News

The preliminary programme of the 22nd ITS World Congress is now available online, with details of all sessions, speakers, social and associated events, as well as the 30-plus demonstr4ations which have been planned for the congress in Bordeaux.

Nagoya University has opened a research centre, bringing together academia, industry and government, with the aim of developing automated driving technologies as one of its first key projects. At the Nagoya University National Innovation Complex, researchers from the university’s schools of engineering, medicine, environmental studies and information science will work closely with their counterparts from six private companies, including Toyota Motor Corporation, Panasonic and Fujitsu.

Technology company Indra is to expand the ground segment of the European global positioning system, Galileo, in a contract worth US$8.2 million awarded by company Airbus Defence and Space in the UK, under a programme funded by the European Union. The contract includes a new telemetry, tracking and command (TT&C) station, together with maintenance and development of TT&C stations until 2016.

Gothenburg, Sweden, has launched the city’s first route for electric buses on bus route 55 using three completely electrically driven buses and seven electric hybrid buses, all from Volvo Buses. The buses are also equipped with onboard wi-fi and phone charging facilities.

US live traffic video aggregator TrafficLand is working with the City of Battle Creek, Michigan to host and distribute video from the city’s roadside traffic cameras. TrafficLand will provide live video from the Battle Creek cameras to its public information website and other services.

Ptolemus Consulting Group has released the 2015 edition of its electronic toll collection (ETC) Global Study 2015, which indicates that the average penetration of electronic tolling by revenue in Europe is set to increase from 71 per cent in 2015 to 86 per cent in 2025. The growth is lead by the increase use of road user charging schemes dedicated to trucks following the first steps made by Germany.

ITS America has applauded the announcement by US Senators Gary peters and Cory Gardner that they are forming a bipartisan Senate Smart Transportation Caucus to focus on advancing new innovation in transportation technologies that will improve safety and efficiency. The Smart Transportation Caucus will encourage the development and deployment of existing and next-generation technologies including connected and automated vehicle safety technologies, smart infrastructure, advanced traffic and freight managemen

An innovative ‘pothole alert’ research project could potentially save motorists billions of pounds in punctures, vehicle damage and road accidents every year, say researchers. Jaguar Land Rover is researching a new connected car technology that will allow a vehicle to identify the location and severity of potholes, broken drains and manhole covers, and then share this data in real-time via the cloud with other vehicles and with road authorities to help them prioritise repairs.

Three Danish cities have received over US$1.4 million to develop cycling infrastructure. Odense, Faaborg-Midtfyn and Middelfart received the funding from a national transport fund which aims to build bicycle infrastructure, strengthen rural public transport and increase the use of buses across Denmark.

The winners of the 2015 Global Public Transport Awards were announced yesterday evening at the 61st UITP World Congress & Exhibition in Milan, Italy. The International Association of Public Transport (UITP) Awards acknowledge ambitious and innovative mobility projects that contribute towards meeting the sector goal of doubling the market share of public transport by 2025.

The US Department of Transportation (USDOT) has developed a new fact sheet to encourage planning agencies to consider how their local transportation systems will function in a connected vehicle environment.

A survey conducted by the International Association of Public Transport (UITP) and network video supplier Axis Communications has revealed that operators worldwide are continuing to invest in leading edge security technology, with the majority interested in adopting more widespread use of real-time surveillance and advanced video analytics to better protect their passengers, equipment and installations.

Videotec’s new range of pan-tilt-zoon (PTZ) cameras, Ulisse Radical integrates full HD cameras, ½-inch CMOS sensor, and 1080p/60fps for daytime and night-time broadcast quality video and is suitable for surveillance of large outdoor areas, perimeters, border lines, harbors and airports, control of highways and military installations. High-performance lenses, 18x or 33x, up to 500mm, equipped with an advanced autofocus allow the user to quickly achieve and maintain automatic focus on a very distant subject,

Brazil's President Dilma Rousseff and her planning and finance ministers have announced US$64 billion expenditure in new infrastructure plans under the country's logistics investment program PIL. The largest investment has been earmarked for railways, including the country’s flagship project, the Brazil-Peru railway, which will connect the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, the Norte-Sul line and investment in existing concessions.