News

Traffex 2017 returns to the NEC, Birmingham from 4-6 April, showcasing the latest technological advances shaping the future of the UK’s road network. This year’s exhibition introduces a fully working Smart Motorway lighting and signage gantry from Highways England, which will allow visitors to see how active traffic management techniques are used to increase motorway capacity. The Smart & Safe feature will be back, enabling visitors to see products at close hand, including the life-saving products e

Parsons and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s (MIT) Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering recently hosted the one-day Infrastructure, Smart Cities, and Transportation workshop with the aim of exploring the parallels between ongoing research and current industry needs. Markus Buehler, head of MIT’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering said the department was focused on addressing the most challenging issues in infrastructure and the environment. “Many of the ideas discus

In the lead-up to a much-anticipated policy debate regarding infrastructure investment, the International Bridge, Tunnel and Turnpike Association (IBTTA) has released The Futures of Transportation, a report of the Transportation Visioning Summit which convened leaders of 18 major US transportation associations to discuss and consider the future of transportation. Topics featured in the report, along with transportation leaders’ thoughts and analysis of each, include: autonomous and connected vehicles, s

A bill seeking to end Florida’s practice of developing tolled express lanes has been rejected by the House Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee, according to Florida Politics. Part of the debate centred on those who argued that high occupancy toll (HOT) lanes are economically unfair and a safety concern, but opponents said such lanes are the only way to add traffic capacity. Bill sponsor Democratic state Representative Matt Willhite of West Palm Beach argued that his bill was a safety measur

A range of smart electric vehicle chargepoints from Ensto Chago, that can communicate with each other through cloud software to share available power between vehicles plugged-in at the same location, has been approved for grant support by the UK Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV). Chago says its charging units limit the need for electricity supply grid upgrades, as electric vehicles increase in popularity. They also pave the way for vehicles to store energy and feed it back to the grid in times of

UITP’s Global Public Transport Summit (15-17 May) in Montreal will concentrate on two key topics, digitisation and Mobility as a Service. Under the slogan Lead the Transition, the biennial gathering will look at how new mobility services are challenging the existing structures and organisations and how they can be incorporated into existing offerings to better meet travellers’ needs. It will also highlight how public transport sector is leading the deployment of autonomous mobility services as part of a

US-based McCain has introduced the FLeX controller, the smallest controller in its ATC eX series of advanced transportation controllers. Measuring just 5.5” tall, the compact controller includes new features and capabilities, including front panel access to data, optional built-in wi-fi and a full 16-line display screen with a split-screen option for users operating Omni eX¬ intersection control software. The FLeX controller is available in both shelf mount and rack mount configurations and easily upgrad

Drivers say journey time is the most important factor to measure on England’s motorways and major ‘A’ roads, according to research published by Transport Focus, the transport user watchdog and the Office of Rail and Road (ORR), the monitor of Highways England. The research, Measuring performance of England’s strategic roads: what users want, includes the views of drivers, cyclists, pedestrians and freight companies. Drivers are most concerned with issues relating to journey time, which includes how

From summer 2017, the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and the Environment will begin operating the new national data transfer point Traffic Light Exchange (TLEX), which has been developed as part of the Talking Traffic Innovation Project. TLEX is central point for automated real-time data exchange between new smart traffic signal systems (iVRIs) and road users, enabling road users, iVRIs and infrastructure to communicate with one another in real time with the aim of achieving a smooth, efficient and saf

Jacobs Engineering Group has been awarded a contract by the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) to provide construction administration and inspection services for the Route 18 Traffic Signal System project in East Brunswick and New Brunswick, New Jersey. The project consists of the installation of new intelligent transportation systems (ITS) equipment and upgrades to the existing traffic signal system. Jacobs’ services include the installation of image and radar detectors, controlled traffic

The European Union's transport commissioner is calling for a Europe-wide car toll system that would enable motorists to use all European roads without having to stop at borders, says Associated Press. Many countries in the EU have highway toll systems, but they are separate and work in different ways. Transport Commissioner Violeta Bulc said every country could decide for itself whether it wants a car toll system, but those that do should participate in a standardised electronic system. Bulc plans to

A Smart Mobility Consortium comprising the Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute (ASTRI), HKT, Huawei Technologies and Qualcomm Technologies is to work on cellular-vehicle-to-everything (C-V2X) technologies with the aim of developing a smart mobility system for Hong Kong. As one of the most ‘connected’ cities in the world and a global financial hub, Hong Kong is an ideal place to pioneer the implementation of smart mobility system and showcase for the improvement of road safety. Ten

International Road Dynamics (IRD) is to supply, install and maintain a weigh-in-motion (WIM) sorting system at the Blunt Port of Entry on US Highway 14 and US Highway 83 in South Dakota, US. The project is valued at approximately US$1.1 million with installation to be completed by October 2017. The port-of-entry commercial vehicle identification system protects highway infrastructure by weighing all commercial vehicles, capturing licence plate numbers and directing suspected violators to report to th

Chicago-based transportation software company Demandtrans has formed a Smart City Strategic Partnership with Finnish mobility start-up Tuup, in a partnership that will integrate DemandTrans' on-demand mobility intelligence and optimisation with Tuup's advanced routing, booking and assignment platform. Tuup will deploy its Mobility-as-a Service (MaaS) platform to connect various forms of transport to customers via a single solution. MaaS sorts transport options from different providers and then handles ev

Germany's Bundestag, the lower house of parliament, has passed a law which would see the introduction of a road toll for cars registered abroad with prices linked to environmental criteria, according to Reuters. Under the toll, cars that pollute less will pay a lower rate. The maximum annual cost for a foreign vehicle would be US$141 (€130). Originally proposed in 2015, the law was disputed by the European Commission and other European countries, which claimed it would be discriminatory towards non-Germ