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A growing number of US state departments of transportation are leveraging innovative drone technology to creatively improve safety, reduce traffic congestion and save money. According to a March 2016 survey by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), 33 state departments of transportation have or are exploring, researching, testing or using unmanned aerial vehicles, commonly referred to as drones, to inspect bridges and assist with clearing vehicle crashes, among othe

A coalition of New York State Assembly Members has unveiled legislation that they say will not only fund Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) capital needs but will create a US$4.5 billion Transit Gap Investment Fund (TGIF) to expand public transit and improve accessibility for millions of New Yorkers, particularly those who live in so-called ‘transit deserts’. Introduced by Assembly Member Robert J. Rodriguez, chair of the subcommittee on infrastructure, and joined by 14 co-sponsors from across t

Kapsch TrafficCom subsidiary Kapsch TrafficCom Australia is to replace the existing road tolling systems for Sydney Harbour Bridge and Sydney Harbour Tunnel operated by the New South Wales Roads and Maritime Services (RMS). The contract, worth more than US$112 million (€10 million), comprises supply of a new tolling system, as well as maintenance and support for five years. The new tolling solution is expected to be operating by early 2017. Kapsch will deliver its latest tolling technology based on th

Live traffic video integrator TrafficLand is to provide live video from its network of public traffic cameras to the Weather Channel’s new Local Now service. Local Now, launched in January on Sling TV, offers real-time, local updates on weather, traffic and news content to streaming content services. Under the agreement, Local Now can show live TrafficLand network video from over 250 US and Canadian markets, providing ground level video verification from up to six locations in each market. The Local

Clean diesel grants aimed at cleaning up old diesel engines have greatly improved public health by cutting harmful pollution that causes premature deaths, asthma attacks and missed school and workdays, according to a new report by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Since its start in 2008, the Diesel Emission Reduction Act (DERA) program has significantly improved air quality for communities across the country by retrofitting and replacing older diesel engines. Diesel exhaust significantly con

Hexagon’s dispatch and mobile software to support national system aiding millions of drivers A consortium of Australian motoring clubs serving 2.8 million customers has selected US-based Hexagon Safety & Infrastructure to provide a cloud-based platform for roadside assistance for its Common Australian Roadside Assistance System (CARS) program. Comprising the Royal Automobile Clubs of Queensland, Western Australia and South Australia, the Australian Club Consortium (ACC) was formed to promote inter-clu

City of York Council is to introduce thermal imaging technology on key cycle routes in York to help reduce the time spent at traffic signals, improve journey reliability and cycle safety. The city is set to become one of the first councils in the country to start using the technology which will accurately detect cyclists at signals by their ‘heat signature’, allowing the signals to react accordingly and be adjusted to give more ‘green time’ for cyclists. The thermal technology was first introduced by

Stroud District Council in the UK has upgraded its town centre parking with the installation of 32 multi-service, colour screen Parkeon StradaPAL parking terminals. The solar powered machines feature a 7-inchcolour display screen which offers the functionality to enhance the parking solution into a multi-purpose sales and information channel with a ready-made connection to the Parkeon cloud. Nine of the new terminals accept multiple payments, including contactless, with the remainder being coin-only with

According to Sveriges Radio, the charging stations on Norway’s Green Highway between Sundsvall and Storlien charged over 20,000 cars in 2015. Most of the charges were made in Åretrakten, in central Sundsvall and in the area of trade Birsta. The Green Highway is a joint project by Sundsvall, Östersund and Trondheim municipalities to develop a fossil-free transport corridor. In total there are over 170 electric charging stations along the highway, a number that is growing steadily each year as the numbe

Sweden’s two kilometre-long Elväg Gävle electric road test track, which runs along the E16 between Sandviken and Kungsgården, is to begin operation in June 2016, according to Processnet. The project is managed by the Regional Development Council of Gävleborg (Region Gavleborg), which is financing it in partnership with the Swedish Transport Administration, Trafikverket, the Swedish Energy Agency, Swedish government agency for research and development Vinnova, Scania and Siemens. Other partners include st

US-based B&C Transit has completed a state-of-the-art modernisation of Miami-Dade Transit's (MDT) Metrorail control system to enable MDT to streamline day-to-day operations and improve reliability of the system, while using fully customisable and long-term design solutions. B&C's Nucleus control system software was implemented to provide a single interface to view and control train control, SCADA, traction power, public address, variable message signs, scheduling, elevators, escalators, and other facilit

The Thales Innovation in Hong Kong and its partner the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) has been awarded a collaborative R&D project by the Hong Kong Innovation and Technology Commission to develop a big data platform with state-of-the-art technology. This will be used to prototype smart transportation applications, enabling current transportation challenges to be addressed: near real time crowd monitoring, predictive maintenance, etc. The Thales Innovation Hub aims to examine the c

Siemens, as a member of the Tampa-Hillsborough Expressway Authority (THEA) team, has been chosen by the US Department of Transportation (USDOT) to provide vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) technology for a new connected vehicle pilot project. Siemens V2I technology will enable vehicles and pedestrians to communicate with traffic infrastructure like intersections and traffic lights in real-time to reduce congestion specifically during peak rush hour in downtown Tampa. The technology will also help improve s

Essener Verkehrs (EVAG) is to pilot Cubic Transportation Systems’ (CTS) NextAgent virtual ticketing solution with its regional commuters at the central station in Essen, Germany. NextAgent delivers the functionality of a staffed ticket office, including vending a comprehensive range of media such as smart cards, magnetic tickets, paper barcodes, e-ticketing and mobile ticketing. NextAgent’s integrated camera and document scanning enables photos and other personal documents to be verified. Live video lets cu

The European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) has announced the publication of the complete set of updated oneM2M Release 1 specifications, the global standards initiative for machine-to-machine (M2M) and the Internet of Things (IoT). Each oneM2M partner standards body publishes the complete set of oneM2M specifications as its own local specifications, ensuring there is one global set of specifications, recognised in each region. ETSI says these specifications show a development that promise