News

Responding to proposed changes to penalties on drivers using a hand-held mobile phone, the Freight Transport Association (FTA) has said that better enforcement is needed before penalties are increased. After consulting with members at its Road Freight Council Meeting in London yesterday, the FTA stated that the use of modern technology and cameras should be able to enable authorities to improve enforcement and provide evidence against those breaking the law. The recently launched consultation proc

LG CNS, the system integration division of LG, is to provide its fleet management system (FMS) solution for Malaysia’s mass rapid transit (MRT) system for a project to establish a feeder bus system throughout the 31 MRT stations in Kuala Lumpur and streamline the city’s transportation flow. The US$10 billion contract also includes smart cards, automated payment systems and a central control centre solution. The feeder bus complements urban rapid buses covering longer distances and offers mobility within

New plans to improve safety and transform one of the busiest parts of London have been published by Transport for London (TfL) and Islington Council. A consultation is now underway on plans for Highbury Corner, which would see the western side of the roundabout completely removed and replaced by a major new public space. Removing the western side of the roundabout would allow a two-way traffic system to be introduced with improved pedestrian crossings. It would also allow new segregated lanes for cyclis

President Obama is to propose a US$10 a barrel tax on crude oil to fund the overhaul of the US transportation infrastructure. White House officials say the president’s 21st Century Clean Transportation System, funded by a new fee paid by oil companies would increase American investments in clean transportation infrastructure by roughly 50 per cent while reforming the investments already made to help reduce carbon pollution, cut oil consumption and create new jobs. They say the new fee on oil will also en

According to the latest research by Research and Markets, the global intelligent transportation systems (ITS) market is poised to grow at CAGR of over 10 per cent during 2015-2020. The report, Global Intelligent Transportation Systems Market by System, by Application and Competition Forecast and Opportunities, 2010-2020, says that, with the market being too fragmented, a large number of players are engaged in offering ITS solutions across the globe.

The Call for Papers for the 2016 TS European Congress that has been very successful, say the organisers, with over 300 papers and more than 60 special interest session proposals around the five main topics. For those planning to exhibit or visit the congress, the organising team has arranged a special open day on 17 February to provide more information on the exhibition facilities, opportunities for sponsors and exhibitors and the congress format.

Renault and Connected Energy are partnering to develop sustainable and efficient ways of using electric vehicle batteries at the end of their useable in-vehicle life in order to supply innovative and more affordable electric vehicle (EV) charging solutions. At the end of their useful in-vehicle life, Renault EV batteries still have considerable remaining capacity, which means that they can continue to give great service in other applications before they are ultimately recycled. Through its E-STOR te

The numbers of people killed and seriously injured on British roads as a result of drink driving have remained largely static for the last five years, according to the latest government figures. The figures show that between 210 and 270 people were killed in accidents in Britain where at least one driver was over the drink-drive limit, with a central estimate of 240 deaths; unchanged since 2010. The number of seriously injured casualties in drink-drive accidents fell by per cent from 1,100 in 2013 to

The first stage of Canberra’s light rail network will be constructed by the Canberra Metro consortium, comprising of Pacific Partnerships, CPB Contractors, John Holland, Mitsubishi Corporation, Aberdeen Infrastructure Investments, Deutsche Bahn International and CAF. Between them they will deliver on 12km of light rail track, 13 stops, 14 light rail vehicles, a depot and 20 years of operation and maintenance. Canberra Metro will construct and operate stage one of Canberra’s light rail from Gungahlin

The UK government has selected the Flourish consortium as a winner of its multi-million pound research grant to fuel development in user-centric autonomous vehicle technology and connected transport systems. The new programme, co-funded by the UK’s innovation agency, Innovate UK, will focus on the core themes of connectivity, autonomy and customer interaction. The three-year project, led by Atkins and worth US$8 million, seeks to develop products and services that maximise the benefits of connected and

According to a new market research report from MarketsandMarkets, the traffic management system market is expected to grow from US$4.12 billion in 2015 to US$17.64 billion by 2020, at a compound annual growth rate of 33.8 per cent during the period. The report, Traffic Management Market by Solutions (ELV, Full Pedestrian, Led Signals & Retrofit Solutions, Intersection Controllers Parking Space and Toll Management), Detection (AGPVD, Loop Detection, CCTV and ANPR), & by Region - Global forecast to 2020, s

According to a December 2015 report from American Association of State Highway and Transportation officials, converting from high occupancy vehicle (HOV) to Express Lanes (HOT) benefits transit. Across the US, transit ridership and speeds increase when HOV goes HOT. Data from major cities that converted to Express Lanes show positive results, such as Miami, where 53 per cent of passengers said tolling affected their decision to use transit. Average bus travel increased from 18 to 55 mph on the I-95 E

Calls for the demise of white lines on the UK road network are misplaced, misleading and could be fatally flawed, according to the Road Safety Markings Association (RSMA). The Association hit back over claims that erasing markings from busy roads has the effect of slowing motorists down, and allowing driver and pedestrian ‘to make eye contact’ to establish right of way. The idea follows ‘shared space’ schemes where physical boundaries such as kerbstones and railings between the carriageway and footpat

Now that the European Parliament voted to approve legislation to measure real driving emissions (RDE), FIA Region 1 has called for swift implementation and strengthened targets to restore consumer and decision-maker trust. RDE seeks to complement laboratory tests and check whether announced NOx emissions levels are confirmed in real driving conditions. However, the package includes a conformity factor of 2.1 whereby on-road vehicles would be allowed to emit more than twice the official limit from 2017 to

PTV is to provide its modelling software PTV Visum and associated professional services as part of the task to develop the European TRIMODE project, a comprehensive multimodal transport model that covers in detail all freight and passenger transport movements across Europe. The project also includes the economic structures that generate this transport demand and the energy and environmental impacts that it creates. TRIMODE is intended to become a robust, fully operational and integrated modelling system