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Registration for the ITS European Congress in Glasgow, Scotland on 6-9 June 2016 is officially open! Early bird registration rates are available until 18 April. Over 2,5000 ITS professionals are expected to attend the event which has an extensive programme this year, including the Mayor’s Summit on Wednesday 8 June and a Gala Evening at Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum on Wednesday 8 June. In addition, there are more than 100 sessions around the five Congress topics, a student programme, technical vis

In an effort to reduce the number of accidents caused by slippery road conditions, Swedish companies Nira Dynamics and Infocar Training have equipped a fleet of 80 vehicles with software for detecting road surface conditions in real-time. Road surface information (RSI), developed by Nira, continuously monitors the quality and tyre grip level of the road surface, without stereo cameras, adaptive suspension or other expensive sensors. Using sensor fusion based algorithms, RSI determines the level of road r

The European Commission has revealed the finalists for the European Mobility Week Award 2015, which recognises excellence in sustainable mobility, and the award for sustainable urban mobility planning which aims to promote the adoption of Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans (SUMPs) across Europe. Both awards will be presented by Transport Commissioner Violeta Bulc and Environment Commissioner Karmenu Vella at a ceremony on 20 April in Brussels, Belgium. Of the 53 applications from 19 countries, Lisbon, M

Early next month six European truck manufacturers will bring platoons of semi-automated trucks to public roads, crossing borders from various European cities in order to reach their final destination of the Port of Rotterdam on 6 April. The overall objective of this European Truck Platooning Challenge is to accelerate the introduction of truck platoons by putting the subject high on the agenda of EU policy makers. The Platooning Challenge, organised by the Netherlands as part of its ongoing EU Presidency

Driverless cars are disrupting the automotive industry and supply chain, propelling car sharing forward as the ultimate, mainstream transportation mode. This new car sharing economy is already well in motion, and with it continuing to ramp up, ABI Research, the leader in transformative technology innovation market intelligence, forecasts that 400 million people will rely on robotic car sharing by 2030. "The new car sharing economy happens in three phases: street rental service, ride sharing service, and

The Inrix Traffic Scorecard 2015, which measures progress in improving urban mobility, reveals strong economic growth and record population levels resulting in London becoming the first city to surpass 100 hours wasted per driver in gridlock. The report analysed traffic congestion in more than 100 cities worldwide. London topped the list, with drivers wasting an average of 101 hours, or more than four days, in gridlock in 2015. Across the UK, drivers spent 30 hours on average in delays last year, consist

While the European public transport community is preparing for electric buses and standardisation activities have already begun, with European standards expected to come into place 2019, followed by international standards in 2020, many cities are already implementing electric bus systems. In order to meet their needs, European bus manufacturers Irizar, Solaris, VDL and Volvo have agreed with charging system suppliers ABB, Heliox and Siemens to an open, transparent and voluntary approach. Common preferre

After what he called an ‘overwhelming response’, US Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx has announced seven finalists for the US Department of Transportation’s (USDOT) Smart City Challenge. The USDOT has pledged up to US$40 million to one city to help it define what it means to be a Smart City and become the country’s first city to fully integrate innovative technologies – self-driving cars, connected vehicles, and smart sensors – into their transportation network. The finalists are: Austin, Texas;

Ford Motor Company is investing in expanding its smart mobility development with the establishment of a new subsidiary, Ford Smart Mobility, which the company says is designed to compete like a startup company. Ford Smart Mobility will design and build mobility services on its own and collaborate with start-ups and tech companies. The subsidiary is part of Ford’s expanded business model to be both an auto and a mobility company. The company is continuing to focus on and investing in its core business – d

General Motors (GM) is to acquire Cruise Automation to add Cruise’s software expertise and rapid development capability to further accelerate GM’s development of autonomous vehicle technology. GM intends intend to invest significantly to further grow the talent base and capabilities already established by the Cruise team. The acquisition is GM’s latest step toward its goal of redefining the future of personal mobility. Since the beginning of the year, GM has entered into a strategic alliance with ride-sh

Slovakian government officials have finalised an agreement with JumpStartFund's Hyperloop Transportation Technologies (HTT) to explore building a local Hyperloop system, with the aim of creating future routes connecting Bratislava with Vienna, Austria and Budapest, Hungary. According to HTT, a Bratislava to Vienna route could take about eight minutes at Hyperloop's full speed; a Bratislava to Budapest route just 10 minutes. A route between Bratislava and Kosice a distance of 400 kilometres (250 miles)

The recent accident in California involving a Google autonomous car and a bus “was not a surprise,” according to US transportation secretary Anthony Foxx. No one was hurt in the accident, which happened when Google’s Lexus RX-450H tried to avoid some sandbags placed around a storm drain and blocking its path; the car’s computer was said to be at fault. Speaking at the South by Southwest Interactive festival in Austin, Texas, Secretary Foxx told the BBC: “It's not a surprise that at some point there wo

Slovenia’s motorway management company Družba za Avtoceste v Republiki Sloveniji (DARS) has awarded a consortium of Q-Free and Telekom Slovenije the contract to deliver a nationwide truck tolling system for the country. Q-Free will provide the system delivery, including the enforcement back office, toll tags, service and maintenance for the US$111 million contract. Communications services provider Telekom Slovenije is a leading partner in the consortium and provides mobile and fixed communication se

Slovenia’s motorway management company Družba za Avtoceste v Republiki Sloveniji (DARS) has awarded a consortium of Q-Free and Telekom Slovenije the contract to deliver a nationwide truck tolling system for the country. Q-Free will provide the system delivery, including the enforcement back office, toll tags, service and maintenance for the US$111 million contract. Communications services provider Telekom Slovenije is a leading partner in the consortium and provides mobile and fixed communication se

Toyota Research Institute (TRI), which is developing which is artificial intelligence and autonomous vehicles, has hired the software engineering team of Massachusetts-based Jaybridge Robotics, which has focused on reliable automation of industrial vehicles, working with partners across a range of industrial applications including agriculture, mining, marine, and rail. The former Jaybridge team has joined TRI's Cambridge, Massachusetts, facility. Like everyone else at TRI, they will be working closely wi