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UK road safety charity calls for drivers to stay sober
December 19, 2016
UK road safety charity Brake is calling on drivers to stay sober if driving over the Christmas period or plan to get home by taxi or public transport, to prevent road casualties. Brake is renewing calls for a zero tolerance drink drive limit of 20mg alcohol per 100ml of blood, in line with evidence which claims that even one drink dramatically increases crash risk and to send a clear message it should be none for the road. Brake says a blood alcohol level of 20-50mg increases the likelihood of crashing t
Allstate Insurance partners with Stanford University on AV research
December 19, 2016
Allstate Insurance Company is to work with the Intelligent Systems Laboratory at Stanford University, California to learn about and contribute to the tools and standards related to autonomous vehicles. The research project scope includes machine learning, artificial intelligence and highly autonomous vehicle systems. “We are proactively embracing and participating in the evolving landscape around personal transportation through our work with world-class institutions at the forefront of this automotive
TfL wins international road safety award
December 19, 2016
Transport for London (TfL) has been recognised with the Prince Michael of Kent Road Safety Awards for its work to improve the safety of cyclists, pedestrians and motorcyclists in London. Analysis of police collision and travel demand data led TfL to put in place a range of initiatives which contributed to a three per cent drop in the number of people killed and seriously injured on London’s streets (2,092) in 2015, its lowest ever level. Projects included the launch of the Safer Lorry Scheme, the in
Cubic to trial open loop payment fare ticketing in Sydney, Australia
December 19, 2016
Cubic Transportation Systems (CTS) has been awarded a contract worth US$7.6 million (AU$10.2 million) from Transport for New South Wales to deliver a trial of an open loop payments ticketing technology to Sydney, Australia’s largest city. The trial, to begin in 2017, will allow Sydney commuters using participating payment schemes to tap their contactless bankcard directly on Opal readers at the trial site to pay for travel. According to Tom Walker, senior vice president and managing director of Asia
Australia to trial autonomous vehicles on public roads
December 19, 2016
Australia’s Victorian government is to begin a trial to look at how automated vehicles can interact with Australian road infrastructure. VicRoads will work with industry to seek feedback on the government’s Future Directions Paper, which outlines the need for regulatory changes to allow testing of highly automated vehicles on public roads. The consultation will focus on how to ensure road safety during testing on public roads, what constitutes a driver ‘being in control’ and understanding how the changi
Ridesharing market attracts investors in Europe and North America
December 16, 2016
Investors are racing to claim a stake in the potential multibillion-dollar ridesharing market. Advances in Technology that aid in the adoption of ridesharing, while governmental policy support, such as high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes and toll-fee waivers, are bolstering market evolution, says Frost and Sullivan. The North American and European ridesharing market will see strong growth, with rideshare operators rolling out new business models to target niche customer segments. And in the European marke
Australia’s ITS market predicted to grow almost 15 per cent by 2020
December 16, 2016
According to a new market research report published by MarketsandMarkets, Australia’s intelligent transportation systems is expected to grow at a CAGR of 14.41 per cent between 2015 and 2020, and reach US$1,130.2 million by 2020. The report is combined with an in-depth analysis of the various market dynamics such as drivers, restraints, and opportunities. Along with the market dynamics, the report also gives an insight about various market parameters, such as market share analysis, value chain analysis,
US fuel economy for light duty vehicles 2022-2025 ‘will reduce consumption and emissions’
December 16, 2016
According to researchers at the University of Michigan, the 2022-2025 fuel-economy (CAFE) standards for light-duty vehicles, which were reaffirmed by the EPA on 30 November 2016 in the midterm evaluation of the standards, will substantially reduce future fuel consumption and emissions, even if the future vehicle mix (cars vs light trucks) does not change. However, in addition to these direct benefits, indirect benefits can also be expected via the influence of more stringent standards on the future mix o
Pedestrian counters help monitor the effectiveness of new investment
December 16, 2016
Eton Community Association has commissioned the charity, the Outdoor Trust, to develop a promotional Walkway for the town in Berkshire in the UK. In advance of the launch in spring 2017 two Eco Pyro pedestrian counters, supplied by UK company Traffic Technology, have been installed in the town to study footfall along the High Street. Results indicate that on most days people are using the bridge as the main gateway to the town but that only 60 per cent of people crossing the bridge travel the distance o
MEPs back new rules to boost rail travel
December 16, 2016
Public contracts to supply domestic passenger rail services in EU countries will have be put out to tender under new rules backed by the EU Parliament this week. Under the new rules, which also aim to boost investment and the development of new commercial services, rail companies will be able to offer their services in EU domestic passenger rail markets in two ways. First, where national authorities award public service contracts to provide passenger rail services, bidding for public service contra
Washington to begin RUC pilot
December 16, 2016
In autumn 2017, the state of Washington in the US is to begin a pilot road user charging (RUC) program, involving 2,000 volunteers across the state. During the pilot period, the state will track their mileage in several different ways including odometer readings and a smart phone app. Another option will be charging drivers a flat fee. Drivers will report on the positive and negative impacts of the road usage fee. US company D'Artagnan Consulting prepared the detailed state-wide RUC demonstration impleme
Volkswagen Group invests in Hubject EV charging project
December 16, 2016
The Volkswagen Group is to become a shareholder in the Hubject eRoaming electric vehicle (EV) charging platform and plans to push ahead with the digital interconnection of charging stations for EVs, starting in early 2017. Hubject, founded in 2012 by BMW, Bosch, Daimler, EnBW, innogy and Siemens, provides EV drivers with easy access to charging stations as well as payment solutions. Almost 40,000 charge points on three continents are already available on the platform. In 2013, Hubject launched ‘inter
TomTom and Microsoft join forces to bring location-based services to Azure
December 16, 2016
TomTom and Microsoft have formed a partnership that aims to bring enterprise-grade location-based services to Microsoft’s Azure platform, based on TomTom’s maps, traffic and navigation software. TomTom plans to integrate its services into Azure to make it even easier and more flexible for developers to build and manage enterprise, mobile, web and Internet of Things applications that are location aware.
Two of UK’s ‘most dangerous’ roads receive road safety awards
December 16, 2016
Two routes that have previously been given the title of ‘most dangerous’ roads have received Prince Michael International Road Safety Awards for their significant casualty reductions. The average speed installation on the A537 Cat and Fiddle road operates in ‘rear facing’ mode, allowing motorcycles to be monitored by cameras viewing their rear number plates. The latest figures for the A537 show a 77 per cent reduction in Killed or Seriously Injured (KSI) casualties. The A9 enforcement system has ca
GTT awarded supplier status for UK TMT2 framework agreement
December 16, 2016
Global Traffic Technologies (GTT) has been awarded supplier status for its traffic pre-emption solutions on the UK Government’s Crown Commercial Service Traffic Management 2 (TMT2) framework agreement. TMT2 provides public sector customers with access to traffic management solutions. The framework aims to deliver local, regional and national traffic management technologies through a qualified supply chain, ensuring reliability and resilience. TMT2 allows direct and standardised procurement of small compo