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Geneva rolls out PayByPhone across the city
July 3, 2015
Geneva has become the latest major city to roll out cashless mobile parking payments city-wide. The mobile payment service from parking payments systems supplier, PayByPhone, is now available in all spaces across the city. Drivers can pay for parking via the PayByPhone smartphone app. The deployment of PayByPhone across Geneva follows a successful year and a half pilot trial that saw the technology used in 500 spaces across the city. After positive feedback from drivers, Fondation des Parkings, the compa
Battery-powered train wins industry award for innovation
July 3, 2015
Rail technology leader Bombardier Transportation and its key industry partners were recognised at this year’s Railway Industry Innovation Awards, when the first battery-powered train to run on Britain’s rail network in more than half a century picked up the prize for best cross-industry project. Part of a cross-industry research programme supporting the Rail Technical Strategy, Network Rail developed the Independently Powered Electric Multiple Unit (IPEMU) in close partnership with Bombardier as well as
Contextually smart mobile services will be available to consumers
July 3, 2015
By the end of the year, contextually smart mobile services will be available to consumers and professional drivers as the Cosmos group of companies, comprising Cinia, Multiprint, Vediafi and Technical Research Centre of Finland (VTT), commercialise new smart mobile services that are currently being piloted. With the aid of vehicle sensor technology, mobile applications and background system logic, the group has developed innovative smart mobile services that will be available on the GoSmart smart mobile
Aurecon-Jacobs JV secures Melbourne metro contract
July 3, 2015
Melbourne Metro Rail Authority (MMRA) has appointed the Aurecon Jacobs Mott MacDonald (AJM) joint venture as the technical, planning and engagement advisor for the Melbourne Metro Rail Project in Victoria, Australia. The Melbourne Metro Rail Project unlocks critically needed capacity in Melbourne’s rail network and begins transforming the network into an international metro-style rail system. It includes two nine-kilometre rail tunnels from South Kensington to South Yarra as part of a new Sunbury to Cra
More Americans relying on toll roads, says report
July 3, 2015
A new report issued by the International Bridge, Tunnel and Turnpike Association (IBTTA) in advance of the busy Fourth of July holiday travel season indicates that as Americans take to the roads this summer they will more often choose toll roads to get them to their destinations than in years past. The report, 2015 Report on Tolling in the US, reveals that the number of trips drivers have taken on tolls roads has increased 14 per cent over the last four years, rising from 5 billion trips in 2011 to 5.7 b
Weigh-in-motion scales aid container terminal efficiency
July 3, 2015
Intercomp weigh-in-motion (WIM) scale systems have been installed for use in the lanes at the West Basin Container Terminal (WBCT) within the Port in Long Beach, California, to automate the weighing process and replacing the older static truck scales. Intercomp’s LS-WIM weigh-in-motion systems feature industry-leading strain gauge load cell technology, the same type used in static truck scales for increased accuracy, repeatability and fast response times. The small footprint of the scales compared to
Cheshire’s M6 to become smart motorway
July 2, 2015
Draft regulations to introduce variable mandatory speed limits as part of the planned smart motorway upgrade to 18 and a half miles of the M6 in Cheshire were published this week for consultation with key stakeholders. Highways England is planning to start construction work on the US$299 to US$427 million project between junction 16 at Crewe and junction 19 at Knutsford later this year. The hard shoulder will be converted into a permanent extra running lane and smart motorway technology installed to give
ZF TRW demonstrates semi-automated highway driving assist system
July 2, 2015
ZF TRW has demonstrated its semi-automated driving capabilities at a test track event in Berlin, Germany. The vehicle has a 'Highway Driving Assist feature which can enable automatic steering, braking and acceleration for highway speeds above 40 kph. The demonstration vehicle integrates ZF TRW's AC1000 radar and S-Cam 3 video camera sensor together with its electrically powered steering belt drive (EPS BD) and electronic stability control EBC 460 – the combination of adaptive cruise control (ACC) and lan
Bombardier to build new London Overground trains
July 2, 2015
Transport for London (TfL) has awarded Bombardier a contract to build a new fleet of trains which will see 45 new trains come into service from 2018. The new trains will operate on the Liverpool Street to Enfield Town, Cheshunt (via Seven Sisters) and Chingford routes and the routes between Barking and Gospel Oak and between Romford and Upminster. It will also enable London Overground to improve service frequencies on other routes. The trains will have similar features to the fleet that serves other
Nedap and Schweers partner on intelligent parking enforcement
July 2, 2015
In an effort to optimise the parking enforcement process, German supplier of handheld computers for parking enforcement Schweers has integrated Nedap’s Sensit wireless parking sensor with the Schweers Politess parking enforcement system. Sensit is an in-ground sensor, installed in a parking bay, which detects the occupancy of that bay in real time; when integrated with the Politess system, it enables enforcement of pay by space parking systems, enabling parking enforcement officers to quickly check the o
Denmark chooses Inrix real time traffic information
July 2, 2015
Denmark has become the first country in the world to rely on GPS probe data to monitor traffic and congestion on a national scale. The Danish Road Directorate has awarded Inrix the contract to provide real-time traffic information throughout the country, enabling it to monitor traffic flow and gridlock more effectively. The Danish Road Directorate has more than 10 years' experience of using GPS data to monitor traffic and believes that gathering real-time information from private and commercial vehicle
Siemens acquires UK enforcement provider Zenco Systems
July 2, 2015
Intelligent traffic systems supplier Siemens has acquired UK traffic enforcement organisation, Zenco Systems. The announcement underlines Siemens’ commitment to the growing traffic enforcement market and follows a number of successful joint technology projects between the two companies in the UK, including deployments in Manchester and London. Zenco Systems was founded in 2006 to provide local authorities with the ability to use CCTV video evidence to enforce traffic contraventions. Following the first d
Cooperative driving will become common by 2020, say researchers
July 1, 2015
The international Celtic Plus Co-operative Mobility Services of the Future (CoMoSeF) project which, involved the development of data exchange between vehicles and infrastructure, has just presented its findings. The resulting communication system provides drivers with real time information on road weather, road conditions and incidents. During the project a cooperative roadside weather monitoring station run by the Finnish Meteorological Institute relays the latest reports – and weather updates covering
Lacroix Group completes strategic expansion
July 1, 2015
French technology group Lacroix has recently made two strategic acquisitions, enabling it to expand its international presence, to develop in the smart cities sector and to capitalise on new growth areas. The acquisition of Spanish company DSTA enabled Lacroix to expand its offering in variable message signs, traffic signals and public transport information panels, making it more competitive while providing its customers with proven end-to-end technological solutions. By acquiring SOGEXI, the French s
Data analytics aids parking enforcement, urban mobility
July 1, 2015
A new cloud-enabled performance management system from Xerox uses data analytics to help parking managers better manage workloads, make smarter patrol decisions and create high-performance teams of civil enforcement officers. CitySight automates many manual processes by providing a logging mechanism that analyses the daily activities of civil enforcement officers (CEOs) such as time worked, patrols, public interaction, penalty charge notices and more. Supervisors can then use the insights gleaned from t