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The Hamburg Port Authority (HPA) in Germany and NXP Semiconductors have partnered on an intelligent traffic light for the port that they claim optimises the flow of truck traffic and guides drivers through the increasingly heavily used port more quickly and safely. The smartPORT traffic light was developed by the HPA in conjunction with its partners NXP, Siemens, Heusch/Boesefeldt and Hamburg Verkehrsanlagen. NXP supplied the solutions for the wireless communication, V2X and RFID, and ensures data pro

The Virginia Automated Corridors, a new initiative that its developers claim will revolutionise the development and deployment of automated vehicles, has been unveiled on more than 70 miles of interstates and arterial roads in the Northern Virginia region. The Corridors were established by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute in partnership with the Virginia Department of Transportation; the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles; Transurban; and Here, Nokia’s mapping business in support of the tran

Virginia Tech Transportation Institute announced a new initiative this week that designates more than 70 miles of roadways in the state that can be used by car makers to test automated vehicles in the field. Virginia Automated Corridors was established by Virginia Tech in partnership with the Virginia DOT, Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles, Transurban and HERE and includes I-66, I-495 and I-95 in addition to SR29 and SR50.

Q-Free subsidiary Intelight announced today it has named Michael Wieck (left) as its new CEO. Wieck most recently served as CTO of SWARCO Traffic Americas and brings a diverse ITS background that has spanned 20 years. “I’m extremely pleased to have Michael take on the role of leading the company. His competence and experience will improve our ability to capture an increasing proportion of a growing market,” said Intelight founder Craig Gardner (right) who will continue as president.

The Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) is soliciting proposals from private industry, entrepreneurs and innovators around the world to use I-70 between Kansas City and St. Louis as a testbed for their ITS solutions. Called Road to Tomorrow, the stretch of the interstate is being dubbed as the highway of the future and is being built at the birthplace of the U.S. Interstate System. Missouri was the first state to begin construction shortly after the 1956 bill was signed into law by President Dwi

NEMA, the National Electrical Manufacturers Association, announced an initiative to improve cyber security for infrastructure ITS during ITS America’s annual meeting and expo. The association is to draft standards for ITS-related cyber security covering products, subsystems, equipment, components and services used in vehicle transportation systems. In 2013, Presidential Policy Directive 21 identified transportation systems as one of 16 critical infrastructure sectors, and Executive Order 13636 requires a

The 2015 student essay winners were honored Tuesday morning during the ITS America Business Meeting. Chris Fitzpatrick from the University of Missouri wrote the winning essay about the potential of platooning autonomous commercial trucks with a single driver, saving fuel, improving safety and increasing lane capacity. Fitzpatrick’s winning essay ‘Enhancing Commercial Vehicle Safety and Emissions Reduction by the use of Vehicle-to-Vehicle Communication in Tractor-Trailer Platoons’ argues that the technolo

Following the huge success of ITS World Congress in Detroit last year, three spectacular world-class cities are scheduled to host this must-attend event for 2015-2017. 2015: Bordeaux, France: This Fall, the ITS World Congress will be held in Bordeaux, France, October 5-9. With the main theme ‘Towards Intelligent Mobility – Better Use of Space’, the Bordeaux Congress will focus on how achieving intelligent mobility will change our lives, and the benefi ts space can bring to ITS applications. The Congress act

A recently completed study shows that rumble strips are proving to be an effective and low-cost way to reduce crashes on Michigan's state highways. The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) started a major rumble strip program for two-lane high-speed rural highways in 2008. Centre-line and shoulder rumble strips were installed on all MDOT rural, non-freeway highways with posted speed limits of 55 mph and appropriate paved lane and shoulder widths. To date, 5,700 miles of centre-line rumble strips

UK manufacturer of CCTV transmission systems, AMG, has completed the supply of a range of hybrid transmission systems for P&D Specialist Services for the M1, M3, M60 and M62 motorways to ensure safe traffic flow during roadworks. A total of 329 cameras has been installed over 99 kilometres of the motorways, including a 35 kilometre stretch of the M60/M62 as part of the Manchester smart motorways scheme. A new project to introduce a stretch of managed motorway on a 23 kilometre section of the M1 betwe

President Obama has signed a two month extension of highway funding into law. The Highway and Transportation Funding Act of 2015 extends several aspects of infrastructure funding to the end of July. Obama has proposed a six-year transportation bill of US$478 billion which would increase funding in US roads, highways and transit systems and for the first time would provide dedicated funding for passenger rail, rail safety and a national freight program. Congress has so far been unable to reach agreement o

The European Commission will consider a legal challenge against Germany over the new road toll law, according to Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker. Critics argue that the toll discriminates against foreigners. The European Commission's President Jean-Claude Juncker said in an interview with Süddeutsche Zeitung that the planned German road toll did not appear to conform to EU rules prohibiting discrimination against foreigners. "The Commission, the guardian of the EU treaties, now has to explore

In a keynote speech in Leeds, UK Transport Patrick McLoughlin has confirmed high-speed rail and Northern Powerhouse are a priority. He said that boosting growth in the north, rebalancing the economy and creating a Northern Powerhouse were a vital part of the long-term economic plan and confirmed that work on High Speed 2 (HS2) is on track to start in 2017. Work is also well underway on developing plans for high-speed east-west rail links. He confirmed that US$18 billion government funding would be inv

TransCore partnered with New York City to complete a Transit Signal Priority (TSP) pilot program – a cost-effective citywide deployment to provide priority treatment for city buses and emergency responders. NYC saves millions by leveraging in-vehicle technology and its advanced traffic control system that manages over 12,800 intersections. In addition, TSP has reduced NYC Select Bus Service travel times from Staten Island to the Bronx up to 18.4%; average speeds improved up to 22.6%; and bus ridership incre

The need for sustainable surface transportation funding was debated at the Legislative Breakfast held on the first day of ITS America’s 2015 Annual Meeting & Expo. There was unanimity between congressmen Tim Murphy (R-PA), Bill Johnson (R-OH) and Keith Rothfus (R-PA) that the current two-month extension to MAP-21 of the Highway Trust Fund was highly unsatisfactory – indeed Johnson described the last few years as a string of “Band-Aid fixes”. All agreed that a long-term sustainable solution is required, alth