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The forthcoming IBTTA (International Bridge, Tunnel and Turnpike Association) global technology workshop will highlight current and future technologies for the toll industry and will showcase the differences and similarities among the technologies used in the global tolling market. Hosted by French ASECAP member, ASFA (French Federation of Motorways and Toll Facility Companies) and supported by ASECAP, the workshop takes place in Deauville, France, from 27 to 29 October.

According to a new research report from analysts Berg Insight, the number of fleet management systems deployed in commercial vehicle fleets in North America was 3.3 million in the fourth quarter of 2012. Growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 15.6 percent, this number is expected to reach 6.8 million by 2017. In Latin America, the number of installed fleet management systems is expected to increase from 1.6 million in quarter four 2012, growing at a CAGR of 16.3 per cent to reach 3.3 million in

Cubic Transportation Systems’ NextWave mobile business system is, says the company, a comprehensive platform that enables transit operators to rapidly and securely provide new mobile services to their customers. NextWave provides a cloud-based platform that integrates with both closed and open loop contactless fare systems, payment processors, mobile networks, NFC platforms and both iOS and Android smartphones and tablets, for the introduction of mobile phone-based contactless fare cards, mobile fare pur

Odense municipality in Denmark has installed Bluetooth sensors along the city’s ring road to gather data on travel times and traffic flow. The BlipTrack system, manufactured by Danish company Blip Systems, utilises sensors at strategic points in the road network to detect signals from Bluetooth-enabled devices in passing cars to collect traffic and travel time information. The data will enable Odense traffic officials to improve the capacity of existing roads and detect changes in traffic patterns. In

Europe’s senior traffic police officers gather in Manchester today for the annual conference of Tispol, the European traffic police network. A priority will be to review the techniques that will always be effective in reducing road traffic deaths and serious injuries, and also to consider new ways of dealing with familiar challenges. The theme of the conference is ‘Improving Road Safety – Solutions that work’ and the event includes presentations from the head of road safety at the European Commission an

Communities across the UK are set to benefit from government funding which will tackle traffic bottlenecks (pinch points) and congestion on local roads. Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin has announced US$129 million of further funding to remove these bottlenecks, US$40 million of which has already been awarded to fifteen improvement schemes. McLoughlin also announced he was inviting local councils to submit bids by the end of October for a share of the remaining US$89 million being made available.

In an effort to reduce "the worst bottleneck" to traffic in the region, Vancouver, British Columbia, is to replace the Massey Tunnel on highway 99 with a wider bridge that is expected to be a tolled. The four-lane lane tunnel, which opened in 1959, is heavily overloaded for much of the day, carrying an average daily traffic of around 80,000 vehicles. Public consultation favoured a new bridge over the alternatives of renovation and additional tubes.

Ahead of December’s Gulf Traffic exhibition in Dubai, the latest figures from Ventures Middle East indicate ongoing roads and bridges projects across the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) region are currently valued at US$109 billion. Host of the 2022 Football World Cup, Qatar, leads the way with an allocation of US$20bn for roads and highways, in addition to a US$35bn rail network. The UAE, second worldwide for roads quality in the latest Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report, has investments worth

The world’s tolling executives, engineers, and planners gathered in Vancouver last week to share best practices and innovations in transportation from nineteen countries around the globe. The International Bridge, Tunnel and Turnpike Association’s (IBTTA) selected Vancouver for its 81st Annual Meeting and Exhibition due to the city’s dramatic transportation renaissance over the past-decade that has been fuelled by innovative funding solutions, including public-private partnerships, serving as a world-cl

The recent 2013 Australian ITS summit revealed that Australia is moving rapidly from test beds and pilots to real world applications of new ITS technologies, especially in the vehicle sector. The summit identified some next steps in technology to improve Australia’s transport networks, including: integrated public transport systems; interoperability of communications and ITS platforms; totally integrated multi-modal, real time traveller information; roll out of managed motorway systems; and autonomous ve

New research by Transparency Market Research "Connected Car Market -Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast, 2013- 2019" , indicates that the global connected car market is expected to reach US$131.9 billion by 2019, growing at a CAGR of 34.7 per cent from 2013 to 2019. 4G/long-term evolution (LTE) technology is in a commanding position due to its lower operating costs associated with high data transmission volumes as compared to other technologies.

Indonesia’s Jakarta city has unveiled an intelligent road-transportation application, the Electronic Registration Identification (ERI) system, which is aimed at upgrading the enforcement of traffic regulations in the city. According to Irvan Prawira, the traffic police's chief of security and safety, motorists would be required to have an on-board unit (OBU) installed in their vehicle for transmission of vehicle and owner data to electronic readers set up at intervals on the road. Mobile readers will al

Zimbabwe requires more than US$33 billion for infrastructure projects over the next 20 years to turn around its economic fortunes, a senior World Bank economist has said. Nadia Piffaretti said infrastructure development should be part of Zimbabwe's long term economic transformation objectives, stating that US$11.3 billion was required for electricity generation-related projects alone while another US$13.4 billion should be allocated towards transport infrastructure development in the coming two decades a

California’s Bay Area Climate Collaborative (BACC) and Eaton's Cooper Lighting division are to collaborate on the Bay Area Next Generation Streetlight Initiative, a region-wide project designed to facilitate the upgrade of 200,000-plus municipal streetlights to LED technology.