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As smart motorways reach their first birthday in the UK this week, the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) has expressed concern that widespread confusion still exists amongst motorway users on how best to use them. Smart motorways were officially introduced this time last year to replace Managed Motorways as the solution to the nation’s congested motorways but concerns have been raised over their safety. England’s first all-lane running motorway, i.e. without a hard shoulder, opened on the 2.5 km

International Road Dynamics showed solid growth for the three months ended 28 February, with revenue up 3.6 per cent in key geographic markets and product segments. The company’s gross margin continues to strengthen, up 11.6 per cent from last year's first quarter, rising to 30.6 per cent of revenues from 28.4 per cent last year. It reports a stable financial position with working capital rising to US$7.7 million and forecasts continued growth through the balance of fiscal 2015. "Following solid growth

Autonomous vehicles will enter mass production by 2020 as more and more major auto makers in recent years have committed to their R&D, according to Topology, a division of TrendForce. Furthermore, the scale of the market will likely surpass a million vehicle mark by 2035. Eric Chang, analyst for Topology, stated the future development of autonomous vehicles will depend on the following technologies: sensors for reading biological data inside vehicle and environmental data outside; communication technology;

The metropolitan region government of Chile, which includes capital Santiago, expects to award tenders worth a total of US$1.6 million in July for five smart city projects. The government's fund for innovation in competitiveness is part of its smart city financing strategy and is aimed at generating proposals from universities, which have until the end of April to submit them, according to Metropolitan Region smart city plan coordinator Enzo Abbagliati. The strategy also includes private funding and r

A new survey from Xerox finds Edinburgh is making the best use of urban mobility opportunities in the UK. Edinburgh ranked first among 12 of the UK cities surveyed for having commuters who regularly use mobile services for parking, ticket buying and comparing transportation services. London was ranked second, Brighton third, while Glasgow ranked fourth. The research also suggested that integrating car and public transport options is a critical factor in increasing the use of urban spaces. While the majo

An engineering consortium made up of Brazil's Mendes Junior and Spain's Isolux Corsán could be stripped of its US$208 million contract to build part of the northern stretch of the Mario Covas beltway surrounding the city of São Paulo. The consortium, led by Mendes Junior, is having difficulty honouring commitments due to a lack of cash flow and, according to São Paulo state highway company Dersa, it is not completing works according to the contract schedule signed in January 2013, local paper Folha de Sã

The US Department of Transportation has agreed to offer sustainable transport solutions for the cities of Allahabad, Ajmer and Visakhapatnam, India, according to a report from the Press Trust of India. Bilateral cooperation in the field of transportation was discussed during a meeting between visiting US Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx and Urban Development Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu. The two sides focused on cooperation on the transportation essentials of smart cities including efficient pub

Rennicks UK, in conjunction with Bluetrace, is using Traffex 2015 to launch a new traffic management system which it says is a significant leap forward in the battle to improve safety and reduce congestion. The system, developed in conjunction with Bluetrace, uses the most sensitive Bluetooth and wi-fi technology on the market to monitor and measure traffic movement from the roadside by connecting to devices inside vehicles. The data is transmitted to a central location to present a clear, real-time p

The next government must make road safety a top priority, with more than 50 per cent of motorists believing the current administration had not made the issue enough of a concern, according to a survey conducted by the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM). A total of 2,156 people took part in the IAM survey throughout March 2015. The number one gripe amongst those who answered the poll said reducing the number of potholes should be the government’s number one action point, with 70 per cent of respondents

Construction has begun on Interstate 11 (I-11), from I-515 to US 93, a 15-mile landmark project that will support Nevada’s continued economic prosperity through enhanced commerce, increased tourism and improved connectivity between Nevada and Arizona as well as beyond to Canada and Mexico. Designated by the federal government as the future highway, I-11 will connect Las Vegas and Phoenix, the only two cities in the nation with populations of more than one million residents not currently linked by an inte

Following a pilot project, the city of Verona in Italy has integrated Nedap’s Sensit wireless parking sensors with Wes Park software from Project Automation in a bid to manage parking in the city’s narrow streets. By introducing Nedap’s Sensit sensors, which improve utilisation of the city’s existing parking spaces, AMT, the service company managing the Verona Urban Parking Plan is now able to optimise parking. The system consists of wireless parking sensors that detect in real-time whether or not a s

San Francisco-based Uber Technologies has joined the Intelligent Transportation Society of America (ITS America) Leadership Circle and will join 39 established members of the Circle. Thomas E. Kern, ITS America interim president and chief executive officer, said. “Uber is a perfect fit for this prestigious group of innovative transportation organisations,” Kern said. “The company created a new mobile platform that empowers individuals to make on-demand mobility decisions, and we are excited to bring th

Traffic and intelligent transportation systems (ITS) supplier Intuicom has been awarded the traffic signal communication system upgrade by the City of Pueblo, Colorado. The award, made in conjunction with Intuicom’s technology partner, Econolite Group, followed extensive testing by the City’s Traffic Maintenance Division to validate system compatibility and the high-capacity throughput required of the radios to support Pueblo’s new array of Centracs traffic signal central operating system. The projec

To support its growth into a major marine and leisure destination, Dún Laoghaire Harbour in Ireland has invested in smart imaging and detection technologies from Hikvision to provide up to date surveillance of the 100-hectare complex. The new system, designed and installed by Hikvision’s Cork-based distributor, Mercury SD, expands the existing CCTV system with new Hikvision SMART IP cameras to greatly extend the reach and scope of the surveillance to the outer reaches of the harbour. All the cameras link