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The US Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure’s first hearing of the 113th Congress focused on the importance of infrastructure to the US economy and examined the role played by the Federal Government in ensuring safe, efficient, and reliable infrastructure. Chairman Bill Shuster highlighted how the quality of the nation’s infrastructure affects the lives of Americans in many ways on a daily basis, and how the Federal role in ensuring a strong transportation network is firmly rooted in the first day

Sweden’s supplier of RFID solutions for rail applications, TagMaster, has been awarded a major new contract by Alstom Transport in France to develop and supply RFID systems to Alstom’s signalling division. Both companies have signed an agreement that will see TagMaster develop a customised version of its heavy duty (HD) RFID reader which, together with HD ID tags, will be used to provide positive train detection functionality as a sub-system in the Alstom Urbalis communications based train control (CBTC) si

Officials in Texas and Oklahoma say their electronic toll systems could be interoperable in 2014. Chairman of the Team Texas Interoperability Committee Clayton Howe says the exact timing will be up to Oklahoma to decide but indications are it could be up and running by the end of the year. Interoperability will mean Texans will be able to travel Oklahoma's turnpikes and receive their tolls on their Texas accounts. Similarly, Oklahoma drivers will be able to drive on Texas tollroads and be billed to their Ok

Oxford University scientists have developed a self-driving car system that can be installed in existing cars and can cope with snow, rain and other weather conditions. Developed by a team led by Professor Paul Newman at Oxford University, the new system has been installed in a Nissan Leaf electric car and tested on private roads around the university. The car will halt for pedestrians, and could take over the tedious parts of driving such as negotiating traffic jams or regular commutes. The car alerts the

Said to be the biggest congestion charge scheme to launch in any city, the London scheme got off to a smooth start ten years ago on 17 February 2003, much to the surprise of London's then mayor Ken Livingstone, who ten years later says “it turned out better than I expected.” None of the anticipated pre-7am congestion as drivers attempted to avoid the charge happened, and by the end of the first day 57,000 drivers had paid it. The main problem seemed to be that buses were all running ahead of time and had t

In Minnesota, US, the most common measure for snow management performance is the time it takes to completely clear a roadway after a snow event ends. Currently, the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) relies on visual inspections by its field crews to estimate this bare pavement recovery time. To help MnDOT more accurately and reliably estimate the performance of its snow management activities, researchers from the University of Minnesota Duluth (UMD) have developed a prototype process that uses

Traffic trials aimed at streamlining the rush-hour commute in the UK’s north-east have been given the green light. The project in Newcastle involves new satellite navigation technology which helps drivers adjust their speed so they can pass through a series of lights on green. The European project is being led by Newcastle University and Newcastle City Council, and aims to reduce city centre congestion and pollution associated with stop-start driving. Phil Blythe, Professor of Intelligent Transport Systems

One of the most congested interstates in Virginia, US, is to get an Active Traffic Management (ATM) system. The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) has selected TransCore, a division of Roper Industries, to design and build its I-66 ATM system on northern Virginia’s main highway into the District of Columbia. The US$34 million contract is 90 percent federally funded and will support thirty-four miles of highway from the District of Columbia to Gainesville US-29 in Prince William County. The projec

A new app developed by transportation specialists Cross County Connection Transportation Management Association (CCCTMA), allows users to quickly check the real-time traffic conditions and view live traffic cameras, at intersections known for congestion in southern New Jersey. CCCTMA says the NJ Intersections app works on iPhone and Android-enabled devices with an easy-to-use interface that quickly shows you exactly what the traffic situation looks like at any selected intersection. Simply touching the scr

UDRIVE is the first large-scale integrated driving study in Europe and aims to provide in-depth knowledge in a number of areas. Cars, trucks and motorcycles will be equipped with sensors and cameras for around one year and provide continuous and detailed information about the driver and the vehicle in interaction with other road users. This will result in a wealth of information about everyday trips on European roads. The UDRIVE project started in October 2012, and the forthcoming UDRIVE workshop offers the

Austria’s Federal State of Niederösterreich has been successfully using Gewi’s TIC software solution to create and distribute information on winter road conditions and work zones for the state’s14,000 kilometre road network. During the winter season, each of the fifty-eight road maintenance departments reports current road conditions in their district to the TIC system, which creates an overview report on which districts have snowfall, road conditions, the highest/lowest temperature, snow chain requirements

The US Department of Transportation (USDOT) is making funds available to existing and potential multi-state organisations and other agencies engaged in corridor transportation activities for participation in the Multi-state Corridor Operations and Management (MCOM) Program authorised by the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU). The purpose of the investment is to promote regional cooperation, planning, and shared project implementation for program

Jakarta city administration and Jakarta Police have teamed up to prepare a more sophisticated system of traffic enforcement using electronic ticketing, in order to reduce fraudulent practices by police officers in the field. “Such a measure will reduce illegal levies collected by traffic policemen in the field from traffic violators,” Deputy Jakarta Governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama said. To support the system, the administration will install CCTV cameras across the capital to record traffic violations

T-Systems Hungary has been awarded a contract by Hungarian public transport operator Kaposvari Tomegkozlekedesi to set up a new passenger information system in the municipality of Kaspovar. The project includes the installation of passenger information displays including 41 solar-powered units at bus stops, wi-fi hotspots, and a new real-time GPS tracking system. Bus arrival times will be displayed on the passenger information displays, including information on the arrival of low-floor buses for the disabl

The Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) is to expand its real-time travel information to include route 114, enabling motorists travelling on route 114 north in East Providence to view travel time estimates to I-95 and T F Green airport via the Department's existing electronic message board on route 114 north. Travel times are currently displayed each weekday on fixed overhead and portable roadside electronic message signs on I-95, I-195, and route 146, and complement other RIDOT travel plannin