News

The Intelligent Transportation Society of America’s (ITS America) 23rd Annual Meeting and Exposition will be held at the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center in Nashville, TN from April 22 – 24, 2013, and will showcase the latest ITS technology solutions with an exhibit hall and panel discussions featuring national, regional and local transportation officials and innovation leaders. The three-day event will highlight the latest transportation innovations that are being developed and implemented acr

The US Department of Transportation's (US DOT) Dynamic Mobility Applications program is exploring the future possibilities for connected vehicles where cars, trucks, buses, the roadside, and smartphones will talk to each other. They will share valuable safety, mobility, and environmental information over a wireless communications network that is already connecting and transforming transportation systems. Such a system of “connected vehicles,” mobile devices, and roads will provide a wealth of transportation

Finland-headquartered contactless fare media supplier Confidex is to supply Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT) with contactless ITSO (the UK technical standard for interoperable smart ticketing) smart tickets to replace the magnetic stripe tickets currently in use across the Glasgow underground system. The tickets will be encoded and issued from vending machines, parking machines and ticket offices. SPT assistant chief executive Eric Stewart says: “A key part of SPT’s subway modernisation work is

The latest research by the US Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) found that red light running rates declined at Arlington, Virginia, intersections equipped with cameras. The decreases were particularly large for the most dangerous violations, those happening 1.5 seconds or longer after the light turned red. "This study provides fresh evidence that automated enforcement can get drivers to modify their behaviour," says Anne McCartt, senior vice president for research at IIHS and the study's lead au

Kapsch CarrierCom, supplier of GSM-R railway safety systems, is to partner with Dutch technology manufacturer Rohill Engineering to offer Terrestrial Trunked Radio (TETRA) solutions for public transport. Rohill’s TETRA infrastructure solution uses soft-switch technology and a real-time Linux operating system to provide numerous benefits including increased flexibility, speed and integration of IP. Kapsch has already equipped more than 70,000 kilometres of railway with GSM-R technology, supporting both safet

Cubic Transportation Systems has broadened its portfolio of transportation solutions with the acquisition of NextBus from Webtech Wireless. The US-based integrator of payment and information technology and services for intelligent travel solutions says the acquisition also positions NextBus to accelerate its growth by leveraging Cubic's global presence and customer base. NextBus is a software-as-a-service (SaaS) solution that accurate, real-time arrival information for buses, subways and trains. The system

The UK’s Transport Research Laboratory (TRL) has launched MAAPcloud, the new generation version of its MAAP road traffic collision data software which TRL has supplied in the UK and globally since the 1980s. TRL says this brand new version provides a better fit with today’s technological environments, and offers additional capabilities for the road safety professionals who use it. MAAPcloud has been designed to allow flexible deployment; police forces, local authorities and other road safety stakeholders ca

The three-year iMobility Support, launched by Ertico-ITS Europe will support the deployment of intelligent mobility in Europe by assisting with the work of the iMobility Forum. The project builds on eight years’ experience in similar initiatives and will assist with important activities such as stakeholder networking, product deployment and communications. The iMobility Forum is a broad consortium of stakeholders who have an interest in intelligent transportation systems (ITS) and services and works to de

The city of Glasgow has won a Future Cities Demonstrator grant from the Technology Strategy Board (TSB), a body set up by the UK government in 2007 to stimulate technology-enabled innovation. The grant, worth US$37.8 million, is intended to make Glasgow one of the UK's first smart cities; the money will be used on projects to demonstrate how a city of the future might work. Plans include better services for citizens, with real-time information about traffic and apps to check that buses and trains are on tim

TomTom Business Solutions has joined forces with stolen vehicle recovery specialist LoJack to expand the North American distribution network for its fleet management technology. LoJack will use its extensive dealer network to market, sell and support TomTom’s range of fleet management solutions, including TomTom PRO, TomTom Link 510, TomTom Webfleet, ecoPlus as well as the Live services including HD Traffic. “This strategic alliance enables both companies to strengthen their position as best-in-class provid

Danish wireless technology company Blip systems has supplied engineering and technology services provider Beca with its BlipTrack Bluetooth traffic monitoring system, which has been deployed in Waikato, New Zealand. The Te Rapa Bypass project is the first of a planned US$2 billion investment by the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) in the Waikato region’s transportation network over the next eight years. The BlipTrack solution has been established in advance of these projects and will continue to assess

The Department for Transport’s (DfT) Traffic Signs Policy paper entitled “Signing the Way” sets out the policy framework for ensuring that the traffic signing system in Great Britain meets the future needs of all road users, whilst building upon the existing and established traffic sign system. Within this framework the issue of how traffic signs will be illuminated in the future is considered. In response to this, visitors to Traffex 2013, the 26th international traffic engineering, road safety, parking an

The Ministry of Transport of Quebec (MTQ), Canada, is to acquire thirty-seven new safety cameras, following an announcement in 2012 that it planned to add twenty-five photographic speed measuring devices in areas with a high accident risk, near schools and along road works. Fifteen devices have already been successfully tested. In total, thirty-seven cameras will be installed, including eighteen mobile speed cameras, fifteen red light cameras, which can be used at traffic lights to detect vehicles that spee

Thailand’s government has announced a USD 74.01 billion investment package to boost the country's transport system. According to Transport Minister, Chadchat Sittipunt, 78 per cent of the total investment will cover transport infrastructure projects including rail, roads, air and water transports. He added that the infrastructure upgrades will lower logistics expenses by as high as 13.2%, by shifting transportation mode from roads to rail network. The huge spending on infrastructure was crucial for the cou

Transport Scotland has announced a US$3.8 million package to replace safety cameras across the country. The safety cameras, which detect motorists driving above the speed limit, will be upgraded to digital technology. The new cameras will offer a number of benefits including improved reliability, faster processing of offences and clearer images of offending vehicles. A Transport Scotland spokeswoman said: "Road safety is a priority for this government and we are making good progress towards meeting the amb