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NATSO, the US association representing travel plazas and truck-stops, has rejected the report prepared by the Reason Foundation that pushes for widespread tolling. "The public detests interstate tolls, and with good reason," said NATSO president and CEO Lisa Mullings. "Tolls divert motorists and truck drivers to non-interstates, leading to more traffic deaths. Additionally, it costs the government more money to collect tolls than to collect fuel taxes."

Schrader International, US manufacturer of sensing and valve solutions, is to supply its tyre pressure monitoring systems (TPMS) from Mahindra Reva Electric Vehicles, a subsidiary of Mahindra and Mahindra, one of India's largest vehicle manufacturers. As part of the agreement, Schrader will provide TPMS technology and the company's advanced "snap-in" valve sensor to Mahindra Reva's electric vehicle e2o. The TPMS-enabled e2o may be exported to the European market in 2014. Schrader's market-leading TPM

A new study by TomTom indicates that more than a third (39 per cent) of UK van drivers admit to driving more carefully when using their personal vehicle. The research, conducted among light commercial vehicle (LCV) drivers, found 67 per cent of those did so to save money on fuel and vehicle wear and tear and 29 per cent because of the absence of working time pressures.

According to Delphi Automotive, its new cloud-based automotive connectivity service for European consumers, Delphi Connect, provides a ground-breaking car-to-cloud/cloud-to-car connectivity service and works in most vehicles built after 1996. To access the service, car owners simply plug the Delphi Connect module into the on-board diagnostics (OBD) port of their vehicle, which is usually located under the steering column. The service utilises a dedicated and secure cloud server to store data and provide

Dutch construction company Ballast Nedam is to supply Swedish public transport organisation Trafikförvaltningen Stockholm (TF) with a train de-icing system to improve winter train services in the country. The system is based on Ballast Nedam’s existing fully automated de-icing system which sprays the entire train with warm water system, redesigned to TF’s train specifications. The amount of water is adapted for each set of wheels depending on the degree of ice build-up. This ensures that the ice, which p

A new study, Interstate 2.0: Modernising the Interstate Highway System via Toll Finance, by US public policy think tank, the Reason Foundation, details how much it will cost to reconstruct and widen Interstate highways in all 50 states and shows how to pay for the modernisation efforts with toll revenues. It makes the case for lifting the federal prohibition on tolling existing lanes of the Interstate highway system and states: “…as the reality of the cost of Interstate reconstruction and modernisation s

The UK’s Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) is calling for the High Speed 2 (HS2) proposals to be reassessed to become part of an integrated transport programme of metro, rail, bus and road projects to revitalise the cities of the Midlands and North. The call comes as the Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin reasserted the case for the new rail line. Prof Phil Blythe, chair of the IET Transport Policy Panel, said: “We are supportive in principle of high speed rail, but we believe that

The Polite project together with two other European projects, Superhub and RITS-Net, are to join forces in an intermediate open workshop organised by Polite, to generate a common analysis on policy and governance improvements in intelligent transportation systems (ITS) for public transport. The workshop will offer a study visit on public transport management systems and traffic management in an historical city, such as Ferrara. According to Patrizia Bianchini, councillor of Territorial Planning, Trans

Three Parsons Brinckerhoff transport specialists will present at the Australian Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) Summit in Sydney on 18-20 September. Parsons Brinckerhoff ITS Technical Executive, Kim Thomas, said the specialists will stimulate discussion about systems engineering and how to develop smarter transport solutions that make road operations safer and more efficient.

Malaysia plans to spend a staggering US$50 billion to develop its rail network over the next seven years, including a high-speed rail linking Kuala Lumpur and Singapore set for 2020, and the urban mass rapid transit system that is rolling out in 2017. Compared to developed countries where rail transport makes up a third of public transportation, Malaysia's share is less than four per cent.

Image Sensing Systems (ISS) is to focus on exploring the developing promising new and early stage technologies for commercialisation within the intelligent transportation, safety and security sectors. To this end, the company has formed a new research department, ISS Labs, headed by Dr Panos Michalopoulos, ISS’ original founder.

UK city Corby is aiming to be a leading edge business location, with the launch of an extended electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure. To complement the EV charge points already at Corby Station and the Corby Cube, charge points have been installed at a range of venues and businesses including the Holiday Inn, Adrenaline Alley and Corby Town Football Club. Corby now has one of the highest concentrations of charge points per head of population in the UK.

New research by Frost and Sullivan finds that constant technological innovations in automotive safety warrant frequent updates to legislation. With the number of fatalities and injuries on the rise, legislative authorities in Europe are taking a keen interest in the safety of pedestrians, passengers and drivers. This enhanced focus on safety has far-reaching ramifications for the automotive industry.

The latest addition to the smartmicro range of radar traffic detectors is the combined stop bar and advance detector, which the company claims offers a range of up to 180 metres and can effectively replace loops at the stop bar and at advanced approaches.

The soon to be launched TomTom Link 100 dongle enables a smartphone to connect to real-time vehicle and driving information, allowing third parties to create a wide range of new mobile applications that make use of vehicle information and driver usage. Easy to install, the device logs vehicle diagnostic information, such as engine rpm, load and temperature, directly from the on-board diagnostic port. The integrated 3D accelerometer logs driving data. Link 100 also offers accident detection and crash log