News

German local transport association Paderborn/Höxter (VPH) has awarded Init the contract to implement an integrated intermodal transport control system (ITCS) and ticketing system for an urban transport operator in the districts of Paderborn and Höxter. The system is being extended to as many as six more regional transport operators in the final rollout stage of the project. Init is providing a central, multi-client capable telematics and ticketing system which handles data exchange with the vehicles and

Indra is to deploy its advanced railway control, security and signalling technology on the high-speed rail lines between Valladolid and Leon and Venta de Baños and Burgos in Spain. The contract, worth more than US$47 million also includes facility maintenance. Indra will deploy the centralised traffic control system on the new line, together with auxiliary detection systems and security sensor concentrators, based on an innovative Indra safety platform. This is the vital processing system that guarantee

Kapsch TrafficCom is to provide the New York State Thruway Authority with the development, installation and technical support for an all electronic tolling (AET) system. This new system eliminates the need for Thruway patrons to stop or slow down at tolling points. By enabling toll transactions to be completed at highway speeds, the AET system facilitates free-flowing traffic across multiple lanes to minimise congestion; the resulting reduction in vehicle emissions will have a direct, beneficial environm

Sweeping changes that will make the north-east city of Newcastle one of the easiest cities to get around look set to get the green light this week. Described by Newcastle City Council as the biggest change in a generation, the US$30.7 million programme of transport works and smart traffic signal technology is intended to make Newcastle one of the most accessible cities in the UK within five years. A report to the city council Cabinet highlights the huge benefits for pedestrians, cyclists, users of pub

With distracted driving continuing to be a major road safety topic around the world, Volkswagen, Hong Kong, has produced an innovative advertisement designed to bring home the impact of mobile phone use whilst driving.

President Obama is to unveil a new federal initiative to help cities and states find private financing for transportation infrastructure. The announcement comes as the White House looks to increase pressure on Congress, which this week is debating a short-term fix to the rapidly depleting highway trust fund that underwrites road and mass transit construction. Under the plan to be unveiled by Obama, the Department of Transportation will open a new investment centre designed to serve as a ‘one-stop sho

TISPOL and its road safety partners across Europe are urging the EU to fast-track the adoption of a modified law on cross-border enforcement of traffic offences such as speeding. The modified rules, published by the European Commission, come in response to a European Court of Justice ruling in May that said the existing law, which came into force in November last year, had been adopted on an incorrect legal basis. The ECJ has said the current rules could remain in effect until May 2015 while new legisla

Q-Free subsidiary Elcom is to supply the city of Belgrade, Serbia, with advanced transportation management systems (ATMS), including traffic signal controllers and traffic management systems. The contract, valued at around US$1 million will begin in July 2014 and will be delivered within one year. Q-Free has also been awarded contracts valued at more than US$300,000 for traffic signal systems to be supplied to in Serbia and Macedonia during 2014. “Q-Free has made several acquisitions within the ATMS

The Harmonisation Task Group #6 (HTG#6), a cooperative effort between the European Commission, Australian, and United States policy and technical experts is to host a Cooperative ITS security workshop at the Fraunhofer Institute for Secure Information Technology (SIT) in Darmstadt, Germany on 25 September 2014. This public information workshop aims to share information on work-in-progress and gather stakeholder feedback. Presentations will discuss interim results of the task group. Stakeholder feedback i

US Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx predicted there would be a repeat of this summer’s infrastructure funding debate in Congress next year despite the likelihood of US$10.9 billion bill, passed by the House, becoming law before the end of this month. Foxx said during an interview with MSNBC’s Ed Schultz on Tuesday evening that the House-passed legislation failed to address the long-term issues that have been plaguing federal transportation funding for years. “What’s going on in Capitol Hill right

In a recent study, a researcher at the University of Colorado Boulder found no evidence that a California ban on using hand-held cellphones while driving decreased the number of traffic accidents in the state in the first six months following the ban. The findings, published in the journal Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, are surprising given prior research that suggests driving while using a cellphone is risky; past laboratory studies have shown that people who talk on a cellphone wh

Research just released by telecommunications company Telefónica suggests that consumers are ready for connected cars. According to the study, there is sufficient global demand for connected car services, with more than 70 per cent of drivers surveyed saying that they are interested in using, or are already using, connected car services. The survey found that around half of consumers now consider connected features, such as inbuilt connectivity and the ability to plug in a smartphone, a key part of their

Driver safety and compliance solutions specialist Lytx Europe has welcomed news that the UK transport secretary is considering a number of options to combat distracted driving. Patrick McLoughlin has suggested that the penalty for using a mobile phone while driving could be doubled from the current three points, while a government spokesman said "Using a mobile phone while driving is extremely dangerous which is why we are considering a number of options to deter drivers." Julie Townsend, deputy chief

Representatives of the national road administration directorate s of Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia have signed a Memorandum of Understanding and Intentions in the field of intelligent transport systems (ITS) associated with national traffic management systems and development of the Via Baltica road corridor. The four countries have committed to creating possibilities for joint development programs and projects of mutual interest. They will exchange traffic, road weather, road work, e-tolling, fre

Transport for London (TfL) has awarded new traffic signals maintenance contracts, worth around US$542 million for up to eight years, which will see the capital’s 6,000 traffic signals upgraded and maintained to the latest, greenest standards. Awarded to Telent Technology Services for west and south-west London, Siemens for north and north-west London and Cubic Transportation Systems for south-east London, the new Traffic Control Management Services contracts will help expand the use of intelligent traf