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Autonomous electric shuttles to be demonstrated at UITP Summit in Montreal
April 11, 2017
Keolis Canada and NAVYA are to present their autonomous electric shuttle project at the UITP Global Public Transit Summit in Montreal 15-17 May. Environmentally-friendly, the autonomous shuttle has a capacity of 15 passengers and is suitable for urban areas, airports, industrial sites, amusement parks, hotel complexes and hospitals. It has been designed to help organisations and businesses improve performance by streamlining the flow of movement.
Ontario city deploys Opticom emergency vehicle pre-emption solution
April 11, 2017
Global Traffic Technologies Canada is to implement its Opticom traffic pre-emption solution at five of the busiest intersections in the town of Oakville, Ontario. Opticom works alongside intersection controllers to help ensure emergency vehicles can move through intersections rapidly and safely. When an emergency vehicle needs to navigate an intersection, the Opticom emergency vehicle pre-emption (EVP) system on-board the emergency vehicle sends a request to the intersection’s controller ahead of its arriva
Counting the cost of road crashes
April 10, 2017
Annual research just released by the New Zealand Ministry of Transport estimates that the total social cost of fatal and injury crashes rose from US$2.5 billion (NZ$3.53 billion) in 2014 to US$2.6 billion (NZ$3.79 billion) in 2015. Over 300 New Zealanders lost their lives on the country’s roads last year, and about 2,500 were seriously injured. According to associate transport minister David Bennett, in 40 per cent of the crashes where people were killed or seriously injured, the driver had drunk more
Continental gestures to a safer driving future
April 10, 2017
To improve non-verbal communication between drivers and their vehicles, Continental has devised a range of user-friendly touch gestures for the cockpit, using a combination of gesture interaction and touch screens. This enables drivers to draw specific, defined symbols on the input display to trigger a diverse array of functions and features for rapid access. According to Dr Heinz Abel, head of Cross Product Solutions at Continental’s Instrumentation and Driver HMI business unit, the use of gestures and
Funding available for green buses
April 10, 2017
Bus operators, local authorities and Regional Transport Partnership’s across Scotland can apply for funding towards the purchase of low carbon emission buses. The Scottish Green Bus Fund, now in its seventh year, aims to help support the introduction of new low carbon vehicles across the country. The Scottish Government has already invested US$18.3 million (£14.8 million) over the previous six rounds. Funding of US$3.7 million (£3 million) for the 2017/2018 Green Bus Fund has been made available from
Singapore to develop and trial autonomous buses
April 10, 2017
As part of efforts by the Committee on Autonomous Road Transport for Singapore (CARTS) to develop and deploy autonomous vehicles (AVs) to enhance Singapore’s land transport system, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) has signed a partnership agreement with ST Kinetics to develop and trial autonomous buses. ST Kinetics will develop and integrate the AV technologies on to two 40-seater electric buses that can be deployed to serve fixed and scheduled services for intra- and inter-town travel in the future.
EV manufacturers to focus on range, recharging and inductive charging
April 7, 2017
The electric vehicle (EV) market is booming, according to Frost & Sullivan researchers. Approximately 25 new electric vehicle models are likely to be launched later this year with Chevrolet Bolt and Tesla Model 3 being the most anticipated. The availability of incentives and subsidies in the market, significant investment by original equipment manufacturers, new entrants, and lower battery prices are factors propelling double-digit growth. However, the lack of standardisation in charging technology, absence
Clean diesel technology most cost-effective way to reduce emissions, officials told
April 7, 2017
The state environmental policymakers attending the Spring Meeting of the US Environmental Council of States (ECOS) have heard how states can achieve the most cost-effective and immediate air emission reductions by targeting the largest sources of oxides of nitrogen (NOx) emissions and replacing or upgrading those with the newest generation of clean diesel technology. Allen Schaeffer, executive director of the Diesel Technology Forum, highlighted the environmental benefits of new diesel technology dur
Europe expected to hold the largest share in smart transportation by 2021 say researchers
April 7, 2017
According to a new market research report from MarketsandMarkets, Europe is expected to hold the largest share of the smart transportation market, which is expected to grow from US$72.05 billion in 2016 to US$220.76 billion by 2021. The major drivers for an upsurge in demand for smart transportation include the rising requirement for integrated security and safety to enhance public safety and government initiatives to incorporate smart technologies into the existing transportation infrastructure. The
TfL challenges app designers to make the most of cycling data
April 7, 2017
Transport for London (TfL) has challenged app designers to improve their services to cyclists after expanding the data it makes available to them. TfL has added mapping information for eight Cycle Superhighways and one Quietway to their open data portal, allowing developers to make it even easier for Londoners to find and use the best cycle routes. New Superhighways and Quietways will be added as they open. The information allows developers to accurately map out the existing network within apps and on
New Jersey announces new initiative to combat distracted driving
April 7, 2017
Responding to an eight percent spike in New Jersey traffic fatalities in 2016, largely attributable to increasing distracted driving, Attorney General Christopher S. Porrino and the Division of Highway Traffic Safety are announcing a new initiative to provide state residents with a method to report dangerous drivers in order to protect motorists and pedestrians. The state’s #77 alert system, previously used for reporting aggressive driving, will now be used to report all forms of dangerous driving, from
First InterCor TestFest to take place in the Netherlands
April 7, 2017
The first InterCor TestFest, focusing on ITS G5 services (Wifi-p), is to be held in the Netherlands from 3-7 July on the A16 motorway near Dordrecht in the Netherlands. Co-organised by the InterCor project together with Dutch partners of the C-ITS Corridor, the TestFest will provide roadworks warning (RWW), probe vehicle data (PVD) and in-vehicle signage (IVS) services via fixed roadside units (RSUs) for testing in representative lab environment as well as for testing in real life traffic conditions.
Highways England announces funding to improve major motorway junction
April 7, 2017
Highways England has announced plans to invest total of US$3.7 million (£3 million) for major improvements to Switch Island in Merseyside, one of the north-west’s busiest motorway junctions where the M57, M58 and three A roads connect. Construction work at the junction, which is used by over 90,000 vehicles every day, is expected to start next year. The scheme is designed to improve the flow of traffic and enhance safety, following 49 collisions at the junction in the past two years. New traffic light
Connected car devices market predicted to grow at 16.3 per cent by 2021
April 6, 2017
The latest research report from MarketsandMarkets indicates that the connected car devices market is projected to grow at a CAGR of 16.3 per cent from 2016 to 2021, to reach US$57.15 Billion by 2021. Some of the major factors responsible for the growth of the market are government regulations for safety and increasing electrification of vehicles. Connected car devices with dedicated short range communication (DSRC) as connectivity use short range communication technologies such as radar and Lidar, which
Awards for Scottish roundabout safety scheme
April 6, 2017
The Sheriffhall Roundabout: Mitigating Lane Transgression with the Intelligent Road Stud scheme was recently presented with two awards by ITS (UK). The Forward Thinking Award and UK Scheme of the Year Award follow earlier recognition by four other major industry awards during past year. Sheriffhall is a new approach to reducing lane transgression on a multi-lane spiral roundabout. Connecting several key roads around Edinburgh and handling upwards of 42,000 vehicles a day, the A720 Sheriffhall Roundabout