News

According to a new research report from analyst firm Berg Insight, the number of active fleet management systems deployed in commercial vehicle fleets in North America was 4.7 million in the fourth quarter of 2014. Growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 15.5 percent, this number is expected to reach 9.7 million by 2019. In Latin America, the number of active fleet management systems is expected to increase from 2.1 million in the fourth quarter of 2014, growing at a CAGR of 14.6 percent to re

The European Union Road Federation (ERF) has launched its position paper, Improved Signage for better Roads: An ERF Position Paper towards improving Traffic Signs in European Roads, which is aimed at a broad range of stakeholders and seeks to identify key actions that ERF and its members believe should be prioritised so that traffic signs can continue serving the needs of Europe’s road users. Vertical signage is an essential element not only of a modern and well-maintained road infrastructure, but also o

In the first project of the ‘digital A9 motorway test bed’ to show how vehicles on a motorway can share hazard information, Continental, Deutsche Telekom, Fraunhofer ESK and Nokia Networks have carried out a real-time demonstration of communication between vehicles via the Deutsche Telecom LTE cell network. The project, which aims to improve road safety and traffic management, involved upgrading Deutsche Telekom's existing LTE network at sections of the A9 motorway test bed with Nokia Networks’ mobile e

Spain’s highway agency and technology company Sistemas y Montajes Industriales are developing unmanned drones to monitor traffic on public highways and may have drones ready to come into operation from next year, according to Euroweekly News. Alberto de Laorden, the director of Sistems, was at the Seventh National Road Safety Congress in Valencia and confirmed that the prototype is on course to be ready by next year. Laorden spoke about the advantages of the aircraft at the Congress, “Much cheaper tha

D’Artagnan Consulting has been retained by California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) as the prime contractor to assist the Caltrans with formulation, design, management and implementation of the California Road Charge Pilot Program. A key element of the program is the California Road Charge Pilot Project, which will demonstrate and evaluate an operational road charge system with 5000 volunteer vehicles from summer 2016 to spring 2017.

The Australian Capital Territory (ACT) Government is to carry out a smart parking trial in part of Manuka starting in the first quarter of 2016. UK company Smart Parking will deliver the project using its SmartPark solution and construction is to begin in early November. A successful review of the pilot could then see further sensors installed across the rest of the city. The initial year long contract will see Smart Parking deploy 460 in-ground sensors which use infrared technology to detect when a park

UK start-up Cuvva intends to change the way we think about driving cars owned by other people, in the event of needing short term car insurance. Launched in October, Cuvva is a short term car insurance app that allows drivers to get fully covered any car in the UK for as little as an hour. The Cuvva app is available for iPhones operating iOS 8.1 and above. Once registered UK drivers aged between 21 and 65 years old can get fully covered for between one hour and twenty four hours, providing they have

New analysis from Frost & Sullivan, Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) Strategies for Driver Monitoring Systems in Europe, indicates that, as the loss of driver attention due to fatigue or drowsiness is a common cause of road accidents worldwide, there is a clear need for driver monitoring systems (DMSs) globally. DMSs can analyse driver behaviour or detect patterns tending towards micro-sleep to issue appropriate warnings and help revive the driver’s focus. Several original equipment manufacturers (O

Daktronics is to supply the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) New York City Transit with 630 digital rail platform displays, to be installed by the July 2017. The multi-coloured LED displays, part of the subway system's Public Address Customer Information System (PACIS), will feature next train arrival and destination information as well as graphical information. A text to speech function aids visually impaired transit riders with clear and easy to access messaging. According to Daktronics,

A UK enforcement expert and the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) have branded as ‘unhelpful’ the proposal by Olly Martins, Police Commissioner for Bedfordshire to use money from speed camera fines to fill a shortfall in police funding. Martins told the Home Affairs Select Committee that the force was ‘stretched to the limit’ and said, "We’ve extensively lobbied the Home Office for fair funding but they haven’t listened and the Chancellor's spending review at the end of the month means we face more c

A new report from P and S Market Research indicates that the global intelligent transportation systems (ITS) market is expected to increase from US$18,210.2 million in 2014 and reach $38,013.2 million in 2020, with a CAGR of 13.1 per cent during 2015-2020. The global market is mainly driven by increasing traffic congestion. As the traffic congestion is increasing, people are facing more problems. Traffic congestion wastes time of passengers and leads to delay in reaching the workplace. The most effective

Asian cities dominate the ranking of the world’s biggest and busiest metro systems, according to a new report from UITP, the International Association of Public Transport. The report, World Metro Figures, is a comprehensive study on the current state of the world’s metro networks and highlights potential future developments. The report shows that in 2014, 156 cities around the world had a metro system in operation, nearly two thirds of which were in Asia and Europe. The world’s busiest metro networ

GE and Deutsche Bahn Energie (DB Energie) are partnering to optimise Deutsche Bahn’s rail network’s power supply. Working with DB Energie, GE Energy Management will provide the technology and expertise that will couple energy fed from the utility grid to the rail grid, ensuring a more efficient and constant power supply. The solution ensures efficient power conversion and high power quality, optimising rail system operations. Scheduled for delivery between 2017 and 2018, the converter station built by G

Motorists are now more worried about the dangers of distraction posed by technology and social media than drink-driving, according to the Institute of Advanced Motorist’s (IAM) first major survey into safety culture. The Safety Culture Index report was launched today by the IAM, and is a study of more than 2,000 UK motorists’ attitudes to driving safety and behaviour on our roads. IAM claims it will form a definitive baseline to track changes over time, providing the opportunity to examine how attitudes

The European Commission is taking further action to stimulate investment in Europe by launching the second call for proposals of the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) with more than US$8.2 billion to finance key transport projects. US$7 billion is earmarked for projects in member states eligible for the EU Cohesion Fund, in order to better integrate these countries into the internal market. Along with the Investment Plan presented by the Commission in November 2014, and in particular the new European Fund