News

Progress is being made towards implementing clean transport technologies and alternative fuels, according to a new Cleaner Transport report from European Commission, funded by Transport Research Innovation Porta (TRIP). The report also found an increase in the deployment of biofuels for road transport and that softer measures to encourage passengers to adopt lower-emission options are leaving to CO2 reductions. The Cleaner Transport report collected outcomes from over €2.8 billion worth of clean transport

The Mayor of London’s Draft Transport Strategy (DMTS) lacks realism and risks unintended consequences, according to a report from the Charted Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT). Proposals on bus priority require a fundamental review as speeds on a third of London’s bus routes have fallen more than 5% in the past year, including a reallocation of road space, construction works (with resulting congestion) and an increase in the volume of private hire and van traffic. CILT calls for bus corridors

Potential purchases of electric vehicles with have limited widespread impact without a national charge point network, particularly on motorways and major A-Roads, according to a report by the RAC Foundation. Report author Harold Dermot outlines several challenges that need addressing.Currently, 80% of EV owners have access to home charging, but 93% use the public charging network.

In order to reduce the number of road fatalities over a ten-year period, the Zambian Government has awarded Kapsch a contract with Lamise Trading for the installation of traffic systems to increase road safety. The 17-year nation-wide concession contract will include the design, installation and operation of systems in traffic surveillance, vehicle speed enforcement, vehicle inspection and vehicle registration. The number of vehicles on Zambia’s roads increased by 280% to 700, 000 in the decade to 2

The often repeated comparison between the levels of automation in the aviation and rail sectors will come under scrutiny at the Intelligent Rail Summit Vienna 28 – 30 November, according to a report in rail knowledge sharing platform Railtech.com. Dick Terleth, director mobility at ADSE consulting and avionics specialist Sander Van Lochem, will discuss automated operations and focus on the introduction, operation and lifecycle

Three of the top people behind this year’s ITS World Congress will visit Montreal and Toronto before the event to meet government and business leaders in an exchange of ideas. The president and CEO of ITS America, David St. Amant and ITS Canada Chairman and CEO, Chris Philp, the chairman of the 2017 World Congress, Claude Carette and the Montreal’s Executive Committee Member for Transportation, Aref Salem will hold discussions with civic officials and key exhibitors about collaborations

Supply chain planning and optimisation company Quintiq has announced software designed to enhance workforce planning and rostering has gone live at New Zealand’s KiwiRail following a nine-week implementation period. The Quintiq planning solution will assist managers to govern teams and empower them to make decisions that will improve the reliability and punctuality. It will also help with planning and scheduling as well as occupational health and safety practices and processes.

Total transportation expenditures in 2016 corresponded to 15.8% of all personal expenditures, down from 18.9% in 1989. Meanwhile, analogous trends were present for the lowest and highest quintiles of income, according to a new report by the University of Michigan’s Transportation Research Institute. The report is based on data from the Consumer Expenditure Survey and performed by the Census Bureau for the Bureau of Labour Statistics.

Identity confirmation provider HooYu has partnered with peer-to-peer car rental platform easyCar Club (ECC) to confirm customer identities as a means of increasing confidence in hiring and renting cars. HooYu cross-references an analyses data from a person’s digital footprint and verifies the driver as well as extracts and verifies data from ID documents and conducts a biometric facial check comparing a self of the customer with the facial image of their ID document.

A new record of over 400 international and Australian ITA leaders attended 5th annual Australian Intelligent Transport Systems Summit with more than 50 Australian international speakers at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre (27 – 28 September). ITS Australia hosted three exclusive functions- the Thought Leadership Series – with government ministers and leading influencers in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. In addition, this year’s theme ‘Transforming Transport focused on Connected and Automat

The European Investment bank has provided a EUR 150m loan to the City of Tampere, Finland for the construction the first section of its tramline, connecting the city centre and eastbound suburbs, scheduled to open in 2021. The construction of the 15km long tramline is divided into two sections. Section 1 covers the construction of the route, linking the city centre, from Pyynikintori, with two branches:

Transport software provider PTV Group has joined forces on a two-year project to assess the application of autonomous and electric buses in areas with different settlement structures and population densities. The project ‘Research into the preconditions for the and fields of application of autonomous and electric (mini) buses in public transport’, will focus on technology and infrastructure, space and traffic-related conditions and acceptance.

Varamar Group has launched what it claims to be the first independent online platform for the global freight market, to save time and money for users in the shipping industry, Ukraine. In phase one, Sipnext, endorsed by Baltic and International Maritime Council and European investment bank Dragon Capital, uses software to read an emailed cargo request or ship position and match cargos with ships using 70 various databases and algorithms

58% of residents in Luxembourg are willing to exchange their current car for an electric vehicle (EV), according to a report by TNS ILLres. The report comes as Luxembourg plans to deploy more recharging points for EVs and tax reductions following the latest tax reforms, the Rifkin study, which suggests only registrations of EVs will start from 2025.

Traffic hotspots in 25 of the most congested cities in the US cost drivers billions of dollars over the next ten years, according to a new report by Inrix’s cloud-based analysis tool. Inrix’s Roadway analytics (IRA) tool ranked over 100, 000 traffic hotspots with economic cost calculated on wasted time, lost fuel and carbon emissions over the next ten years.