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The Maryland Police Department, MPD, has been presented with a Homeland Security Award as a result of their partnership with video surveillance solutions provider Hikvision. Presented by Government Security News, the award was given to MPD in the Most Notable Law Enforcement Interdiction, Arrest, Counterterrorism or Crime Prevention Program category. MPD’s use of video surveillance to protect the city of Memphis includes nearly 600 Hikvision cameras, many of which have smart features such as line cro

UK transport consultancy, the Transport Research Laboratory (TRL), has launched the UK Smart Mobility Living Lab @ Greenwich; a real-life environment where connected and automated vehicles (CAVs), services and processes can be safely developed, evaluated and integrated within the local community. Based in the Royal Borough of Greenwich, London and supported by UK government, the UK Smart Mobility Living Lab @ Greenwich helps organisations bring solutions to market faster by enabling them to be trialled a

According to the US Department of Transportation's recently-released 2015 National Bridge Inventory database, there were 2,574 fewer structurally deficient bridges in 2015 compared to the number in 2014. However, there are still 58,500 on the structurally deficient list and at the current pace of bridge investment it would take at least 21 years before they were all replaced or upgraded. The American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA), which conducts an annual review of state bridge da

The majority of older drivers want to continue driving as long as they are safely able, according to a survey commissioned by the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM), citing independence and convenience as the main reasons. The report, Keeping Older Drivers Safe and Mobile, surveyed more than 2,600 drivers and ex-drivers between the ages of 55 and 101 and was written by Dr Carol Hawley from the University of Warwick Medical School. Although the report found 84 per cent of driver respondents rated th

According to a report by UITP (the International Association of Public Transport), poor air quality, physical inactivity and road traffic injuries are causing an increase in health problems, although it says there is an obvious solution at hand: active transport. Insufficient physical activity has been identified by the World Health Organisation as the fourth leading risk factor for global mortality. Due to our sedentary lifestyles, obesity, heart disease, strokes and certain cancers and diabetes are o

Machine vision specialist Teledyne Dalsa has extended its Genie Nano series of affordable, easy-to-use GigE Vision cameras with new colour monochrome and NIR models featuring ON Semiconductor’s 2 and 5 megapixel Python image sensors for fast, high resolution vision across a wide range of applications. Featuring a small size and wide temperature range, the six new models, the M1930, C1930, M1930-NIR, M2590, C2590, and M2590-NIR are built around On-Semiconductor’s Python 2000 and 5000 monochrome and colou

The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) today called on state departments of transportation to verify that railroad crossing warning systems interconnected to traffic signals function properly to verify that the traffic signals and crossing lights are properly sequenced and enough time is provided for traffic to clear from a nearby intersection before a train enters a crossing. The agency also urged states to add event recorders to traffic signals connected to railroad crossing systems so information o

The American Public Transportation Association (APTA) and the NFC Forum have signed a formal Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that will enable the two organisations to jointly educate the industry on near field communication (NFC) technologies supporting the needs of public transportation operators. The use of NFC for public transit ticketing is growing. Recently, New York State announced a plan to support NFC payments for the 11-million-user Metropolitan Transportation Authority, and the UK Cards Asso

Drawing more than 200 professionals from intelligent transport systems (ITS) and related disciplines, ITS Australia recently hosted the first in a series of ITS showcase events in Melbourne. Focusing on automated vehicles and cooperative ITS, the event was setting the stage for what’s to come as Melbourne prepares to host the 23rd ITS World Congress later this year. Keynote speakers from USA, UK and Europe shared insights about global technology that is changing the way we use and develop transport techn

Industry insight from Steer Davies Gleave notes that increases in oil production and lower projected global demand growth for crude oil have contributed to declines in fuel prices, beginning in June 2014 and falling 70 per cent to the lowest point in January 2016. However, the impact of changing fuel prices is not uniform across transportation modes. For instance, in India, retail fuel prices have declined by only 20-25 per cent as a result of the central government increasing the excise duties to shore

The Kansas Turnpike Authority (KTA) has entered into an agreement to be part of a hub system that will allow for compatibility between the multiple agencies in Texas and the Oklahoma and Kansas turnpike authorities, beginning in 2017. This partnership will allow travellers to use one electronic transponder to pay for tolls in the Midwest. Although the agreement has been signed by KTA, there is still much to be done before the electronic tolling systems can all work together, including the back-office

The London Borough of Barnet has awarded OpenView Security Solutions a contract to supply and maintain CCTV cameras and software for the unattended enforcement of moving traffic contraventions. The Videalert-based platform will initially be used to enforce a range of moving traffic contraventions at more than 20 locations as well as being deployed outside 32 schools to increase road safety for children across the borough. Chairman of Barnet Council’s Environment Committee, Dean Cohen, said: “The int

The International Bridge, Tunnel and Turnpike Association (IBTTA) applauds a new Congressional Budget Office (CBO) report, Approaches to Making Federal Highway Spending More Productive, which examines the economic advantages of tolling as one means of funding the nation’s highway system.

Reforms are set to make bus travel in the UK more passenger-friendly and give councils more freedom to improve services. Roads Minister Andrew Jones said reforms will help deliver better journeys across the country, as he delivered a keynote speech at the UK Bus Summit. Under the changes in the Buses Bill, councils will be given the choice to franchise services and enter into new partnerships with providers. All companies will have to share information about routes, fares and timetables, paving the

The widespread adoption of autonomous vehicles could bring billions of pounds to the UK economy and save hundreds of lives, according to a new report by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, which is calling for urgent Government and industry action to encourage the greater use of autonomous and driverless vehicles. It also calls for urgent resolution of legislative, technological and insurance issues to help encourage the rollout of autonomous or driverless vehicles. Philippa Oldham, head of transpor