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In a deal that will combine Lysanda’s B2B customer base alongside Tracker’s long-standing B2C sales reach, telematics and infomatics provider Lysanda has acquired Tracker Network, a wholly owned subsidiary of Direct Line Group. The combined companies intend to establish Tantalum Corporation, with approximately US$32.5 million in revenues and some 500,000 telematics installations throughout Europe. Commenting on the acquisition, Cédriane de Boucaud, CEO of Tantalum Corporation said: “Lysanda has been a

Trafficware’s infrastructure-to-vehicle collaboration with technology partners combines two things that most people interact with on a daily basis: their smartphone and traffic. The company has partnered with Green Driver which has developed a smartphone app, EnLighten, to communicate with the central traffic management system to provide drivers with predictions on how long they will be stopped at traffic lights. Trafficware provides the real-time traffic signal data for intersections to Green Driver.

Indian company ARS Traffic & Transport Technology (ARS T&TT India) has helped Madhya Pradesh Road Development Corporation (MPRDC) to set up the one of the country’s first integrated accident response system and traffic management centres, a system that integrates emergency response with intelligent transportation systems. The centre will monitor and mobilise traffic on 20,000 km of road including national highways, state highways and major district roads and is designed to play a pivotal role in signific

The Highways Agency has awarded a 15-month, US$980,000 contract to Atkins and Yotta for the supply of Yotta’s Horizons visualised asset management software and associated implementation services. The software will enable the Highways Agency to carry out modelling to understand the current and future condition of the road network based on its national pavement condition survey data. This model will then be used to predict where and when maintenance is likely to be needed. Horizons will incorporate data

ABI Research has forecast that a combination of memory and microcontroller smart cards alongside disposable ticketing solutions will reach shipments totalling 1.7 billion units in 2018. The primary drivers include the increasing move to national standards and the enablement of near field communications (NFC) and open-loop payments. This trend is a consistent feature across all continents with particular progress within the UK, US, Australia, Germany, Turkey, and the BRIC countries forming a growth engine

The 42nd annual ASECAP study and information days, to be held in Athens from 26 to 278 May 2014, will explore the role of the tolled roads in ensuring sustainability in times of dwindling traffic. It will allow high-level panellists representing toll road infrastructure operators, EU decision-makers and ministers to discuss sustainability issues related to infrastructure financing, operation, maintenance, safety and the environment, while considering how intelligent transport systems contribute to the achie

Redflex Holdings has announced the appointment of non-executive director, Adam Gray to the position of chairman. Gray brings significant investment and operational experience to the Board of Redflex, having led a variety of operational turnarounds, financial restructurings and strategy development over the course of his career. He has a BSE Finance from the Wharton School and a BS Mechanical Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania.

One of Queensland’s highest priority road infrastructure projects has been secured for the state, with the federal and Queensland governments announcing they will deliver the long-awaited tolled Toowoomba Second Range Crossing (TSRC). Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development Warren Truss called for the private sector to register interest in building the project. He said: “The registration process will move to a formal expression of interest stage over the next cou

Iteris has expanded its international distribution channels for road sensors with six new partners in Australia, Canada, Latin America and Middle East. The new partners include: GGI Road & Traffic, Eastern Canada (Ontario, Quebec, Maritimes); Alcolisti, Ecuador; Sutec Peru, Argentina, Colombia, Panama, Peru; Traffic Tech, Gulf/Middle East (Bahrain, Jordan, Qatar); KTC/Kazarooni Associates, United Arab Emirates; and Jenoptik Australia, Australia, New Zealand. “Our solutions offer traffic engineers and pla

Sensys Traffic has received orders worth US$13 million from the Swedish Transport Administration as part of its three-year contract with the authority. The orders are for equipment to be used in the Swedish automatic traffic control (ATC) system, indicating that the Swedish Transport Administration intends to expand the system. The orders include monitoring systems, roadside cabinets and spare parts for speed enforcement. Almost two-thirds of the order is for replacement of existing ATC systems, while

European traffic information provider Mediamobile and Volvo cars have joined forces to provide Mediamobile’s V-traffic information service in Volvo’s in-car navigation systems. Aiming to provide the traffic services best adapted to the needs of all drivers, wherever they are located, Volvo has opted for V-Traffic RDS-TMC Europe, a suite of local traffic services with European coverage. By offering drivers high-quality, lifetime traffic information, free to use – even across national boundaries – the car

Essential road resurfacing works in Melbourne, Australia, led to the closing of two major tunnels for five days over the Christmas period. Despite predictions of major congestion, extensive planning and the use of BlipTrack Bluetooth and wi-fi sensors at key locations, delays were minimised. Installed by BlipTrack’s Australian partner, Austraffic, the sensors provided VicRoads highway department with data to assess how a diversion route was operating and to compare journey times with previous days or

The results of a two-pronged investigation by researchers from the Minnesota Traffic Observatory at the US University of Minnesota on the safety related effects of flashing LED stop signs have just been released. They conducted two studies: a statistical study to compare the crash frequency after installation of a flashing LED stop signs at 15 intersections to a prediction of what that crash frequency would have been had the flashing LED stop signs not been installed; and a field study using video to exa

The European research project AdaptIVe (Automated Driving Applications & Technologies for Intelligent Vehicles), a consortium of 29 partners, began work on 1 February. It aims to achieve breakthrough advances that will lead to more efficient and safe automated driving. The consortium, led by Volkswagen, consists of ten major automotive manufacturers, suppliers, research institutes and universities and small and medium-sized businesses. The project has a budget of US$33.7 million and is funded by the Eu

A move by Transport for London (TfL) to modernise the London Underground, including the loss of 950 jobs and the closure of all ticket offices has led to the widespread strikes currently being experienced by travellers. The National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) has called for the withdrawal of the cuts, saying that the plans are discriminatory and would leave important groups of staff vulnerable to abuse and assault as enforced lone working is pushed through. TfL claims the meas