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Global Automotive Aftermarket Outlook, recent research from Frost & Sullivan, indicates that penetration of eRetailing in the automotive aftermarket is increasing significantly and is expected to cross US$21 billion globally by the end of 2017. The study provides an overview of the global automotive aftermarket and its growth opportunities. Main industry trends, growth prospects, VIO, eRetail dashboards, country snapshots, and opportunities in North America, Europe, China, India and Latin America are provid

UK access control systems supplier Nortech Control Systems has appointed Norbain as Distribution Partner. Norbain will distribute the full range of Nortech’s security products including access control, readers and ID devices, long range identification and vehicle detection and parking products.

Spanish technology group Indra is implementing the European R&D&i project Harmony, with the collaboration of research groups G@TV and TranSYT from the Polytechnic University of Madrid and with the support of Grupo Interbús and Spain's Traffic Department (DGT). The pilot study is being carried out in Madrid to develop new technologies to integrate real-time data from different transport operators and improve multimodal information services. The three-year project, developed with the Polytechnic University of

Norwegian agriculture firm, Yara International and guidance systems builder, Kongsberg Gruppen are to develop the Yara Birkeland, an autonomous and fully-electric container ship. They claim the new vessel will reduce NOx and CO2 emissions and improve road safety by removing up to 40,000 truck journeys in populated urban areas. Yara Birkeland will initially operate as a manned vessel, moving to remote operation in 2019 and expected to be capable of performing fully autonomous operations from 2020. Kongsberg

Cenex, the UK’s Centre of Excellence for low carbon technologies is to partner with logistics provider Kuehne + Nagel to trial the effectiveness of low-emissions heavy-goods vehicles (HGVs) operating as parts of large fleets with demanding-duty cycles. Funded in part by Innovate UK’s Low-Emission Freight and Logistics Project, the Reduced-Emission Logistics (RED-E-LOG) trial will see one of the UK’s largest fleet operators trial the effectiveness of dedicated (spark-ignited) gas and dual-fuel direct injecti

Toll operator emovis has announced the launch of ‘the first reversible all electronic tolling system’, which is in use along Puerto Rico’s PR-22 highway. The two central lanes of the 10-lane wide mono-gantry can operate in either traffic direction without any human intervention. The gantry automatically detects the traffic direction and reconfigures the AET system accordingly. The system allows road operators to add an extra traffic lane in what is virtually real time while traffic continues to flow uninter

Drivers will see an end to tolls on the UK’s Severn Crossings in 2018; the bridges are used by more than 25 million vehicles each year, saving significant travel time and distance for commuters and drivers using the M4 motorway. However, the tolls on both Severn Crossings have been seen as an economic and symbolic barrier to Wales’ future prosperity. It is estimated that this announcement would boost the economy of South Wales by around US$130 million (£100 million) a year and the average motorist could sav

An inter-disciplinary research project, InREAKT, carried out by Init, VBK and other partners and led by the Research Association for Tunnels and Transport Facilities, Studiengesellschaft für Tunnel und Verkehrsanlagen (STUVA) has been presented with a German Mobility award by the German Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure (BMVI). The research team developed an IT-based system which automatically recognises emergency situations in a public transport environment and initiates measures to

Canada's electric vehicle industry is about to receive a major boost with the announcement of an agreement between eCAMION, based in Toronto, Dallas-based Leclanché North America, part of Switzerland's Leclanché and SGEM based in Geneva, to develop and install a network of 34 fast-charging stations along the Trans-Canada Highway (TCH). The project, designed to encourage the adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) in Canada, is being partially funded Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) under the Canadian Energy Inn

Drones will have to be registered and users will have to sit safety awareness tests under new rules to better regulate their growing use, the UK government has announced. Owners of drones weighing 250 grams and over will in future have to register details of their drones, either online or through apps, to improve accountability and encourage owners to act responsibly. The move follows safety research that concluded drones could damage the windscreens of helicopters. In addition, a new drone safety awareness

One of Australia’s largest tollways, EastLink in Victoria, has received a Special Commendation from the Australia & New Zealand Driverless Vehicle Initiative (ADVI), for the trials of automated vehicle technologies underway on EastLink. The trials are being undertaken by EastLink in partnership with VicRoads, ARRB, La Trobe University and RACV, with the assistance of major vehicle manufacturers, including BMW, Honda, Mercedes, Mitsubishi and Volvo. The most recent technology demonstration involved the new T

The UK Office of Rail and Road (ORR) has published its Annual Report on Railway Health and Safety performance which shows passengers on the mainline railway continued to be assured of a safe journey on Britain’s railways. However, ORR identifies challenges which must be carefully managed if passengers and workers are to continue to be protected. On the mainline railway, there were several significant structural and earthwork failures, any of which could have resulted in potentially serious train accidents.

The Annual Assessment of Highways England’s Performance by the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) has found that the company is performing well against most of its performance targets. ORR says however that continued improvement is needed to plan when work takes place throughout the year. ORR, which is the official Monitor of Highways England, found that the company is meeting its targets to keep traffic flowing while delivering its programme of major improvements. It is continuing to focus on improving safety a

The International Making Cities Liveable Conference on Healthy, 10-Minute Neighbourhoods which takes place at The Shaw Center in Ottawa, Canada, from 14-18 May 2018 has issued a call for papers. The conference aims to share achievements and learn from others how to best promote healthy, sustainable, equitable 10-minute neighbourhoods. It will discuss the best neighbourhood models for encouraging walking, biking and public transit, high-density human scale mixed use, places to foster daily social life and co

The east Suffolk district councils of Suffolk Coastal and Waveney in the UK have brought forward a scheduled replacement of their parking terminal estates to ensure that local people are able to use the new £1 coin to pay for parking. A total of 115 Parkeon Strada Rapide terminals, comprising a mix of solar powered and mains operated machines, have been installed in towns across the districts, including Lowestoft, Beccles, Bungay, Felixstowe, Framlington and Aldeburgh. All of the new terminals are linked to