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Researchers at the Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) have come up with a way to measure the unreliability of trip times due to traffic congestion. The Planning Time Index (PTI) illustrates the amount of extra time needed to arrive on time for higher priority events, such as an airline departure, just-in-time shipments, medical appointments or especially important social commitments. If the PTI for a particular trip is 3.00, a traveller would allow sixty minutes for a trip that typically takes twenty

According to the US Department of Transportation (USDOT), an average of ten drivers in the US is killed and more than 1,100 people are injured every day as a result of accidents caused by distracted drivers. To address this ongoing concern, automotive supplier Continental has developed a concept vehicle, the driver focus vehicle, where driver assistance systems are linked to a highly versatile LED light strip to create a powerful tool against driver distraction. In its driver focus vehicle, Continental has

Swiss manufacturer of non-intrusive traffic detectors ADEC Technologies has added to its range of radar traffic detectors with the TDD1-MW75, a Doppler radar traffic detector with a 75 m (250 ft.) detection range. The TDD1-MW75 can be conveniently configured for detection range of 30/45 and 75 metres (100/150/250 ft) using an infra red remote control, available as extra accessory. The detector is specifically designed for green phase request or extension at temporary or permanent traffic lights. “While ther

A Chinese electric vehicle consortium led by the Beijing Institute of Technology (BIT) has signed agreements to help develop an electric bus network in Poland. Other members of the consortium are BIT subsidiary BIT Huachuang Electric Vehicle Technology, CITIC Guoan Mengguli Power Science and Technology and Shanghai Dianba New Energy Technology. According to the agreements signed with Warsaw University of Technology and Polish power company Tauron Polska Energia, the Chinese group and Tauron will establish

The JustRide end-to-end Smartphone Ticketing system for transit developed by mobile transport ticketing supplier Masabi has been named as a finalist in this year's Global Mobile Awards in the Best Mobile Innovation for Smart Cities category alongside AT&T, Vodafone, Huawei, Streetline and ZTE. The first JustRide system was launched on Boston's commuter rail network in November 2012 and, says the company, within seven weeks had already sold more than 100,000 tickets and now accounts for almost 10 per cent of

Orange Park is the latest town in north Florida to invest in red-light cameras. Over the next 20 days, crews will be installing, setting up and unveiling the machines at three intersections. A 30-day public awareness campaign will begin in March and the cameras will go live on 1 April. "Hopefully these red-light cameras will not only make people aware of running the red lights, but make them aware they need to slow down," Orange Park Police Chief Gary Goble said. York Region, Ontario is to install twenty r

The European Commission has announced the six finalists in two awards focused on raising awareness of and developing sustainable and environmentally-friendly approaches to mobility. The European Mobility Week (EMW) award scheme rewards the local authority deemed to have done the most in raising public awareness of sustainable mobility issues and implementing measures to achieve a shift towards sustainable urban transport. The winning city is chosen by an independent panel of transport experts who assess all

Transportation consultants Cambridge Systematics have been presented with the 2012 Innovative Transportation Solution of the Year for MTA Bus Time, New York City’s real-time bus customer information system. The award, presented by the Women’s Transportation Seminar (WTS) Greater New York Chapter, recognises organisations for their efforts in enhancing the transportation industry in their community through innovation and creativity, and providing value. Cambridge Systematics and partner OpenPlans Transporta

Satellite vehicle tracking technology from Isotrak is helping Skanska UK’s utilities business save on fuel and reduce emissions. Using the real-time system to track the company’s mobile workforce on the road enables efficient vehicle management and provides detailed reporting on individual driving styles for each driver. This has enabled the company to manage its fleet and drivers better by helping them to comply with its environmental policy and duty of care programme. According to Isotrak, the solution c

Over the next three and a half years, the US$21.1 million Mobinet project aims to capitalise on the widespread growth in smartphones, mobile data services, and cloud-based computing to launch a new generation of travel apps for European citizens, and transport services for businesses and local authorities. Intelligent transport services (ITS) apply leading-edge mobile communications and information technology to make travel safer, smarter and cleaner, but the challenge is to deploy these Europe-wide and to

Image Sensing Systems (ISS) has introduced what it claims is the fastest, most accurate automated licence plate recognition (ALPR) engine in the world with its CitySync rapid plate recognition technology. The rapid plate recognition technology reads a licence plate numerous times and uses multiple advanced methods for both optical character recognition and plate finding for each plate read. The system looks for objects and then initiates multiple processing techniques that run concurrently on vehicles trave

Finland’s capital city, Helsinki, has installed an intelligent vehicle access control system in an effort to increase road safety, reduce hazardous emissions and make the city centre more cyclist and pedestrian friendly. Developed by Dutch vehicle detection supplier Nedap, the system provides selective vehicle access control, enabling the city to regulate traffic move movements and reduce the volume of vehicles in the city centre, by allowing only vehicles with a valid permit to enter. The system offers a

A new road sensor system is set to offer more accurate warnings for slippery surfaces. The TrackIce system, developed by Mowic, is to be installed by road maintenance contractor Peab along a 30 kilometre stretch of highway E4 between Stora Essingen and Södertälje in Sweden. According to Mowic, the TrackIce system is quick to install without the need for cables, enabling it to be installed in remote areas where no power is available. The TrackIce central unit can also handle information from other sensors su

Researchers from the US Lighting Research Center (LRC) and Penn State University have recently published a paper entitled “To illuminate or not to illuminate: Roadway lighting as it affects traffic safety at intersections”. Published in the journal Accident Analysis and Prevention the paper describes a parallel approach to lighting safety analysis. Tackling the tricky questions of when and where to install roadway illumination, while at the same reducing municipal costs, is a challenge for transportation a

Lagos, Nigeria, is about to get a mass transit system with a difference, which the manufacturer says will play its part in reducing congestion and air pollution in the city. For the first time in the country’s history of Nigeria, a cable car company, Ropeways Transport, is set to launch a cable car mass urban transit system in the nation’s commercial capital. Under the terms of a thirty-year franchise agreement between Ropeways Transport, the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA) and the Lag