News

A decision in the dispute between the German government and Toll Collect, the operator of the HGV toll system, over the delayed introduction of the system in Germany is expected to be made by the arbitration court in the first week of October 2013. Experts believe that the German government will waive a part of its damage claims and take over Toll Collect, which is currently owned by Deutsche Telekom (45 per cent), Daimler Financial Services (45 per cent) and Cofiroute (10 per cent).

To cater to the needs of the growing population of the city of Auckland, New Zealand, Auckland Transport has adopted technology solutions from Microsoft’s new initiative, CityNext to upgrade the city’s transportation services and core infrastructure. CityNext offers cities a broad portfolio of technology solutions such as business software, devices and apps, cloud solutions, and big data platforms, from Microsoft and its partners to help city governments overcome urbanisation and governance challenges in ar

Figures released by France’s National Council for Road Safety (CNSR) indicate that the number of people killed on French roads dropped by fifteen per cent in the first half of 2013 compared with the same period last year. Interior Minister Manuel Valls said that 257 fewer people had died in road accidents compared with the first six months of 2012. 2012 was also a record year, with an improvement of eight per cent over 2011. “These results are extremely encouraging,” said Valls, who reiterated his

A collaborative summer research project between students from the University of Delaware (UD) and Delaware Department of Transportation (DelDOT) is compiling traffic data using global position system technology to quantify the severity of congestion on roads leading to and from the Delaware beaches. The students use two UD vehicles equipped with GPS devices programmed to capture travel time from one point to another, mean travel speed and delay using longitude and latitude measurements taken while the vehic

FOT-Net has been established by the European Commission to network Field Operational Tests (FOT) organisers in one platform to address common issues related to the practical organisation, set up and follow-up of FOT results. FOT-Net has organised a free workshop to be held at the Tokyo International Forum on Monday 14 October before the ITS World Congress opening ceremony, to exchange knowledge, best practices and foster cooperation for FOT activities and supporting the coherent development and implementati

Australia’s New South Wales Roads and Maritime Services has awarded Redflex Traffic Systems the contract to provide around forty Redflex Radarcam in-vehicle mobile speed for the State’s expanded mobile enforcement program. Redflex has been operating an interim program in New South Wales since 2010, involving the delivery of 930 enforcement hours per month. The expanded program is to deliver 7000 hours per month when fully operational, a percentage of which will be delivered by Redflex. Comments Redflex Gene

Policies that improve the energy efficiency of urban transport systems could help save as much as US$ 70 trillion in spending on vehicles, fuel and transportation infrastructure between now and 2050, according to a new report from the International Energy Agency. The report, A Tale of Renewed Cities, draws on examples from more than thirty cities across the globe to show how to improve transport efficiency through better urban planning and travel demand management. Extra benefits include lower greenhouse-ga

The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) and the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) have partnered to provide funding to eleven businesses, non-profit organisations and research institutions to promote energy-saving technologies designed to reduce carbon-dioxide emissions in New York State.

Intelligent Transport Systems Australia has praised the National Infrastructure Plan presented to the Council of Australian Governments last week. ITS Australia Chief Executive Officer Susan Harris said this Plan recognises some realities that challenge infrastructure management in Australia and it recommends a clear set of actions to force reform in policies and processes. Among the key actions recommended in the National Infrastructure Plan are: Reform of current infrastructure funding methods; Wider appl

Econolite has promoted Melvyn Haxby to the position of director of International Business Development, following the retirement of Ed Ehrman, the company’s former director of International Business. Haxby joined Econolite December 2012 as regional manager for Latin America; prior to that he was international sales director of Iteris, managing the development of international markets and sales. He previously held posts with HSBC, Odetics Europe, Comdisco and Eunetcom.

Back office solutions provider StarTraq is one of five finalists in the Transport Supplier of the Year category of the National Transport Awards 2013. StarTraq implemented its back office system across the four collaborating forces in Wales to provide efficiencies in the administration of traffic fines, with the direct result of making the roads in Wales safer. Commenting on the company's nomination, StarTraq's CEO Allan Freinkel says, "For StarTraq to be shortlisted in the category 'Transport Supplier of t

Motorists in the Dutch city of Zoetermeer are to benefit from a smart parking concept developed jointly by Nedap and Vialis, which displays real-time parking space availability on Vialis electronic displays alongside the access roads to the city centre. Parking data will also be made available through an app for smart phones and through navigation systems in vehicles. The city is the first municipality in the Netherlands to respond to Ministry of Infrastructure and the Environment request to make parking da

Intelligent transport system (ITS) solutions provider, Mobile Visual Information Systems (MVIS), played a crucial role in the traffic management plan for the UK’s 2013 Royal Ascot 2013, helping to prevent congestion around the event. MVIS supplied Royal Ascot’s traffic management team with three trailer-mounted solar powered Solar 2012 CCTV cameras, enabling the team to monitor the number of vehicles approaching the event and to respond instantly to heavy traffic by activating a reroute plan. This meant th

The Venus RFID windshield tag developed by Star Systems International has received approval from the Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI) for use across India’s national highways. Meeting the requirements of India’s Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) Resolution H-25011/4/2011-P&P (Toll) Vol. II, the Venus windshield tag is suitable for use with India’s united electronic toll collection system across all toll plazas along the national highways. “The Venus windshield tag offers Indian

Sensys Traffic and the Swedish Transport Administration have signed multi-year contracts estimated to be worth up to US$82.5 million, and at least US$16.5 million for the delivery of monitoring systems and roadside cabinets for traffic safety cameras. Sensys won procurement contracts for measurement systems and measurement cabinets earlier this year. The procurement process was appealed, but following a subsequent decision of the Administrative Court, Sensys and the Swedish Transport Administration have now