News

Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) and Thales recently scooped awards at the recent Light Rail Awards for the Manchester Metrolink extension, where the Metrolink was awarded UK Light Rail Project of the Year, and the Metrolink operator RATP won Operator of the Year. In addition, the M-Pact Thales (MPT) consortium was named European Supplier of the Year.

Intelligent radar detection solutions supplier AGD Systems is to supply the UK’s Transport for London (TfL) with its new 316 stop-line radar traffic detector, designed for the detection and monitoring of stationary vehicles at road junctions. The frequency modulated continuous-wave (FMCW) 316 utilises the latest planar antenna technology and an advanced, embedded digital signal processing engine to accurately and reliably detect stationary vehicles at the stop-line of busy intersections.

Cubic Transportation Systems has delivered the on-time installation of its bus hardware subsystem (BHS) for the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority MTA Bus Time, the authority’s customer information system for bus location and arrival times that will be accessible by passengers using an internet browser-based map, a mobile phone-based application and a text message-based service.

The US Department of Transportation (USDOT) is to hold a two-day public meeting on 22 and 23 October at the Detroit Metro Airport Marriott to seek stakeholder input on the intelligent network flow optimisation (INFLO) bundle of applications. The USDOT's dynamic mobility applications (DMA) program identified the three applications, queue warning (Q-WARN), dynamic speed harmonisation (SPD-HARM) and cooperative adaptive cruise control (CACC) as high priority for the connected vehicle research program.

The Danish city of Aarhus is using the anonymous data from drivers’ Bluetooth-enabled cell phones and GPS systems to assist them in reducing traffic congestion. Using Blip Systems’ technology and placing the small sensors in the road network, the road authorities can obtain traffic flow data in real time and proactively manage the road network to minimise delays and congestion.

Toll roads operator Transurban says it has made good progress in its talks with the New South Wales government on a US$2.5 billion tunnel proposal for Sydney's north. The proposed project would be a tolled motorway linking the M1 Pacific Motorway, formerly the F3 freeway, at Wahroonga to the M2 toll road at West Pennant Hills. The project involves the construction of new eight kilometre tunnel, which would be the longest tunnel of its kind in Australia. “We have made significant progress in our disc

The UK's cities will receive help to get smart, thanks to the launch of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills' new Smart Cities Forum. It comes as a new report values the smart cities industry at more than US$400 billion globally by 2020, with the UK expected to gain a ten per cent share (US$40 billion). The 'Global Market Opportunities and UK Capabilities for future smart cities' report highlights how this technology could transform lives and provide a huge economic boost.

The Ertico partnership is hosting a one-day forum in Brussels on 7 November to examine the future development of automated emergency call (eCall) and the evolution of telematics services. Discussions and debates will take place around a series of topics, including: the status of emergency call once eCall is deployed; challenges to enable further business opportunities; the potential of new technologies and new services within emergency call and beyond eCall.

The municipality of Quito is investing US$30 million in a bid to improve transit in the city. The city has also replaced 6,000 old traffic signals and installed almost nine kilometers of fibre optic cable, together with 1,700 cameras. A mobility management centre has been opened, which will monitor traffic and manage the new traffic signal system currently installed at 312 intersections. The city hopes to control up to 600 intersections by late 2014.

The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) is to begin work on a US$24 million intelligent transportation system (ITS) network in north-west Florida. The network will include 183 traffic cameras, 17 overhead message signs, 135 microwave vehicle detectors, 40 travel time sensors, three road and weather information sensors and eight highway advisory radios.

Siemens Stratos journey time application is undergoing its first UK trial with South Gloucestershire Council. The council is trialling the system using data from a network of automatic number plate (ANPR) cameras to monitor the reliability of traffic times on key corridors and provide a baseline for measuring the impact of network strategies and improvements. Developed using the latest cloud-based technology, Siemens says Stratos delivers scalable real-time traffic management, information and control; fr

Aecom is to begin a 22-month plan to develop an integrated, multimodal transport plan for Sharjah, which will lead to the development of a new transport strategy and suggested schemes for implementation until 2030. The company has landed a US$4m contract from the Sharjah Directorate of Public Works and Sharjah Transport to create a new Sharjah transport master plan, aimed at slowing the growth of car traffic both through and within Sharjah as well as fostering a shift towards a greater use of public and

Telematics Munich 2013, Europe's largest and most influential business conference and exhibition for the connected car industry, will host twelve hours of networking sessions across two days, 11 and 12 November. The official agenda is the result of six months of independent research, reflecting the latest trends, market activities and exciting growth in the European connected car space.

The second HeERO international conference, due to take place at the Hotel Novotel Bucharest City Centre in Bucharest, Romania, on 21 and 21 November, will give participants an exclusive insight into the status of eCall deployment in the HeERO pilot sites; the outcome of interoperability testing; revision to eCall standards; and the recommendations for the large scale implementation of the eCall service in Europe. Conference attendees will also have the opportunity to attend live eCall demonstrations staged