News

In a recent blog, Professor Graham Cookson, chief economist and head of research at Inrix says that following the announcement by the UK government that local authorities may be concerned that US$866 million (£690 million) funding to tackle congestion will be made available through competitive funding. The UK’s Local Government Association said in its recent Budget briefing: ‘Competitive bidding is a time consuming process and does little to provide certainty of funding needed to attract additional priva

Plans for the West Gate Tunnel Project in Melbourne, Australia, include 24/7 truck bans on streets in two suburbs of the city to improve safety, reduce noise and greatly improve air quality for local families. The project, due to be completed in 2022, will give trucks a dedicated route to the port or Melbourne and mean they no longer have to rely on local roads. The project will provide direct freeway access for trucks travelling to the port through a new tunnel, moving them away from schools, homes and

Bestpass customers will now have access to the Tollsmart Toll Calculator, which covers every tolled facility in the US and Canada, through a newly-announced partnership between the two companies. Bestpass, which provides single-source payment and streamlined toll management services to commercial fleets, has integrated the Tollsmart application into its customer web portal. Users will be able to estimate costs of multiple routes, including additional Bestpass volume discounts, and make strategic decision

Global management consultancy, Arthur D. Little (ADL) has released a new study, The Future of Automotive Mobility, based on a global survey of 6,500 participants, including customers, industry players and regulators. The report examines how the megatrends of electric mobility, car sharing and autonomous driving are likely to impact on the global automotive ecosystem and future OEM sales. The report notes that the future of mobility will no longer depend primarily on the preferences of customers, but wil

Redflex Traffic Systems has been awarded a one-year extension of its existing contract with Roads & Maritime Services (RMS) in Australia. During the extension, Redflex will continue to supply services to RMS for the operation of mobile roadside speed photo enforcement throughout New South Wales, services it has been providing since 2010. RMS is expected to re-tender the contract after the end of the contract extension.

Telematics provider Scope Technologies and French insurer Amaline Assurances, the direct insurance division of Groupama, are to collaborate to provide Renault’s electric car, ZOE, with an in-built Usage Based Insurance (UBI) solution for the French market. Scope Technologies’ adaptable software and data analytics will provide Renault’s R-Link multimedia system with comprehensive UBI technology to equip ZOE’s computer and app systems with a tailored UBI product. Scope’s technology facilitates the proces

Siemens will demonstrate the benefits of “connected thinking” by showcasing its integrated solutions for sustainable, safe, clean, connected and efficient transport systems at Traffex 2017. According to Matthew Vincent, sales and marketing director, in an increasingly data driven and digitalised world, Siemens’ expertise can help define and deliver the most appropriate solutions to customers’ challenges and provide real benefits to them, the travelling public and UK society. The company will also be

Cubic Transportation Systems (CTS) is to showcase its latest transportation and road management innovations at Traffex 2017 in Birmingham, 4-6 April. During the three-day event, Cubic will feature its next-generation traffic management platform, which is currently operating in the National Multimodal Connected Test Bed at the University of Melbourne. This connected transport living lab paves the way for connected and autonomous vehicles. Cubic will also demonstrate its driver enforcement platforms fo

The Texas Department of Transportation Commission has awarded the design-build contract for segments H&I of State Highway 99/Grand Parkway in the Houston area to Grand Parkway Infrastructure, a joint-venture of Ferrovial Agroman US, Webber and Granite Construction. The US$855 million project northeast of Houston spans 52.5 miles through Chambers, Harris, Liberty and Montgomery counties and will substantially increase capacity along SH 99 with the construction of one to two new tolled lanes in each direct

A new report by Danish business analysis company Autintelligence, Cybersecurity in the connected car: technology, industry, and future examines the security implications of increasing connectivity and software complexity in connected and autonomous vehicles. According to the report, advanced connectivity, electronics and software are hallmarks of modern vehicles. A typical connected car contains up to 70 ECUs, and about 100 million lines of code. As vehicles expand in terms of technological complexity,

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