News

In a partnership that they say will advance intelligent transportation systems (ITS) and car-to-X communications, US-headquartered IT provider Cisco and Dutch semiconductor supplier NXP Semiconductors are to invest in wireless communications specialist Cohda Wireless. The three companies will apply their collective expertise and technologies to help automotive OEMs, suppliers, enterprises and consumers to connect vehicles with ITS infrastructure. This will be spearheaded by producing the first automotive-q

Catching the next airport bus is expected to be a lot simpler for Citybus’s Cityflyer airport bus passengers. The IT and network technology provider NEC Hong Kong recently developed a fleet management system (FMS) that uses GPS-based technology to monitor airport buses and predict their arrival times at upcoming bus stops. Available at Citybus’ web site and as a smartphone mobile app, the estimated time of arrival (ETA) service covers around 300 bus stops of all Citybus A routes and the accuracy of predicti

In a response to a move to remove unnecessary clutter in cities and rural areas, more than 9,000 road traffic signs have been taken down in England, where local councils have been urged to think more creatively about the number and location of their location. Ministers have warned that excessive signs can be a distraction to motorists and make roads appear unattractive. In October 2011, the requirement for certain road signs was lifted; the government plans to give councils more discretion over where they p

Traffic police in Singapore are planning to implement an average speed enforcement system, to be trialled along the pan-island expressway and Changi coast road. The average speed enforcement system works by recording the time a vehicle takes to travel between two points to calculate its average speed, which the police say means that speeding motorists cannot evade the law even if they slow down before or speed up after the cameras. Speed detectors placed at the start and end points - to be determined in c

As part of the award of a frame agreement worth US$12.8 million for the supply of toll tags, Q-Free is to supply tags to the value of US$4.1 million to Centro Gestao Meios de Pagto (CGMP) in Brazil. Tags valued at US$8.4 million have already been supplied under the agreement. Q-Free says its OBU610 is the most advanced universal toll tag of its kind, designed to blend into the interior of any modern vehicle, small enough not obstruct the driver’s view, and yet powerful enough to support all applicable CEN

As part of its ongoing efforts to bring real-time traveller information to New Hampshire motorists, the New Hampshire Department of Transportation (NHDOT) has partnered with TrafficLand, a Virginia-based company, to provide real-time viewing access to the NHDOT's highway cameras. The public can now view traffic and road conditions from NHDOT cameras in ten regions of the state via the TrafficLand website, www.Trafficland.com. The camera locations are tied to interactive Google maps, which display travel sp

In an effort to gather information on the number of walkers and cyclists using pedestrian routes in Angoed and Treforest in Wales, sustainable transport charity Sustrans has installed Eco-Multi counters from UK company Traffic Technology. The counters have been installed on national cycle networks routes in Angoed and Treforest, which provide mainly traffic-free routes, enabling cyclists, walkers and horse-riders to enjoy healthy, affordable and scenic travel to work, school or the shops, or for leisure. T

Telematics Update’s V2X for Safety and Mobility Europe 2013 Conference, to be held in Frankfurt on 20-21 February 2013, will bring together decision makers from OEMs, government, suppliers, manufacturers and road operators, allowing key players in the value chain to gain insights into different strategies that are breaking ground in the European TS landscape. A line-up of speakers from organisations including BMW, ETSI, Renault, Denso, Scania, NEC, Cohda, RWS and the European Commission, amongst others, wil

More than US$13.44 million funding will be spent by train companies to boost passenger information at stations across the UK. The funding will pay for a national roll-out to link customer information screens at stations to the latest live real time train information data, fed from a database developed and maintained by train companies. The upgrade will be rolled out in around 2,000 National Rail stations. The first stations will be switched on in summer 2014 and the whole project is anticipated to be comp

Spain-headquartered technology company Indra has designed an Urban Interoperability Platform (UOIP), which it says aids a city’s different systems to exchange information and define behaviour patterns and adapt services to real needs. Using the company’s Atanea technology to integrate and manage all services and solutions comprising a city ecosystem, Indra says the solution ensures greater efficiency in providing services as a result of the coordination of resources available in the city. The company claims

A planned Washington Department of Transportation (WSDOT) study could make tolling on interstate-90 bridges over Lake Washington and across Mercer Island all but inevitable. Tolling on the state route 520 floating bridge began about a year ago and transportation officials have been closely monitoring two factors: the routes that drivers are now using and the cost to replace the aging 520 bridge. In response, the state legislature last session asked for a new environmental study to review the affects of toll

After years of renovation, Cambodia's modern railway system has commenced commercial rail operations on the 256 km southern line between the capital city of Phnom Penh and Sihanoukville Port. The renovation was carried out with financial support from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and development partners. "ADB welcomes this first commercial train service to the Port of Sihanoukville which marks a significant development towards the completion of the long-awaited Pan-Asian railroad - a contiguous Iron Sil

Sweden's second city Gothenburg will is to introduce a road toll for all motorists entering or leaving the city, similar to one already in place in the capital Stockholm. The system, aimed at financing infrastructure investments, reducing greenhouse gases and cutting traffic in Gothenburg's city centre by around 15 percent, will include some forty toll stations around the city. According to Eva Rosman of the Swedish Transport Agency, the system introduced in Stockholm in 2007 has led to a 15-18 percent redu

The first step towards a long-awaited reform of Tijuana’s antiquated and inefficient public transportation system is scheduled to begin early in 2013, with the construction of a 10.5 mile rapid-transit bus route linking the San Ysidro border to the eastern El Florido area of the city. The city is currently served by a disorganised network of buses and taxis. The US$123 million project, known as Ruta Troncal Número 1, is expected to serve more than 120,000 residents a day. Mexico’s federal development bank,

Norwegian-headquartered tolling specialist Q-Free is to acquire 100 per cent of the shares of TCS International (TCS). Established more than ten years ago, TCS has fifteen employees, with offices in Boston, US, and a subsidiary in Toronto, Canada. The company provides advanced transportation management systems (ATMS), specialising in intelligent parking guidance and management systems. TCS offers consulting solutions and systems design for a wide range of clients including cities, transportation organisati