence (NOCoE) will celebrate transportation management and operations which save lives, time and money in Washington, DC, next January. The first Transportation Systems Management and Operations (TSMO) awards ceremony is expected to attract 13,000 transportation professionals. Patrick Son, managing director of NOCoE, says the event will recognise smarter management and operational strategies to increase the capacity of existing streets. The event will take place
Kapsch finishes modernising Austrian GO toll collection system
August 31, 2018
Kapsch TrafficCom says its modernised Austria-wide toll collection system for trucks over 3.5 tonnes allows enforcement to be carried out through a single gantry. Highway and expressway operator Asfinag is now using the Go Maut 2.0. The gantry will carry the radio beacons and cameras for number plate recognition as well as an optical vehicle classification system. The vehicle class and number of axles can be determined in free-flowing traffic using high-resolution video cameras and stereo video imaging p
Cohda Wireless appoints sales director for Europe
August 31, 2018
Connected autonomous vehicle technology company Cohda Wireless has appointed Jochen Steinhauer as sales director Europe. He will work in Cologne, Germany, and report to vice president of business development, Bernd Luebben. Steinhauer has 20 years of sales and management experience in the technology sector and previously worked at Internet of Things company Telit Communications. He also worked with Swiss manufacturer U-blox for five years and held senior roles with Atmel and NEC Electronics.
Reliability is key to AV acceptance, finds Dutch study
August 31, 2018
Reliability is the key factor in people’s acceptance of autonomous vehicles, suggests a new academic study. Nine out of ten people said it was easy to use 2getthere’s Parkshuttle, operated by the Dutch municipality of Capelle aan den Ijssel. Four out of five respondents said the system - which connects Rivium business park and metro station Kralingse Zoom - is reliable, mainly because of its frequency and punctuality. The qualitative study from Utrecht University also focused on operational factors
Lufft launches all-in-one weather sensor for smart city applications
August 30, 2018
Lufft says its new all-in-one weather sensor has a temperature accuracy of 1% and can be used to monitor smart city and smart home applications. The device is expected to cover ten measurement parameters simultaneously. The WS10 sensor comes with an integrated compass which enables a direction-independent installation to help it suitable for building management systems, the company adds. WS10 measures temperature, relative humidity, air pressure, wind speed and wind direction, precipitation intensity
Motorbike safety can be measured objectively, says AIT
August 30, 2018
The Austrian Institute of Technology (AIT) and TU Wien (Vienna University of Technology) has developed a motorcycle probe vehicle to better understand the causes of motorbike accidents. The vehicle was deployed as a measurement method to evaluate popular motorcycle routes in Austria’s capital. Peter Saleh, road safety expert at the AIT Center for Mobility Systems, says: “Our aim is to give those who operate roads the precise information they need in order to reduce the danger in these areas efficiently,