News

Evolt, a member of the Swarco group, has completed the supply and installation of a new network of seven rapid and two fast chargers (EV) charge points on the Western Scotland mainland and the Isle of Mull, on behalf of Argyll and Bute Council. The new network is Council’s first publicly available EV charging infrastructure, funded by Transport Scotland through a Government-led initiative that helps to promote the use of EVs in Scotland. Seven of Evolt’s top-of-the-range rapid chargers that can effici

Commuters heading north on Wellington’s urban motorway will now get a smoother trip as the new lane is fully opened and New Zealand’s first smart motorway is turned on in the northbound direction. Using variable speed limits, which will be adjusted in real time in response to changing traffic conditions, the smart motorway will pace vehicles to smooth the traffic flow. Officials say this will result in safer journeys with more predictable travel times. It will also free up nearby roads for better public

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is providing a sovereign loan of up to US$86 million (€65 million) to Bosnia and Herzegovina to support an infrastructure programme aimed at repairing and upgrading the country’s road network, which has been damaged by severe floods in recent years. The improvements to the network will support regional connectivity, making it easier for domestic companies to transport their products to local and regional customers. Supporting regional integratio

Nissan Motor Company’s new Serena, due to go on sale in Japan in August, will come equipped with the company’s ProPILOT autonomous drive technology, designed for highway use in single-lane traffic. ProPILOT will assist with steering, accelerator and braking, controlled from a mono camera equipped with image processing software which recognises road and traffic situations, as well as lane markers. The system is activated and deactivated b y the driver using a switch on the steering wheel. Once activate

Celtic Roads Group (Dundalk) has awarded Indra a contract valued at US$4 million (€3.6 million) to renew the toll system on the M1 motorway in Ireland, which connects Dublin to the border of Northern Ireland. Indra upgraded the toll systems on this highway in 2004 and extended the systems to new high-speed roads in 2009. The company is also responsible for the maintenance of the systems. Under the new contract, Indra will upgrade the road infrastructure and the back-office system of the M1 mainline a

UK highways services provider Colas is set to start trialling its innovative solar road solution, Wattway and is in the process of identifying potential sites with clients interested in the photovoltaic road surfacing. According to Colas, the technology provides clean, renewable energy in the form of electricity, while allowing for all types of road traffic. Installed on top of an existing road surface, the solar panels are extremely lightweight and strong. Designed and tested to endure vehicles co

The International Bridge, Tunnel and Turnpike Association (IBTTA) is to host an international summit on the future of tolling, attended by with some of the world’s top transportation and mobility experts. The summit, All-Electronic Tolling (AET), Managed Lanes and Interoperability Summit: Technology and Business of Innovative Tolling”, co-hosted by New England Toll Operators (NETO), will be held on 24-26 July in Boston, Massachusetts at the Boston Marriott Copley Plaza. Keynote speaker, David L. Strickl

Siemens’ SafeZone average speed detection solution has been selected by the Sussex Safer Roads Partnership in the UK to improve safety and speed compliance in two key locations in Brighton and Hastings. The Home Office type-approved solution will be fully integrated to the back- office penalty notice processing facility run by Sussex Safer Roads Partnership. SafeZone uses automatic number plate recognition technology to identify all vehicles as they enter the enforcement zones. It calculates average spee

In a bid to improve conditions for cyclists in Minneapolis, Global Traffic Technologies (GTT) using existing infrastructure and its Canoga 9004 system to detect and react to bikes at intersections. The traffic detection system is now able to recognise both vehicle and bicycles and the Canoga card reacts quickly enough to give cyclists a green light without needing to slow down or wait at the intersection or navigate a red light. Previously, only vehicles would trigger green traffic signals at intersectio

Transport for London (TfL) has announced its contactless ticketing system is set to be used by other major cities across the globe as part of a deal worth up to US$20 million (£15 million, which will be used to help deliver a fares freeze that the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan has announced across TfL services for the next four years. TfL signed a deal with Cubic Transportation Systems (CTS), allowing them to adapt the capital’s contactless ticketing system worldwide. It is the first of a number of plann

New findings from Juniper Research reveal that the automotive head-up display (HUD) market will exceed 16 million installed units by the end of 2021, with the market anticipated to expand fourfold during the forecast period 2016-2021. The new research, Automotive HUDs: Innovations, Strategies & Leaders 2016-2021, found that the market will be driven by increased adoption in mass-market vehicles, with growth boosted by aftermarket HUD sales. Juniper believes that the market will begin to accelerate in 20

The Freight Transport Association (FTA) says this week’s announcement by the Department for Transport (DfT) of a consultation on driverless cars is a positive step. As well as setting out regulatory changes to better facilitate the use of driverless vehicles in the future, the document also restates the potential positives from HGV platooning. The document notes that platooning should allow HGVs ‘to benefit from reduced aerodynamic drag and therefore increased fuel efficiency. Platooning could also free

Bob Deiter, vice president of strategic opportunities, Cubic Transportation Systems (CTS), will participate in a panel discussion on transportation and mobility in smart cities at the World Smart City Forum 2016 to be held in Singapore today. The conference will bring together experts and industry leaders to discuss the top “pain points” slowing the development of smart cities and explore the potential for efficiency gains when cities are physically and virtually connected. At the event, Deiter will disc

Polish smart cities IT solutions provider has chosen Nedap’s Sensit wireless parking to improve on-street parking in the Polish city of Piekary Śląskie. The new Parkanizer platform from BT Skyrise collects and shares data for parking guidance and reporting purposes and is integrated with Sensit, which monitors the real-time usage of on-street parking spaces using parking bay mounted sensors. Sensit consists of bay-mounted parking sensors using combined magnetic and infrared detection technology to ens

Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA), California, has awarded Iteris a US$2.1 million traffic signal synchronisation and communication as part of its on-going mobility enhancements. The project also includes upgrades to traffic signal infrastructure and signal timing improvements along a heavily travelled nine-mile stretch of the Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) in Newport Beach. Iteris will design and implement traffic signal system infrastructure and fibre-optic communications equipment and synchro