News

Technology company Continental is developing components and systems for the series launch of the electronic towbar, or platooning, using on an interoperable internet platform, which trucks from different manufacturers and fleet operators can use to form an electronic convoy on the freeway. Braking and sensor data are transmitted wirelessly from the lead vehicle to the following vehicles.

The Freight Transport Association has reacted positively to a new report from the House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee into sustainability in transport policy. In the report, the Committee states that fiscal support will be needed along with regulatory reform to develop the market in ultra-low emission vehicles. For cars it suggests reform to company car taxation, and for vans a reform to the weight limitations on alternatively powered vehicles.

According to South Korean news agency Yonhapnews, a group of electronics and intelligent transport systems experts have established a forum to initiate the establishment of an electronic safety system that automatically calls emergency services when there's a car accident.

The US Department of Transportation (USDOT) awarded three cooperative agreements collectively worth more than US$45 million to initiate the design/build/test phase of the Connected Vehicle Pilot Deployment Program. Selected in 2015, the Connected Vehicle Pilot sites include Wyoming, New York City and Tampa.

The Euro 6 emissions standard come into force across the European light commercial vehicle market and, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers & Traders (SMMT), Europe’s van manufacturers have met the challenge. They have come together, often in collaboration, to introduce a new generation of vans, pick-ups and, specifically, engines that not only meet the standards, but in many cases are more efficient and more refined than their predecessors. It’s a remarkable achievement that’s down to considerab

The Nevada Center for Advanced Mobility (Nevada CAM) and its partners, including the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada (RTC), are calling on technology solution providers to submit, via a Request for Information (RFI), creative approaches, technologies and products to improve pedestrian safety in southern Nevada, where pedestrian fatalities are rising as the community grows.

Baidu, which earlier this year announced the formation of an autonomous driving team in the US, Baidu USA, is to begin testing its autonomous technologies in California. The California Department of Motor Vehicles awarded the company an Autonomous Vehicle Testing Permit earlier this week.

Uber has won the right to challenge a Transport for London (TfL) rule which would require some of its drivers to pass an English language test. Announced by TfL last year and due to take effect from 1 October, the rule would mean that drivers who are not from English-speaking countries would have to take an English reading, writing and listening test, which TfL said was ‘in the interests of public safety’. Uber had previously supported the test, but now argues it is too rigorous and costly.

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, and Transport for London (TfL) are to proceed with the North-South Cycle Superhighway to King’s Cross after majority support in the recent public consultation. The plans, which will also benefit pedestrians with wider pavements and more crossing points, were supported by 70 per cent of the public.

The first phase of an urban sensing Array of Things project has begun in Chicago with the installation of the first of an eventual 500 nodes on city streets. The sensors will collect data on air quality, climate, traffic and other urban features, kicking off a partnership between the University of Chicago, Argonne National Laboratory and the City of Chicago to better understand, serve and improve cities.

The latest report by the A9 Safety Group on accident statistics on the A9 in Scotland indicate that there continues to be a sustained improvement in driver behaviour and a corresponding fall in collisions and casualties. The report contains collision and casualty data for the first 18 months of operation of the average speed cameras to 30 April 2016, which is the mid-point of the evaluation period. The other performance data covers the period to 30 June 2016 unless otherwise stated.

Esri’s founder Jack Dangermond is to tell delegates at the ITS World Congress in Melbourne that GIS, spatial technology, mapping and modelling are the keys that will unlock the door to tomorrow’s smart cities. He will say that using the data to bring together all the infrastructures, demands, challenges and future plans from different departments within city hall enables a common model to be built.

Australia’s first fully driverless and electric shuttle bus, the RAC Intellibus, has begun on-roads trials in South Perth, following tests in a closed environment, as part of the Royal Automobile Club’s (RAC) plan to trial autonomous vehicle technology. The RAC Intellibus will carry passengers and interact with traffic, parked cars, cyclists and pedestrians as it travels along South Perth Esplanade between the Old Mill, near the Narrows Bridge, and Sir James Mitchell Park.

Traffic, transit and weather information provider Total Traffic & Weather Network (TTWN) is to partner with Baron, a global provider of critical weather intelligence in a multi-year, data-collaboration partnership that will combine data from both companies to create the next generation of integrated traffic and weather solutions.

According to two university researchers, UK transport planning is not sufficiently taking into account the environmental impacts of transport choices. Their report, which is due to be presented at the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG) Annual International Conference today, says that road transport is the principal cause of air pollution in over 95 per cent of legally designated “Air Quality Management Areas” in the UK. Current estimates are that over 50,000 deaths a year can be attributed to air polluti