News

ABI Research’s Intelligent Transportation Systems vendor Competitive Assessment analysed fifteen leading intelligent transportation systems vendors against six “innovation” and seven “implementation” criteria in addition to a market share analysis. The analysis ranks Kapsch TraffiCom first, saying it performed strongly across hardware, software, and solutions and excelling in toll collect and road use charging, traffic data, monitoring, and management, road and vehicle safety systems, and hardware. In secon

West Palm Beach is to significantly expand its red-light camera program in 2013 after commissioners approved plans to install cameras at twenty-five new intersections, bringing the number of intersections equipped to catch drivers who illegally run red lights to thirty-two. The move comes despite a recent city police report that tracked five of the existing seven red-light cameras and found crashes nearly doubled in those locations between February 2011 and January 2013, to 66 from 36. Police Chief Vince De

Intelligent traffic management information solutions provider Iteris has added a new product to its Vantage video detection product suite. SmartSpan uses proprietary Dynamic Zone Stabilisation (DZS) algorithms to provide accurate and cost effective advance detection and stop-bar detection of vehicles at intersections equipped with span wire mounted signal lights. According to Iteris, the new solution addresses the unmet needs of many traffic management agencies that have not been able to cost-effectively de

In an open letter to UK Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin, thirty-two leading transport academics have said that in order to cut emissions and tackle congestion the government should introduce pay as you drive road charging. The academics argue that traffic will increase with further investment in the road network. They say smart demand management measures need to be accelerated, while cities are not equipped for further road traffic growth. The previous government considered pay as you go road chargin

Bus passengers in San Bernardino, California now have up-to-the-minute, accurate bus arrival information at their fingertips with bus operator Omnitrans’ new NexTrip technology. Passengers can access NexTrip real-time bus information via mobile web browser, desktop computer, SMS/text, or by calling 1-800-9-OMNIBUS and selecting the NexTrip option. Online, customers can view buses and stops on a route map with real-time tracking. They even can sign up for automatic alerts, such as notification when the bus i

Compass3D, the latest EU project, aims to prove the social and environmental benefits of cooperative systems by deploying services for road users, including drivers of buses, emergency vehicles, trucks, taxis, electric vehicles and private cars, to increase road safety and energy efficiency, while reducing the level of congestion in road transport. With a total budget of more than US$13 million, this new pilot project will involve 574 users and 334 vehicles in the deployment of co-operative ITS (C-ITS) in s

German vehicle manufacturer BMW, through its brand BMWi, is continuing its strategy of electro-mobility based on the needs of the customer by forming a partnership with French electrical equipment and energy management specialist Schneider Electric to create a recharging system for electric vehicles. The agreement includes supply and installation of a wall-mounted recharging station for the BMWi3 and BMWi8, maintenance and other services, which will enable drivers to recharge the vehicle in their own garage

Electric car owners in British Columbia (BC), Canada, are to benefit from electric vehicle charging stations to be set up in twelve communities across the province the provincial government. Environment minister Terry Lake said that a total of US$1.31 million will be invested to set up the stations, which will also meet the West Coast Green Highway agreement that BC has signed with three US states, in which charging stations will be set up along the Pacific West Coast, from California to BC.

Capitalising on its investment in Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) technology, New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) is to install permanent dynamic message signs (DMS) along New Jersey’s interstate highways. The signs display major waypoints, such as intersecting highways or significant roadway features, and indicate how many minutes it will take to reach that waypoint. The DOT has completed the testing phase on fifteen DMS on I-287 and I-195 and is planning further signs on other major

As part of a plan to enhance asset management and drive efficiencies, Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council in the UK has implemented street lighting software from UK supplier of local authority service management systems, Mayrise Systems. Supported by £400,000 worth of funding from the Department of Transport the council has developed a number of projects designed to develop a model for highway asset management, to be achieved through innovative use of IT and the continued delivery of safety schemes.

In response to recent comments by FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski, and the ongoing study of spectrum sharing being undertaken by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, the Intelligent Transportation Society of America (ITS America) urged spectrum policymakers not to fast track a decision on opening the 5.9 GHz band to unlicensed users. A complete record and fair opportunity for all affected parties to participate in the process needs to be addressed, particularly since life-saving v

Keeping an accurate log of business mileage is made easier by a new app launched by TomTom; the new Webfleet logbook app for Android and iPhone helps drivers and businesses reduce mileage claim administration and creates reliable logs to help with tax compliance. A driver simply selects whether a journey is for business, private or commuting purposes, validating journey information on his mobile device. The app works in combination with the in-vehicle TomTom’s link tracking device which reports the trip inf

San Diego North County’s Interstate 15 corridor is best known for its flood of freeway traffic, not its mass transit stations. This is due to change next year, when the Sabre Springs/Penasquitos transit station, just east of I-15 on Sabre Springs Parkway, is set to undergo a US$12.2 million face-lift that will include a four-storey parking garage, electric vehicle charging stations, electronic next bus signs and even some smart parking spaces. “This will be our flagship station,” said Frank Owsiany, who ov

The US Department of Transportation (USDOT) is seeking public input as it develops the next version of the ITS Strategic Plan. A new document called An Open Dialogue on the Draft Focus and Themes for the Next ITS Strategic Research Plan: Engaging Stakeholders in Their Discussion and Development was released today and it identifies the ITS-related issues that USDOT will focus on for the rest of the decade. The current ITS Strategic Research Plan - 2010-2014 established a focused research agenda to prepare th

Work being carried out by the University of Toronto’s Intelligent Transportation Systems Centre could have a beneficial effect on the city’s congestion problems. Says Professor Baher Abdulhai of the Centre, "Everybody realises that we have a big congestion problem in Toronto and the scarier part is that it's getting worse, exponentially." One of the solutions he's working on is smarter traffic lights using artificial intelligence to control the flow of traffic. "Each traffic light would learn how to time i