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December 17, 2014
Smart parking at London Underground
Transport for London (TfL) is to implement a ‘smart parking’ system at 31 of its off-street car parks that support key locations across the London Underground network. 1,500 of Smart Parking’s RFID-equipped SmartEye vehicle detection sensors, linked via SmartLink data transmitters into the company’s SmartRep management application, will be installed across TfL’s off-street car park network. The five-year agreement, which will include the provision of equipment, maintenance and hosting, will enable car pa
December 17, 2014
New bridge over the Port of Malmö gets EU support
The EU's TEN-T Programme is to provide over US$1.2 million of funding to co-finance preparatory studies for the construction of a rail and road bridge over the Port of Malmö in Sweden. The new bridge will help to improve the cargo transfer at the port and improve the national rail capacity. The project is expected to have a significant impact on the national and EU rail freight capacity, since the port is closely linked to the main European (TEN-T) rail network.
December 17, 2014
Dutch launch intelligent cycle
The Netherlands on Monday launched its first-ever ‘intelligent bicycle, fitted with an array of electronic devices to help bring down the high accident rate among elderly cyclists in the cycle-mad country. Developed for the government by the Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research (TNO), the intelligent bicycle prototype runs on electricity, and sports a forward-looking radar mounted below the handlebars and a camera in the rear mudguard.
December 17, 2014
GTT expands partnership with TCS
From March 2015, Transportation Control Systems (TCS) will be the dealer for Global Traffic Technologies’ (GTT’s) Opticom priority control solutions and Canoga traffic sensing solutions throughout the south-eastern United States. GTT has expanded its partnership with the Florida-based company, which has been the GTT dealer in southern Florida since 2007. With this development, TCS’s territory will now include all of Florida, as well as Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas, Tennessee, North
December 16, 2014
Growing passenger numbers, fare rises for UK rail
According to Rail Travel, a new market report from business intelligence provider Key Note, in 2013/2014 the total value of passenger receipts for UK rail travel increased by 6.2 per cent year-on-year, and grew by 32.5 per cent over a five-year period. In addition, passenger journeys grew by 23.5 per cent over the five-year review period, with passenger kilometres travelled also growing by 17.9 per cent over the same timeframe. For the purpose of this report, the rail industry in the UK has been split in
December 16, 2014
Survey – Americans support red light cameras
The long arm of the law these days is often in the form of a robotic camera that captures motorists who run red lights. But the cameras are not always popular. New Jersey is scheduled to discontinue use of red light cameras on 16 December, and several other cities and states are considering similar moves. Despite the controversy, a majority of Americans back the use of red light cameras, according to a new survey from FindLaw.com, the most popular legal information website. The FindLaw.com survey foun
December 16, 2014
Colombia kicks off second wave of 4G highway plan
Colombia has published the pre-bid documents for the first concession under the second wave of the country's US$25 billion 4G highway plan, the 202 kilometre Puerta de Hierro-Palmar de Varela highway. Located in northern Colombia, the highway runs through the departments of Sucre, Atlántico and Bolívar. The project entails US$187 million improvement works on 175 kilometres, with construction estimated to take three years, said vice president Germán Vargas Lleras. The works are to be followed by a main
December 16, 2014
Toronto to implement bikeways
IBI Group has been awarded a contract to provide the City of Toronto with a five- and 10-year implementation plan outlining which bikeways will be built for the next 10 years. The plan will look at how to fill bikeway gaps, connect destinations, serve existing and potential demand, and meet the goals of the city’s Official Plan. It will build on the 2001 Bike Plan, integrate with the Transportation Capital Plan, and incorporate any new community plans and data such as the City’s Cycling App. “This is
December 16, 2014
USDOT releases plans for the future of ITS
The USDOT has released a new plan for ITS research and priorities for the second half of the decade. The new ITS Strategic Plan 2015-2019 outlines the direction and goals of the Department’s ITS Program and provides a framework around which the ITS Joint Program Office and other Department agencies will conduct research, development, and adoption activities to achieve them. The ITS Strategic Plan’s framework is built around two key ITS Program priorities, realising connected vehicle implementation and a
December 16, 2014
Danish city measures the effect of Christmas shopping
Aalborg City Business Association in Denmark is using sensors to measure the impact of major events, such as the annual Christmas market. They have installed BlipTrack, a system developed and produced by Danish information technology company Blip Systems, with sensors placed at various pinch points in the pedestrian area to monitor real-time pedestrian flow, people´s dwell time and movement pattern, from the moment they enter an area until they leave and everywhere in between. The sensors collect data
December 16, 2014
Chicago integrates regional transit fares
Travellers in Chicago will soon be able to use a single app to plan their journey, pay and receive real-time alerts across all public transit services in the Chicago region. The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA), suburban bus operator Pace and commuter rail system Metra have awarded Cubic Transportation Systems a US$5.4 million contract to supply an integrated mobile application and system supporting a wide variety of mobile ticketing, mobile top up, contactless mobile payment using Near Field Communication (
December 15, 2014
Road condition assessment made easy
Swedish geographic modelling specialist Blom is cooperating with a Finnish company, Suomen Kuntotekniikka, on road condition assessment projects, using BlomSTREET imagery which enables visual assessment of road segments where repairs are required, providing budgetary analysis of necessary maintenance and construction tasks. BlomSTREET imagery provides automatic traffic sign inventory using country-specific, official traffic sign libraries. The company says that experience from recent projects demonstrate
December 15, 2014
Colombia seeks expressions of interest for Bogotá LRT
Colombia's national infrastructure agency ANI is to hold a public hearing on 16 December to gather expressions of interests for the 43.9 kilometre western corridor of Bogotá's light rail (LRT) project. The two-line LRT system is expected to cost around US$605 million and would stretch between the central station of the Sabana railway to a station located in the municipality of Facatativá. A total of 17 stations are planned for the corridor as well as a branch line to the airport. Around 71.5 million p
December 15, 2014
Study highlights levels of car dependency
New research by the Campaign for Better Transport (CBT) has revealed Peterborough, Colchester and Milton Keynes as the hardest places in England to live if you don't have access to a car. Meanwhile, London, Manchester and Liverpool have emerged as the easiest. The new research compares how different towns and cities measure up in areas including public transport provision, facilities for cycling and walking, and land use planning policies that support sustainable transport. Stephen Joseph, chief execu
December 15, 2014
City of Palo Alto upgrades traffic management
The City of Palo Alto, California is to install what is said to be one of the first traffic management systems in the country to address the needs of connected vehicles. Trafficware will implement a traffic data export system using its ATMS.now 2.0 and SynchroGreen systems that will allow the city to securely disseminate real-time traffic signal data to auto manufacturers using smart vehicle technologies. The traffic signals at 100 intersections will be upgraded using Trafficware controllers, in addit