News

Helsinki’s Metropolia University of Applied Sciences has begun a trial of self-driving buses on the streets of Helsinki as part of the SOHJOA-project coordinated by the university, which aims to provide opportunities for Finnish companies to develop new traffic automation products and services ideas. The two French-made EasyMile EZ10 buses have no steering wheel or pedals and run on virtual tracks that can be configured to accommodate sudden changes in demand. They can carry ten passengers and have a dri

Dynniq has been awarded a framework agreement by five UK local authorities to supply and install new traffic signal systems, including Dynniq PTC-1 controllers and signal heads, for council led projects, where they upgrade or install new sites. The agreement includes all maintenance, equipment and installation. The contract is scheduled to begin in September 2016 and will run for five years with a three year extension against tightly managed key performance targets. The five councils, Cambridgeshire

The number of active fleet management systems deployed in commercial vehicle fleets in Australia and New Zealand was 0.5 million in quarter four of 2015 according to a new research report from the M2M/IoT analyst firm Berg Insight. Growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 16.0 percent, this number is expected to reach 1.1 million by 2020. The fleet management market in Australia and New Zealand is today influenced positively by a number of different market drivers including regulatory developm

Nissan is using an array of technical talent to develop its next generation autonomous vehicle, including automobile and software engineers, experts on sensor technology and artificial intelligence, computer scientists, production specialists an anthropologist. Melissa Cefkin, principal scientist and design anthropologist at the Nissan Research Center in Silicon Valley is playing a key role in the project, analysing human driving interactions to ensure that it is prepared to be a ‘good citizen’ on the ro

Ford has announced its intention to have a high-volume, fully autonomous vehicle in commercial operation in 2021. The new vehicle will be a Society of Automotive Engineers-rated level 4-capable vehicle without a steering wheel or gas and brake pedals. It is being specifically designed for commercial mobility services, such as ride sharing and ride hailing, and will be available in high volumes. SAE level 4 is one level below full automation and is defined as ‘mode-specific performance by an automated

As part of its Rebuilding the System Program, the South Eastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) in the US has awarded Michael Baker International a three-year, US$8-million contract to provide general engineering, construction management and inspection services to a range of SEPTA projects throughout south-eastern Pennsylvania. As part of the contract, the Michael Baker team will support SEPTA in their management of complex construction projects with the goal of ensuring quality, enhanci

Jacobs Engineering Group has been appointed by Highways England to develop preferred options for multiple highways schemes planned in the east, south-east and north-west regions of England. Jacobs is providing engineering design services for civil engineering works and traffic technology, surveys, stakeholder engagement, environmental services, traffic modelling, building information modelling and principal designer services under the Construction (Design and Management) 2015 regulations. The stage t

Audi of America, in conjunction with Traffic Technology Services (TTS), is to launch its first vehicle to infrastructure (V2I) technology, traffic light information, as part of its suite of Audi Connect Prime services. The feature will be introduced later this year in select smart cities and metropolitan areas across the country through 2017 and beyond and is available on 2017 Audi Q7, A4 and A4 Allroad models built after 1 June 2016. Traffic light information, an Audi connect Prime feature, enables the

Plans to establish a connected vehicle network, known as Co-operative Intelligent Transport Systems (C-ITS), across Australia have taken a significant step forward with the Australian Communications and Media Authority’s (ACMA) intention to allocate the 5.9 GHz band by early 2017. The body representing Australia’s vehicle industry, the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCIA), has welcomed ACMA’s release this week of a consultation paper outlining the proposed regulatory measures to support the na

From September 2016, MetService and the New Zealand Transport Agency will commence a road weather mobile data acquisition trial, in conjunction with road contractors Fulton Hogan and Downer. The aim of the trial is to provide MetService, the Transport Agency, road contractors and the travelling public with pre-warning of challenging and dangerous driving conditions or potential road closures during severe weather. The six-month trial follows a pilot sensor-assessment process and aims to expand road

The iconic London bus is now helping to improve traffic in the Capital as Transport for London (TfL) starts a trial of displaying live traffic information on the back of buses. A number of buses on route 344 are displaying real-time traffic information using digital information boards in what is said to be a world first. The technology is being trialled on buses between Clapham Junction and Liverpool Street to provide London's drivers with a new source of information to help avoid congestion and improve

Inrix has entered a strategic agreement with Citi Logik in a partnership that will combine mobile network data provided via Citi Logik with Inrix’s network of GPS data and advanced analytics tools to generate population movement insights for UK transport agencies, local governments, city planners and retailers. Accurate population movement insights are important for governments as they invest in transport infrastructure and improve urban mobility as more people move into the UK’s population centres. W

US developer of above-ground detection technology for intelligent transportation systems (ITS) Image Sensing Systems (ISS) has named Ezekiel ‘Zeke’ Kruglick, PhD as a Technical Advisor to the executive chairman and Board of Directors. Dr Kruglick is currently the CEO of Ardent Research, a full service research and development boutique firm specialising technology development. As the Technical Advisor, Dr Kruglick will be contributing to the technical research and development of ISS’s radar and comput

Salford City Council in the UK, which has been standardising on Hikvision’s IP cameras across its public space surveillance network of 109 cameras, is to upgrade to the company’s new Smart PTZ camera following recent test run. The Hikvision DS-2DF8836IV-AELW model features 4K 8 Megapixel (4096 x 2160) resolution, 36x optical zoom, Smart Suite analytics, smart tracking, smart recording, 200m infrared range and an in-built wiper function. The camera, which also includes increased viewing distances and i

SC Group, comprising Sumitomo Corporation and Sumitomo Corporation of Americas is to collaborate with US Hybrid to develop its fuel cell production business through the expansion of fuel cell stack production capacity for commercial production. US Hybrid and its Fuel Cell division, US FuelCell, have more than 26 years of experience in fuel cell balance of plant components and vehicle development and deployment. US FuelCell develops and manufactures new technologies and transportation products. SC Gr