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A new Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) study, which looked at the impact of speed limit increases in 41 states over a 20-year period starting in 1993, shows that increases in speed limits over two decades have cost 33,000 lives in the US In 2013 alone. The increases resulted in 1,900 additional deaths, essentially cancelling out the number of lives saved by frontal airbags that year. "Although fatality rates fell during the study period, they would have been much lower if not for states' dec

The province of Ontario is partnering with Thales Canada, a subsidiary of France-based Thales Group, to develop the next generation of rail signalling solutions for the province’s railways. Ontario, which is home to almost half of Canada’s full time R&D personnel, will invest up to US$9.4 million (CA$12 million) through the Jobs and Prosperity Fund with the overall project investment value set to reach approximately US$62.5 million (CA$80 million). Ontario, which spends more than US$11 billion (CA$14 bi

The latest report from RnR Market Research indicates that one of the major factors positively impacting the intelligent transport systems market is the growing need for public safety as collision avoidance and dynamic warning systems are introduced to reduce the frequency of accidents by making users more aware of their surroundings. The analysts forecast global intelligent transport systems market to grow at a CAGR of 8.23 per cent during the period 2016-2020. The report, Global Intelligent Transport Sy

Ford recently conducted tests at its Arizona proving ground to determine how autonomous cars could navigate at night without headlights. According to Ford, it’s an important development, in that it shows that even without cameras, which rely on light, Ford’s LiDAR, working with the car’s virtual driver software, is robust enough to steer around winding roads. While it’s ideal to have all three modes of sensors, radar, cameras and LiDAR, the latter can function independently on roads without stoplights.

US-based Global Traffic Technologies (GTT) has entered into a partnership with Middle East IT specialist and systems integrator Omnix International to distribute their products in the region. GTT, makers of Opticom priority control solutions and Canoga traffic-sensing solutions, began expanding into the international market last year by creating partnerships with established regional companies. GTT vice president of EMEA markets Richard Eltze says the company's focus on smart mobility solutions, incl

Strasbourg Eurométropole in France has selected PTV Group, in collaboration with TomTom, to monitor traffic and congestion in real-time across more than 600 kilometres of the greater Strasbourg road network. The project will enable SIRAC, the city traffic management centre, to combine real-time data sourced by TomTom with PTV’s Optima analytics platform to monitor and control traffic conditions. In addition, real-time information on the current traffic situation can be communicated to drivers on both the

Technology company GMV has been chosen by Alstom to supply an advanced fleet management system with in-station passenger information for the new light rail system being built by the ALTRAC consortium of Alstom, rail operator Transdev, Acciona and Capella in Sydney, Australia. Alstom is responsible for the integrated tramway system for the 12 kilometre line, including the design, delivery and commissioning of 30 coupled Citadis X05 trams It will also provide the power supply equipment, including APS gr

According to the latest research study released by Technavio, the global smart communities market is expected to grow at a CAGR of over 18 per cent until 2020. The report, Global Smart Communities Market 2016-2020, provides an in-depth analysis of market growth in terms of revenue and emerging market trends. This market research report also includes up to date analysis and forecasts for various market segments, including smart grids, smart community buildings, smart community transportation, and smart c

International bus search engine CheckMyBus has teamed up with online bus ticket platform ClickBus, just in time for Olympic Games in Rio and enabling national and international travellers to locate bus connections in Brazil. The CheckMyBus bus search engine shows real-time schedules and prices in more than 50 countries, including Brazil. With more than 300 bus operators and millions of weekly departures CheckMyBus gives the user access to the world’s largest virtual bus network. Online bus ticketing

French car company PSA Peugeot Citroën has become a shareholder in peer-to-peer car-sharing start-up Koolicar, with an investment of US$10.6 million (€18 million), alongside investment fund MAIF Avenir, Koolicar's partner since 2010. Now active in around 40 French cities, with over 60,000 registered users, Koolicar started car-sharing operations back in 2012 and claims it offers unique and innovative technology for peer-to-peer car rental in Europe. Based on a connected box that can be fitted on any typ

Intertraffic Amsterdam 2016 ended last week on an all time high, according to the organisers, who say that the variety of companies, presentations, innovations and record numbers through the doors all combined to create an exciting and interesting event. According to Intertraffic product manager Joyce de Winter, close to 800 companies from 47 countries exhibited and a record grand total of 30,104 visitors from 134 countries worldwide attended. 4,700 participants took part in the knowledge programme overa

The Australian Government has announced plans to invest in Australia’s infrastructure, spending US$370.27 million (AU$490 million) in Western Australia infrastructure in 2016-2017 and US$1.2 billion (AU$1.5 billion) on road and rail projects in Victoria. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull stated that the federal government and the Western Australia state government will work together to identify the appropriate projects for the additional investment. A spokeswoman for West Australian Premier Colin Barnett,

The Express Lanes in Alexandria, Virginia, has launched a new mobile app that offers customers convenient access to real-time Express Lanes data via mobiles devices. Using the free app, customers can access current toll prices, live traffic camera feeds, live travel advisory signs and important information on how to use the Express Lanes. Drivers who create a new account will be entered for a chance to win one month of free travel on the 495 and 95 Express Lanes. The app is available for download from

The US Consumer Watchdog has called on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to require a steering wheel, brake and accelerator so a human driver can take control of a self-driving robot car when necessary in the guidelines it is developing on automated vehicle technology. In comments for a NHTSA public meeting about automated vehicle technology, John M. Simpson, Consumer Watchdog's privacy project director, also listed ten questions he said the agency must ask Google about its self-

German transportation modelling specialist PTV Group is working with UK consultants Atkins on a project commissioned by the UK Department for Transport which looks to simulate the potential impacts connected and autonomous vehicles (CAVs) may have on traffic flow and capacity of the UK road network. The project uses PTV’s Vissim 8 software which enables users to create a virtual testing environment and simulate all modes of transport, illustrating their motion characteristics and mutual interaction. User