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Q-Free has appointed Tor Eirik Knutsen, currently Group CFO for Norsk Mineral, as its new chief financial officer. He will join Q-Free by the beginning of October 2017. Knutsen brings with him a diverse financial background, which includes experience with M&A transactions, business development projects and cost optimisation initiatives and the company is confident he will play a key role in restoring profitable growth in Q-Free. He replaces current CFO Roar Østbø, who has decided to pursue other career o

UK traffic enforcement and management solutions Videalert has been announced as an Innovation Trail winner at Parkex 2017. The award was in recognition of Videalert’s new Clean Air Zone (CAZ) enforcement solution which has been added to its Department for Transport Manufacturer Certified hosted digital platform. Videalert’s hosted platform automates the management and enforcement of CAZ and (Low Emission Zone) LEZ contraventions. With real-time identification of vehicles including make, model, colour, gros

Cohort company SEA’s ROADflow camera technology for monitoring traffic has led to major improvements in safety and reductions in traffic congestion for the London Borough of Enfield, says the company. Enfield installed the system nearly three years ago in an attempt to overcome dangerous and congestion forming behaviours such as drivers doing illegal turns as a rat run, to reduce commuting time, blocking yellow box junctions and driving in bus lanes during operational hours. Seven ROADflow Flexi bus

EENA, the European Emergency Number Association, announces a data-sharing partnership with Waze, the free, real-time crowd-sourced traffic and navigation app powered by the drivers. Waze users who drive with the app turned on passively contribute traffic and other road data to other Waze users. They can also actively share road reports on incidents that could affect others. The project aims to evaluate how this crowd-sourced anonymous data can be used in emergency management to improve response opera

Australian variable message sign (VMS) manufacturer Bartco Traffic Equipment has joined the Torquay Holdings group, which includes.UK intelligent transport system (ITS) suppliers Mobile Visual Information Systems (MVIS UK), Bartco UK and MVIS AUS, in an expansion that will enable group companies to share research and development. In 2012, MVIS UK brought the first five colour mobile VMS to the UK market, designed in Australia by Bartco Traffic Equipment, which was established in 1995 and claims to be the

Bosch and Daimler are joining forces to advance the development of fully automated and driverless driving. The two companies have entered into a development agreement to bring fully automated (SAE Level 4) and driverless (SAE Level 5) driving to urban roads by the beginning of the next decade. The objective is to develop software and algorithms for an autonomous driving system. By introducing fully automated and driverless driving to the urban environment, Bosch and Daimler aim to improve the flow of tra

Parking terminals could soon be monitoring air quality in towns and cities across Britain as local authorities consider ways to tackle roadside pollution. Parking technology company Parkeon has developed a module for its Strada range of terminals that will capture air quality data and enable authorities to monitor levels of particulate matter and emissions such as CO2. The company says its parking terminals are open platform multi-service kiosks capable of integrating with smart third party systems, inc

Swedish public transport company Västtrafik has devised a different advertising campaign to encourage more car drivers to take the bus. The campaign film mimics the way the car industry advertises its new car launches, using buzzwords such as electric, sustainable, delegated driving, with dramatic music, lighting and quick cuts between images. In the end, however, a bus is revealed as the ‘mobility of the future’ with the offer of a free two-week test drive.

An autonomous shuttle is to take to the road as part of the UK GATEway Project (Greenwich Automated Transport Environment) research into public acceptance of, and attitudes towards, driverless vehicles. In the latest phase of the GATEway Project a prototype shuttle will begin driverless navigation of a 2km route around the Greenwich Peninsula, using advanced sensors and state-of-the-art autonomy software to detect and avoid obstacles whilst carrying members of the public participating in the research stu

Shares in UK engineering and consultancy firm W S Atkins jumped to a high of 2,004 pence following the news that Canadian engineering and construction company SNC-Lavalin Group has offered to buy the company for about US$1.9 billion (£2.1 billion0, according to Reuters. Atkins said SNC planned to offer 2,080 pence per share in cash, 35 per cent above Atkins' closing share price on Friday. In a statement, Atkins said that the board of Atkins had indicated to SNC-Lavalin that the possible offer would d

West Yorkshire Combined Authority has secured UAS$2.4 million (£1.9 million) of UK Government funding to support an increase in ultra-low emission electric taxi and private hire operation on local roads. Eighty-eight dedicated taxi and private hire charge points will be installed at key public transport and taxi operation sites across West Yorkshire, thanks to the Combined Authority’s successful bid to the Office for Low Emission Vehicle’s Ultra-Low Emission Vehicle (ULEV) Taxi Scheme. Several major

Toyota Motor Corporation and the Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation (NTT) have agreed to work together on connected car technology, combining their knowledge and expertise in automotive and information and communication technology (ICT) research and development. Their aim is to address a range of issues, including traffic accidents, congestion and the delivery of new mobility services, to help realise a future worldwide Smart Mobility Society. A field trial is planned for 2018 to assess the feasi

Q-Free has appointed Fredrik Nordh, currently senior vice president, head of Nordic Collection Solutions for Tomra Systems, as senior vice president Europe, effective September 2017. Q-Free will also reorganise its regional structure from 2018; its activities in North America, Chile and Brazil will become the new America region under Morten Andersson, which the new Europe region under Nordh’s leadership will consist of all European and Nordic markets. The APMEA region will remain under the control of Pe

Motorcyclist safety along eight high-risk routes in regional Victoria, Australia is to be boosted as part of a package of road safety improvements. The Motorcycle Safety Levy-funded upgrade work includes the installation of new rub-rail protective barriers, sealing driveways and roads, better surfaces, signage and roadside improvements to create a safer and more rider-friendly environment. Work is already complete on three routes in the region, with a further eight upgrades expected to be finished by

Transport systems have always been subject to illicit acts against passengers, freight, infrastructure and vehicles. The latest report from the European Commission funded Transport Research & Innovation Portal (TRIP) says that research into policy and the technology to safeguard infrastructure and users is critical to respond to emerging risks, such as cybercrime. The report gives fresh insight into transport security in Europe, highlighting priority areas for research and policy The report also ide