News

ITS America has honoured Meritor Wabco, a leading supplier of safety and control systems for commercial vehicles, with a national award recognizing OnGuard, the first radar based collision safety system to include collision warning, adaptive cruise control (ACC) with active braking and a collision mitigation system (CMS). The system assists the driver in maintaining a safe following distance and reduces the risk of rear-end collisions.

The International Transport Forum (ITF) at the OECD, an intergovernmental organisation with 54 member countries that acts as a strategic think tank for global transport policy and organises an annual summit of transport ministers, has announced that internationally renowned academic José Viegas of Portugal has taken office as secretary-general of the organisation. Elected by Ministers from Forum member countries at their summit in May, he joins the ITF from an internationally recognised career as an academi

Wabtec Corporation’s MotivePower subsidiary has signed a $45 million contract with Metrolinx, an agency of the Province of Ontario and the regional transportation authority for the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA), to repower 11 locomotives with new engines and propulsion systems that meet significantly higher environmental standards.

The Singapore Land Transport Authority (LTA) has prepared tender documents to invite consultants to upgrade the aesthetics of the island republic’s existing traffic lights. It says it will conduct a pilot study, beginning with the Marina Bay area, where the new traffic lights would be designed to better suit the area's iconic streetscape. They should also have the ability to carry external equipment, like surveillance cameras. In addition, the design should include means to prevent "unauthorised stickers" o

Q-Free has been awarded a new frame agreement for delivery of tolling tags from Centro Gestao Meios de Pagto (CGMP), Brazil's Centro tag distributor, valued at US$12, with a guaranteed volume of just over $4 million.

Frederick County, Maryland, has turned to Xerox and its CrossSafe programme to monitor children getting on and off of the buses and record drivers who pass illegally. The company will provide the technology, software and process the violations and maintain the programme under a five-year contract. The Frederick County Sheriff’s Office will review and verify all violations before they are issued.

UK company Traffic Technology has deployed sensors from its Eco Pyro range to monitor pedestrian visitors to the historic Abbey Gardens in Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk. The network of monitors will provide information for staff and resource allocation and as a performance indicator to monitor the success of the many major events held in the gardens.

Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Environmental, Safety and Energy Technology UMSICHT in Oberhausen, Germany, have developed CryoSolplus, an innovative new coolant that conducts heat away from an electric vehicle battery much more effectively than water, keeping the battery temperature within an acceptable range even in extreme driving situations.

During a one week trial, Tussam, the bus services operator in Seville, Spain, issued 67 notices to cars parked in bus lanes, advising drivers that they are parked in lanes reserved for public transport, which includes taxis as well as buses. At present, the notices are just a warning but from 1 October 2012, Tussam will start fining cars €200 (US$246) and two points will be deducted from an offending driver’s licence. The aim of the enforcement campaign is to increase the average speed of buses in Seville

Spain-headquartered Indra has become the technological leader for Medellín's traffic and transportation systems after being awarded two contracts valued at just over US$11 million. The first contract, awarded by the Medellín Subway, will allow the city to have an intermodal public transportation system that is unique in Colombia and will facilitate the management and the combined use of the subway and buses.

Image Sensing Systems (ISS) announced yesterday that Kenneth R. Aubrey’s employment as president and chief executive officer (CEO) of Image Sensing Systems has been terminated, effective immediately. The board has named Kris B. Tufto, a member of Image Sensing Systems’ board, as interim president and CEO. Tufto has served as a member of the board since September 2011. He will continue to serve on the board, but will step down from the three board committees because his role as interim president and CEO posi

Image Sensing Systems (ISS) announced yesterday that Kenneth R. Aubrey’s employment as president and chief executive officer (CEO) of Image Sensing Systems has been terminated, effective immediately. The board has named Kris B. Tufto, a member of Image Sensing Systems’ board, as interim president and CEO. Tufto has served as a member of the board since September 2011. He will continue to serve on the board, but will step down from the three board committees because his role as interim president and CEO posi

TÜV Rheinland’s ITS group has been selected to provide user acceptance testing (UAT) support for the 495 Express Lanes, the new high-occupancy toll (HOT) lanes opening on the Virginia side of the I-495/Capital Beltway at the end of this year. The project is one of the largest transportation endeavours in the US, aiming to ease traffic on one of the country’s most congested corridors and UAT is a key testing component of the project that will involve testing all aspects of the Express Lanes tolling hardware

Europe will emerge as the most competitive regional market for hybrid and electric medium-heavy trucks and buses, globally, according to Frost & Sullivan. This will be particularly true for the transit bus segment, which is expected to experience proliferation of competitors, both on the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) and supplier side. Strategic Analysis of the Medium- to Heavy-duty Hybrid and Electric Commercial Vehicle Market in EMEA Region, from Frost & Sullivan, estimates that nearly seven per c

ITS Australia has issued a call for entries for its annual National ITS Awards competition in three categories - ITS Excellence Award, Young Professional Encouragement Award, and Max Lay Life Time Achievement Award. The ITS Excellence Award is given for projects responding to one or more of the themes safety, mobility and/or environment. Within those themes, entries will be judged on how innovative, well developed, sustainable, transferable and interoperable the project is, its environmental effectiveness,