News

UK company Green Gate Access Systems has installed the UK’s very first solar barriers at the entrance to a 350-space car park at Warwick Hospital. The two ‘up and down’ barriers are operated via a key code for known users, with a GSM interface linked to the hospital’s facilities office for visitors without a key code. The barriers are powered via 24V solar panels installed at each barrier, with an encoder safety device, underground induction sensor and infra-red beam, to ensure they do not come down on

Transurban-Fluor and AAA Mid-Atlantic have released the second annual report on distracted drivers on I-95 in Northern Virginia, which found that despite major construction, distracted driving is a growing problem on the heavily travelled corridor. The report, part of the Orange Cones, No Phones campaign focused on reducing distracted driving in the 95 Express Lanes construction zone, found that the number of frequent I-95 drivers likely to use their cell phone while driving has increased from 56 percent i

The Erskine Bridge vehicle safety barrier replacement team introduced what is said to be a UK first in temporary traffic management on major trunk roads projects with the use of Bluetooth technology to monitor journey times and keep drivers updated on potential delays. Working on behalf of Transport Scotland, with Leeds-based Sky High Technology, contractor Highway Barrier Solutions and the Scotland TranServ project team introduced the origin-destination vehicle movement system to establish how long it w

The European Court of Justice has stopped a directive designed to ease cross-border exchange of information adopted by the European Parliament and Council in October 2011. This directive sets up a procedure for the exchange of information between member states in relation to eight road traffic offences (speeding, non-use of a seat-belt, failing to stop at a red traffic light, drink-driving, driving under the influence of drugs, failing to wear a crash helmet, use of a forbidden lane and illegally using a m

According to French think tank IDATE, there will be 420 million connected cars on the road by 2018, compared to 45 million in 2013, an annual growth of 57 per cent. IDATE attributes the development of the market to European safety regulations and manufacturers looking to identify new sources of revenue.

Construction group Strabag, as part of the DirectRoute consortium, will finance, plan, build and operate the 57 kilometre long section of the Irish N17/N18 motorway between Gort and Tuam near Galwayon behalf of National Roads of Ireland. The public-private partnership (PPP) project has a total private sector investment value of about US$459 million.

US live traffic video aggregator TrafficLand is providing video from its national network of roadside Department of Transportation cameras on the latest WeatherBug mobile app for the iOS platform.

Bombardier Transportation has selected Lilee Systems to design and deploy the communications systems for the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s (NYMTA) positive train control (PTC).

During the recent “Intelligent Transport Systems, eCall and Road Safety” conference, organised by the Greek Ministry of Infrastructure, Transport, the Greek government’s commitment to implement the eCall service in Greece was confirmed.

The UK’s Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) is calling for more information and advice on smart motorways for drivers. The call comes after seventy-one per cent of drivers said they would feel less safe on a motorway with no hard shoulder than a motorway with one, according to the latest poll by the IAM.

Australia’s Glenfield Junction Alliance has received the 2014 Railway Project of the Year Award by the Railway Technical Society of Australasia (RTSA) for its work on the Glenfield Junction project, which formed a critical part of the South West Rail Link Glenfield Transport Interchange project in New South Wales.

Data from Nottinghamshire County Council, which installed a Vysionics SPECS3 average speed enforcement solution on the A614 in 2012, indicates that the cameras delivering real benefits on casualties and collisions, with early indications suggesting a significant reduction in the KSI rate and no fatalities since the cameras were first installed.

Peek Traffic and its distributor Northwest Signal have formed a new sales group to support Peek’s aggressive growth strategy. Northwest Signal manufactures and distributes its own range of traffic control products and software in the north-west US and represents Peek’s range of ATC controllers, VideoTrak IQ, software and traffic signals.

Xerox is to form a three-year partnership with the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI) to help shape the future of urban mobility across the country. The ultimate goal is to demonstrate how emerging automotive information-based systems and communications capabilities enable improved transaction-based business processes.

Joined-up planning for both passenger and freight traffic across the UK’s road and rail infrastructure is crucial for future prosperity, warn MPs in two new reports. Effective regulation and long-term funding plans are essential for investment in the strategic road network.