News

Market research company Berg Insight has released new findings about the smart cities market and in particular intelligent transport systems (ITS) for public transport. The company believes that the market is in a growth phase which will continue in the years to come. The public transport market is impacted by a number of trends, including several ITS-related developments that can alter the playing field for the solution providers on this market. Several parallel technology developments are currently tra

Finnish company UPM has tested Finnish wood-based diesel fuel both in laboratory conditions as well as in traffic and says the tests demonstrated that its renewable diesel, UPM BioVerno, works like the best diesel fuels. The laboratory tests of renewable UPM BioVerno diesel were conducted at the VTT Technical Research Centre (VTT), with field tests in Helsinki region bus traffic in collaboration with Helsinki Region Transport (HSL). The year-long bus field tests measurements were carried out by VTT and t

The outlook for the US toll road industry remains positive, reflecting the expectation of continued strong traffic and revenue growth in the next 12 to 18 months, according to Moody’s Investors Service in its yearly outlook, Tolls Roads – US: 2017 Outlook – Strong Traffic and Revenue Growth Support Positive Outlook. Moody’s estimates that median traffic growth among 48 rated toll roads will range from three per cent to four per cent in the remainder of 2016 and into 2017, and that median toll revenue wil

ITS Australia has announced the election of new and re-elected board members: Bill Advic of Eastlink, Gino Dompietro of Jacobs Group, Chris Koniditsiotis of Transport Certification Australia, Jeremy Nassau of Transurban, Soren Tellegen of Kapsch TrafficCom Australia, Dirk Van de Meerssche of Cubic and Michael Watts of Transmax. They will join the ongoing members of the board, which will continue to be led by Brian Negus as president and Dean Zabrieszach as vice president. “The ITS industry is well repres

At a recent TTE council meeting, the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the European Commission present the Cleaner Transport Facility (CTF) initiative, aimed at financing the decarbonisation of the transport sector in Europe. The support for alternative fuels and cleaner technology in transport is aligned with European Union policies on climate action and sustainable transport and specifically the recently-adopted strategy of the European Commission on low-emission mobility. The CTF is a new umbrella in

The European Union has finally agreed to Germany’s plan to introduce road tolls, says EurActiv, despite originally saying that the proposals were discriminatory to foreign drivers and would break EU law. Germany will now change its road toll law so that it does not discriminate against drivers registered in other EU countries, German Transport Minister Alexander Dobrindt said. However, the plan has met with opposition from Germany’s neighbours in the Netherlands, Belgium, Austria and Denmark. Aust

BMW Group, Daimler, Ford Motor Company and Volkswagen Group with Audi and Porsche have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to create the highest-powered charging network in Europe. The goal is the quick build-up of a sizable number of stations in order to enable long-range travel for battery electric vehicle (VEV) drivers. They say it is an important step towards facilitating mass-market BEV adoption. The projected ultra-fast high-powered charging network with power levels up to 350 kW will be signific

Finnish organisations Pöyry, YIT and VR Track are to implement the Tampere light rail project on behalf of the City of Tampere for the implementation of the Tampere light rail project. The revised cost estimate for the implementation stage is US$2154.5 million (€238.8 million). The first phase of construction will commence in the first half of 2017 and is expected be complete by 2021. During this phase, the new rail line will be extended by 15 kilometres and a depot will be constructed in Hervanta. The

Following a letter written by motorcyclists’ organisations Federation of European Motorcyclists' Associations (FEMA), MAG NL and KNMV sent to the Netherlands Vehicle Authority RDW, expressing concerns about European type approval for Tesla, vehicle authorities will cooperate with motorcyclists’ organisations and conduct their own test program with different brands of semi-autonomous cars. A driver of a Tesla – and of an increasing number of advanced cars – can leave key actions to the vehicle, while in t

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) has awarded a contract to DESIGNA Access Corporation to install new vehicular parking and access control systems at John F. Kennedy International Airport, Newark Liberty International Airport, LaGuardia Airport and Stewart International Airport. This contract is in excess of US$70 million and will use Designa’s Abacus technology which has been installed at numerous international airports.

A self-driving truck developed by Otto has been travelling on two Ohio roads after state officials announced details of new investments to support innovative transportation technology, says Associated Press. The vehicle is travelling on a 35-mile stretch of US Route 33 and in central Ohio between Dublin and East Liberty, home to the Transportation Research Center, an independent testing facility. It travels in regular traffic, with a driver in the cab to intervene should problems arise. Officials say

The European Commission has adopted a European Strategy on Cooperative Intelligent Transport Systems (C-ITS), a milestone towards cooperative, connected and automated mobility. The Strategy will make it possible to deploy vehicles that can communicate with each other and the infrastructure on EU roads as of 2019. Digital connectivity is expected to significantly improve road safety, traffic efficiency and comfort of driving, while boosting the market of cooperative, connected and automated driving and th

Siemens and NXP Semiconductors recently hosted live connected vehicle (CV) demonstrations in downtown Tampa in conjunction with the Florida Autonomous Vehicle Summit. Participants were driven around the half-mile course to experience how connected vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) technologies work in a real-world setting. The technologies demonstrated reflect some of the systems that Tampa will feature as part of the upcoming Tampa-Hillsborough Expressway Authority’s (THEA) and US Department

Thousands of buses and taxis will be made greener and cleaner after the Transport Secretary confirmed a US$363 million (£290 million) investment to support low emission vehicles this week. The funding will be invested in a number of projects, including: £150m for cleaner buses and taxis and US$100 million (£80 million) to improve the electric vehicle charging infrastructure. The Workplace Charging Scheme (WCS) is now open for applications. US$25 million (£20 million) has also been allocated to an Adva

The latest SES America webinar, Improving Roadway Safety and Mobility Through Innovative Sign Solutions, is now available to stream. SESA’s Mobility range of NEMA compliant customisable blank out, lane control, travel time, and variable speed limit signs can be utilised to display regulatory, warning, and guidance information. The webinar provides technical information, benefits and applications of the signs, along with details of how solar power can lower energy consumption and provide built-in auto