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October 30, 2015
MEPs discuss guidelines for drone use and safety
As commercial services using drones take off and their recreational use becomes ever more popular, it must be ensured that they pose no threat to public safety or personal privacy, said MEPs in a resolution passed on Thursday on the initiative of the EP transport committee. Drones, which could be used to provide various services, such as inspecting rail tracks, dams, and power plants, assessing natural disasters, crop spraying, film production and parcel delivery have great potential for stimulating economi
October 30, 2015
Upcoming Flir traffic webinars
Flir Traficon Academy is organising several informative webinars for November, to provide participants with more about keeping traffic flowing. The vehicle and bicycle presence detector on 5 November at 7:00am, 1:30pm and 6:30pm will discuss the Flir ThermiCam/TrafiSense integrated thermal camera and detector that can be used for vehicle and bike detection, which uses thermal energy emitted from vehicles and bicyclists to detect their presence
October 30, 2015
Increase in EU alternative fuel vehicle registrations
Total alternative fuel vehicle (AFV) registrations in the EU in the third quarter of 2015 increased by 13.4 per cent, reaching 127,661 units. Of these, electric vehicle (EV) registrations showed a substantial increase of 62.2 per cent, rising from 17,488 units in the third quarter of 2014 to 28,360 units in the third quarter of 2015.
October 30, 2015
German company scoops Turkish order for train safety systems
Turkish train manufacturer Durmazlar has ordered 60 train monitoring and control systems from German supplier BBR for the expansion of the metro system in Bursa. BBR will supply its multi-function PZB222 safety systems for 60 new and ten old vehicles to monitor speed and control the train: if a train passes a stop signal or exceeds the permitted speed limit, an automatic braking system is triggered, taking into account safety specifications relating to its position on the track. Coupling coils on the tra
October 30, 2015
An analysis of real-world crashes involving self-driving vehicles
A study by the University of Michigan performed a preliminary analysis of the cumulative on-road safety record of self-driving vehicles for three of the ten companies that are currently approved for such vehicle testing in California (Google, Delphi, and Audi). The analysis compared the safety record of these vehicles with the safety record of all conventional vehicles in the US for 2013 (adjusted for underreporting of crashes that do not involve a fatality).
October 30, 2015
2020 City project ends with over 30 technological solutions for smart cities
2020 City, the main Spanish smart-city R&D&i project has now ended after four years’ work, with the development and testing of 33 experimental assets that will be incorporated into the offerings of the nine participating companies. The initiative, led by Indra, has pioneered the launch of new concepts that are now in common use, such as the urban platform and ‘citizen sensor.
October 30, 2015
TfL awards cycling grants
Transport for London (TfL) has awarded grants of up to US£15,300 to 31 community groups and not-for-profit organisations to help encourage more people to cycle, as part of Cycling Grants London (CGL). CGL is a new programme funded by TfL and managed by the environmental regeneration charity, Groundwork, to offer funding to community groups for cycling projects. Community groups from across London will use the funding to promote pedal power through initiatives such as cycle training, bike maintenance and gui
October 30, 2015
Adding the personal touch to public transport information
Newcastle, England-based developer and manufacturer of advanced touch screen solutions, Zytronic, is to provide hundreds of state of the art 46-inch Zybrid touch sensors for use in bus shelters all over Seoul, South Korea.
October 30, 2015
ITS America applauds latest TIGER grants
US Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx has announced US$500 million in TIGER (Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery) 2015 grants for 39 transportation projects in 34 states, some projects spanning several states. In selecting projects, Foxx prioritised the extent to which the proposed project strengthens access to opportunities through transportation improvements.
October 29, 2015
Speed up pace of infrastructure action, say two thirds of businesses
The majority of businesses (62 per cent) are concerned with the pace of progress on the delivery of infrastructure projects, and over half (53 per cent) believe they won’t see necessary upgrades in the next five years, according to the 2015 CBI/AECOM Infrastructure Survey. With 94 per cent of the 722 firms surveyed saying the quality of infrastructure is a key deciding factor in planning their investments, CBI/AECOM believe there is clear consensus on the need to speed up the delivery of projects crucia
October 29, 2015
USDOT releases new fact sheet on connected vehicle safety applications
The U.S. Department of Transportation's Intelligent Transportation Systems Joint Program Office (ITS JPO) has published a new fact sheet, Connected Vehicle Applications: Safety. This fact sheet includes a brief description of the connected vehicle safety applications that are currently in development or under consideration. The ITS JPO's connected vehicle research aims to tackle some of the biggest safety, mobility, and environmental challenges in the surface transportation industry. Connected vehicle saf
October 29, 2015
AAR commends Congress on positive train control extension
Association of American Railroads (AAR) president and CEO, Edward R. Hamberger applauded the bipartisan votes by lawmakers in the House and Senate to extend the deadline for Positive Train Control (PTC). "Members of the House and Senate are to be commended for taking the responsible action to extend the PTC deadline. This provides the certainty American industries and businesses need to serve the millions of Americans who rely on rail every day," said Hamberger. "The extension means freight and passenger
October 29, 2015
Support for speed cameras remains high – but some drivers need convincing
A national survey by the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) has shown that although most drivers support speed cameras there are big variations across the country – and Londoners and people in the north-east appear to show higher levels of resistance than most. The survey polled 1,000 drivers of all age groups across Britain and asked “It is now common for the authorities to use speed cameras at the side of the road to identify vehicles involved in speeding offences. How acceptable do you think this i
October 29, 2015
Irish county council upgrades to LED streetlights
After evaluating traditional lighting technology already adopted in past projects, such as induction, the County Laois Council chose Cree LED luminaires to upgrade the street-lighting in parts of Portlaoise, one of Ireland’s fastest growing modern towns. Their decision was driven by the long life of the products and by the minimum maintenance costs. Developed by international lighting specialist Cree, the project uses the company’s XSP Series luminaires, which Cree says are an excellent alternative to
October 28, 2015
Phase 1 of New Zealand’s first fast-charging network goes live
The first Veefil fast charger for electric vehicles (EV) to be installed in New Zealand, designed and manufactured by Australian company Tritium, will be operational for public use from 30 October. Located in the town of Kaiwaka, situated between Auckland and Northland, this represents the launch of Phase 1 of a three-year project by ChargeNet to create the country’s first fast-charging network. Installed in the car parking area of a supermarket, the Veefil represents the start of a long-held vision by