News

The European Investment Bank (EIB) is lending US$340 million to finance the implementation of Hungary’s railway infrastructure rehabilitation and upgrading investment programme for the period 2013-2016. The objective is to improve the safety, capacity and performance of the existing conventional railway infrastructure with positive impacts on commuters and long-distance travellers as well as on freight traffic. The EIB loan will help the Hungarian railways to become more competitive and attractive in co

The Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) has installed a new US$750,000 electronic sign system on Interstate 80 in Parleys Canyon that will allow engineers to adjust the speed limit during storms or icy weather. Eight electronic signs are in eastbound lanes, and seven in westbound lanes. Data from road sensors shows the road condition, along with the canyon’s temperature and humidity and traffic speed, while cameras will show visibility, enabling traffic engineers to remotely adjust the speed limit s

TRICS, the UK and Ireland’s national system of trip generation analysis, is introducing the TRICS 7 series to user organisations at a free event to be held at The Grand Connaught Rooms in London on 14 January. TRICS 7 is a comprehensive redesign of the TRICS user interface, with efficiency, user-friendliness, logic and structure in mind. It is the result of two years of research, consultation and development and is a major upgrade from the previous TRICS 6 series. An improved logical interface reduce

Australia’s Roads and Maritime Services (RMS) has awarded Q-Free an order for its OBU610 tags valued at US$2.4 million. This latest generation toll transponder is claimed by the company to be the smallest of its kind, yet powerful enough to support both single and multiple protocol applications. With a battery life of more than seven years, the transponder supports any application from single lane to full multi-lane free-flow and open-road tolling.

RedFusion, RedSpeed’s average speed enforcement system, won a number of converts in 2013 – particularly in the UK where the technology has been type approved for both permanent and temporary installations.

With an estimated 15 million stop arm violations in America every year, RedSpeed is offering school bus operators an automated photo enforcement system free of charge.

With an estimated 15 million stop arm violations in America every year, RedSpeed is offering school bus operators an automated photo enforcement system free of charge.

In its latest study, “Emerging Technologies: Autonomous cars—not if, but when,”, IHS Automotive forecasts total worldwide sales of self-driving cars (SDC) will grow from nearly 230 thousand in 2025 to 11.8 million in 2035 – seven million SDCs with both driver control and autonomous control and 4.8 million that have only autonomous control. In all, there should be nearly 54 million self-driving cars in use globally by 2035. The study anticipates that nearly all of the vehicles in use are likely to be self

In a bid to make the city congestion free by 2030, the Jakarta administration has pledged to make public transport the most used form of transportation in the city, and has allocated US$423 million in 2014 to develop the transportation system. Plans include seven transit-oriented developments (TOD) across the capital region, a total of 38 bus corridors and 17 park-and-ride centres, all of which will be integrated into a city-wide public transport grid. The park and ride centres will enable motorcyclists

Russia’s Ministry of Transport says that US$54.56 billion will be invested in development of the Moscow Transport Hub in 2013-2016. The funding will be used to develop roads, subways, rail infrastructure, public transport, air transport, road traffic management, road traffic safety and water transport development. The program stipulates launch of passenger rail service at the Moscow Little Ring Railway, construction of 93.9 kilometres of roads and 38.6 kilometres of street and road network. The infrastru

From 1 January, Mike Heiligenstein, executive director of the Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority (CTRMA), Austin, Texas, began his year-long term as president of the International Bridge, Tunnel and Turnpike Association (IBTTA). He says: “Over the next year, I look forward to leading our industry’s international association while highlighting the great work at The Mobility Authority and other IBTTA member organisations around the globe.” Eight other directors also began new terms on the IBTTA’s bo

The US Department of Transportation (USDOT) has launched a series of connected vehicle plugfests to conduct vendor-to-vendor connected vehicle device testing. These test sessions help to ensure that devices meet the base standard requirements and level of interoperability necessary for the Southeast Michigan Connected Vehicle Test Bed Deployment 2014 Project. The first plugfest will be held at Turner Fairbank Highway Research Center in McLean, Virginia on 29-30 January 29-30. Additional PlugFests will be

The first over-height vehicle detection system (OVDS) in Qatar has been launched at the Duhail intersection in Doha. The new system will help provide greater control over trucks and protect bridges and tunnels, the Public Works Authority (Ashghal) said yesterday. The system is operated and controlled by the traffic signal control room (TSCR) at Ashghal. The OVDS uses integrated sensors or height detectors, electronic message board and CCTV, to detect vehicles that violate the maximum permitted height of

Sustainable transport schemes across England could benefit from a multi-million boost in funding, thanks to the Department for Transport. Local authorities had until 23 December 2013 to bid for a US$128 million slice of the Local Sustainable Transport Fund. Minister for Transport Baroness Kramer said: “We have seen some real success stories from previous winning schemes so I am looking forward to considering the plans that are put forward. Earlier successful schemes addressed a variety of sustainable

Japan's Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) has received an order to supply Sri Lanka's Road Development Authority (RDA) with the country’s first highway traffic management system (HTMS). The system, slated to go on-stream by the end of 2014, will also be MHI's first installation of its full-scale traffic management system for expressways. As part of a package agreement, MHI will handle all aspects of the project from engineering, procurement and installation to adjustment and training. The HTMS will b