News

Construction has begun on two-kilometre bridge spanning the Tien River in the Mekong Delta in southern Vietnam. The investment of US$145 million is funded by non-refundable aid from the Australian government, a loan from the Asia Development Bank and Vietnamese government capital. The cable-stayed Cao Lanh Bridge, which links Cao Lanh Town and Lap Vo District in Dong Thap Province, will have four lanes for motorised vehicles to run at a speed of 80 kilometres per hour and two other lanes for non-motoris

High-speed video cameras for ITS applications developed by Sony Image Sensing Solutions have been adopted by system integrator Horus to create a pothole identification system capable of detecting potholes at speeds of up to 130 kph (80 mph). The vision-based pothole detection system integrates six high-speed Sony ITS camera modules, each taking 15 high-resolution frames per second to form a 360-degree imaging system which accurately records data from up to three lanes simultaneously, even when travelling

UK outsourcing company Capita is to acquire ParkingEye, a provider of technology based car parking services, for an enterprise value of U$93 million on a cash free debt free basis. ParkingEye's automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) based management system is used by clients to provide remote enforcement, management information and alerting systems. The technology, which is adaptable across market sectors, is designed to ensure that car parks are used by individuals with a legitimate right to use them

Scottish service provider BEAR Scotland and Vaisala have been awarded the Highways magazine Excellence Award for Highways Industry Product of the Year for the DSP310 Condition Patrol system, an innovative solution to obtain comprehensive, real-time road condition weather data from a mobile automated weather station. Vaisala's DSP310 condition patrol solution uses sensors mounted in a vehicle to provide real-time monitoring of all road weather conditions. The in-cab display uses a smartphone running the V

The UK government has approved funds to tackle congestion in two of the UK’s major cities, Birmingham and Leeds. Work needed to tackle congestion on the regionally strategic A452 road in Birmingham can now start after receiving final approval from Transport Minister Baroness Kramer. The road carries heavy traffic, creating poor access and a lack of reliable journey times for road users. The US$13 million improvements will improve the network, improve bus journey times and improve pedestrian and cyclist

Public transport users in the Spanish province of Bizkaia are set to benefit from the Barik card, which allows the integration of multiple modes of transport, enabling passengers to use the card on underground, tram, train, bus, cable car, public lift and cycle. Thales is to provide the Biskay Transport Consortium with maintenance for the intermodal payment system, including the central management system software, equipment and point of sale software, and customisation of the cards used by the Transport

Representatives of major US high-speed rail projects are to meet with their European counterparts to seek the expertise and knowledge of the leading European high-speed rail companies. The US is planning to invest approximately US$150,000 million over the next ten years in the development of high-speed rail networks, representing a great opportunity for European infrastructure and engineering companies. For the first time, American senior official representatives of these projects will meet in Europe loo

The European Commission (EU) is expected to invest around US$276 million to create smart cities in the next two years. The High Level Group of the European Innovation Partnership (EIP) for Smart Cities and Communities has agreed the Strategic Implementation Plan (SIP) which will serve as the basis for speeding up the deployment of Smart City solutions in Europe. The SIP is drafted by and based on a thorough consultation of representatives from industry, cities, civil society and research including UITP.

Q-Free is to acquire Serbian traffic management company Elcom in a deal worth US$1.8 million. Q-Free has signed a share purchase agreement (SPA) for the acquisition which it says reflects the company’s efforts to strengthen its business area within advanced transportation management systems (ATMS) and follows a US$1 million investment in ten percent ownership of US traffic management company Intelight. Established in 1994, Elcom offers traffic controllers, LED street lights and traffic control system sol

Sensys Traffic, Sweden has received an order from Sensys America worth around US$600,000 for speed and red-light enforcement systems to be installed in Washington DC. This is the third order from the three-year framework agreement for speed and red light enforcement systems signed by Sensys America in October 2012. "Washington DC is continuing its investment in greater traffic safety, where traffic cameras are an excellent tool. The United States has become Sensys Traffic's largest market in 2013, an

According to a new RFID sector survey by IDTechEx Research, RFID Forecasts, Players & Opportunities 2014-2024, the RFID market will increase from US$6.98 billion in 2012 to US$7.88 billion, and will reach US$23.4 billion in 2020. This includes tags, readers and software/services for RFID cards, labels, fobs and all other form factors - for both passive and active RFID. Using new, unique information researched globally by IDTechEx technical experts, the new report RFID Forecasts, Players & Opportunities 2

Arriva UK Bus has partnered with German transportation software solutions HaCon to launch its mobile travel companion based on HaCon’s journey planner software HAFAS. The new mobile app for iPhones and Android-powered smartphones will provide customers with much greater functionality than before, while the HAFAS vehicle management system Smart VMS will provide the basis for comprehensive up to the minute passenger information.

Brazil's Goiás state has launched a tender for a 35-year concession to implement, operate and maintain its Goiânia-Anhanguera light rail transit (LRT) system budgeted at US$598 million. Funding is expected to come from state and federal governments and the concession awarded the public-private partnership (PPP). Running some fourteen kilometres between state capital Goiânia and the city of Anhanguera, the system will have twelve stations and five integration terminals linking to bus lines. The new LRT w

The administration of Jakarta City, Indonesia will introduce an electronic road pricing (ERP) system as part of efforts to reduce traffic congestion by discouraging private vehicle use. Under the plan, several areas of the city will be designated as ERP areas and a toll payment is to be imposed on vehicles passing through the areas. The ERP system to be implemented by January-March 2014 will require vehicles to have special hologram stickers.

Frost & Sullivan’s recent customer research study on car sharing in select European cities reveals that the market is fast gaining ground. Residents in a number of cities in France, Germany as well as in the UK are currently multi-modal transport users. While only one out of four claim familiarity with the car sharing concept, once familiar, the interest levels in these services zip to 38 per cent.