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After a successful trial, the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson MP, Transport for London (TfL), and Santander UK have announced that all 11,500 Santander Cycles will be fitted with Blaze Laserlights over time from early 2016. The project is largely funded by Santander UK as part of the partnership with TfL. The Blaze Laserlight projects the symbol of a bicycle shape six metres in front of the cycle, onto the ground, giving the cyclist a larger footprint on the road. This makes their presence known, alerts driv

The global ITS market is expected to reach US$38.68 billion by 2020, according to a new study by Grand View Research. Increasing demand for alleviating traffic congestion and growing need for enhancing existing transportation networks is expected to drive demand over the forecast period. Growing urban population and increased fund allotment by various governments across the globe is driving need for advanced transportation network. This is estimated to be fulfilled by proper use of wireless communication

Ptolemus Consulting Group has released the 2016 edition of its usage-based insurance global study by offering a free, 125-page abstract. Available to download today, the document reveals the key findings of the 1,000-page telematics insurance market analysis. With 230 active programmes and 12 million customers, usage-based insurance (UBI) is now a truly global phenomenon that reaches twice as many countries as two years ago. Ptolemus claims that by 2020, nearly 100 million vehicles globally will be in

Vehicles are electrifying at a breakneck speed and they are being completely reinvented with developments in many components and systems, according to a report by IDTechEx Research. Disruptive change and significant technological innovation is now being seen across all forms of electric vehicles for land, water and air. The fruits of all this are spectacular – from the vehicles themselves to over US$500 billion market opportunity that will be created by 2026. IDTechEx Research analyses and forecasts eve

Shift2Rail, the joint undertaking backed by the European Commission and the rail industry, has published its first calls for proposals, with funding of US$184 million to support innovation in railways. The Commission will contribute US$97 million, with the other US$86 million provided by the members of Shift2Rail. In order to receive funding, projects will have to demonstrate their ability to increase the quality, reliability and punctuality of rail services while cutting its costs and facilitating cros

Wabtec Corporation has signed contracts worth about US$45 million Metra and Parsons Transportation Group (PTG) to provide equipment and services for a Positive Train Control (PTC) system for the Northeast Illinois Regional Commuter Railroad Corporation (Metra). Metra operates commuter rail service in Chicago and its surrounding suburbs, serving more than 100 communities at 241 rail stations, with a fleet of 146 locomotives, 843 passenger cars and 185 electric-propelled cars. Under the contracts, Wa

Released in conjunction with Active Safety Europe Conference 2016 to be held in Munich from 17-18 May, TU Automotive’s report, The Future of Active Safety, What’s Happening Now? looks at the challenges and opportunities that advanced driver assistance systems face now and in the imminent future. The concise five-page report sums up insight from four industry experts including Frost & Sullivan, Denso, MIT and Axinn on how these challenges are being overcome today. They discuss the ‘here and now’ of ADA

Navigation and mapping specialist Here and vehicle tracking and fleet management company Navman Wireless have announced a partnership to build an advanced driver behaviour analytics application that helps improve safety for global fleet managers. Safety Analytics, an application within Navman Wireless' Director suite of fleet management software and services, enables fleet managers to measure how safely their drivers are performing on the road by monitoring their behaviour in real-time. The application c

Washington DC Mayor Muriel Bowser, in conjunction with the Department of Transportation (DDOT) the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) and other city officials, has releases the District’s Vision Zero Action Plan, which aims to eliminate fatalities and serious injuries to people walkers, cyclists and drivers by 2024. The Plan is the result of an extensive planning process involving 30 government agencies, community groups and residents. It places a high priority on making safety improvements and ref

SES America’s energy efficient M6000 series of dynamic messaging signs, which require no cooling or ventilation systems, has recently received full approval for application anywhere on the Georgia highway system. The M6000, available in both colour and amber, comes in assortment of sizes or if needed customisation is entirely viable. The amber signs can be supplied in either solar or mains power versions. The M6000 utilises web based software in conjunction with SESA’s SCUV6 dynamic message sign co

More than 30 years after winning its first contract for the Greater Cairo Metro, Thales has signed two contracts with the metro operator; the first is for an upgrade of the fare collection system for Lines 1 and 2 of the Egyptian capital’s rapid transit network and the second for a full integrated communications and supervision system for the Al Thawra extension on the line 3 (Phase 3). Thales will deploy its TransCity fare collection solution on Lines 1 and 2 of the Cairo Metro, replacing the equipment

A new textbook, Modelling Public Transport Passenger Flows in the Era of Intelligent Transport Systems, explains for the first time how the effect of ITS technologies on passenger behaviour in public transport can be modelled. The textbook is the result of four years of intensive research and exchange, the results of which were presented and discussed at the TransITS Conference at the end of May. Over 140 participants from research, public transport providers and associations, the software industry and l

The International Program Committee and ITS Australia is calling for volunteers to review submitted scientific, technical and commercial papers for the 23rd ITS World Congress 2016 in Melbourne. More information on the program topics and sub-themes can be found on the congress website.

The International Association of Public Transport, UITP, has welcomed the landmark climate agreement made in Paris at the weekend but reminds governments that more must be done to bridge the emissions gap. The agreement was made by 195 nations, with, for the first time, all nations committing to a common cause on climate action based on their historic, current and future responsibilities. According to UITP, despite the landmark deal, the promises given by countries to curb their emissions in the run-u

Continental is to show its electronic horizon (eHorizon) technology at CES on 6-9 January 2016 on public roads in Las Vegas, Nevada. The company will demonstrate with two use cases based on the latest generation of the technology, the dynamic eHorizon, how data from the cloud can predict the road ahead, ultimately reducing fuel consumption and making vehicles safer. Continental has used the static eHorizon in commercial vehicle market since 2012 and says it has demonstrated that this technology, which u