News

As part of its activities, the UK RAC Foundation (Royal Automobile Association) has published a research report, 'The Acceptability of Road Pricing' by Dr John Walker, which shows that paying for roads as you use them is common across the globe and that a significant number of schemes in operation have met a broad range of objectives without being prohibitively expensive. They have also been largely technically successful and once in place tend to gain public acceptance and support.

Equity Residential, a leading US owner and operator of apartment properties, and Zipcar have announced a strategic partnership that will expand the presence of Zipcar's car sharing services at Equity Residential apartment properties. As part of this agreement, Zipcar, which claims more than 560,000 members and over 8,000 vehicles in urban areas and college campuses throughout the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom, will provide vehicles onsite at Equity Residential properties in New York, Boston,

At last week's 32nd International Vienna Motor Symposium, the chairman of the Volkswagen Group, Prof. Dr. Martin Winterkorn, announced that the group will be going into production with a range of important models with plug-in hybrid technology starting in 2013/14.

WebTech Wireless, a provider of vehicle fleet location-based services and telematics technology, has received a four-year contract from the Fort Worth Transportation Authority (FWTA), in Texas, to implement its NextBus Real-Time Passenger Information System (RTPIS) on an enhanced bus route. This will use nine dedicated buses equipped with NextBus GPS units, plus 17 NextBus LED signs installed at selected high-volume bus stops. The company also will implement its telephone information system to provide Fort

The US-based Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) has joined a variety of industries and companies in forming the Coalition to Save Our GPS. This group aims to resolve a serious threat to the Global Positioning System (GPS). The threat stems from a recent highly unusual decision by the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to grant a conditional waiver allowing the dramatic expansion of terrestrial use of the satellite spectrum immediately neighbouring that of GPS. There is a risk it could pote

The US-based Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) has joined a variety of industries and companies in forming the Coalition to Save Our GPS. This group aims to resolve a serious threat to the Global Positioning System (GPS). The threat stems from a recent highly unusual decision by the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to grant a conditional waiver allowing the dramatic expansion of terrestrial use of the satellite spectrum immediately neighbouring that of GPS. There is a risk it could pote

Visteon is expanding automotive component testing capabilities at its engineering test centre in Brazil, one of the most advanced automotive technical centers in Latin America. The Visteon Tech Centre, located at the company's Arbor manufacturing facility in Guarulhos (SP), will now start performing thermal cycle tests on internal and external components for vehicles.

The launch of the first two operational satellites of the EU's global navigation satellite system will take place on 20 October, the European Commission has announced. This is just the first of a series of launches due to take off from Europe's Space Port in Kourou, French Guiana. The launch of the Galileo satellites at an altitude of 23,600km will lead to the provision of initial satellite navigation services in 2014. Successive launches will complete the constellation by 2019.

The International Road Federation has special cause to celebrate during 2011. This year marks the 20th anniversary for the International Road Educational Foundation’s (IREF) Future Fund. This endowment-style funding mechanism has been supported by IRF member organisations and individuals to ensure the long-term stability of the IRF Fellowship Programme. It also helps with the organisation's commitment to future generations of global transportation industry leaders.

Ford engineers have developed a car seat that can monitor a driver's heartbeat, opening the door to a wealth of health, convenience and even life-saving potential. A joint project undertaken by experts from Ford's European Research and Innovation Centre in Aachen, Germany and Rheinisch-Westfalische Technische Hochschule (RWTH) Aachen University, the seat uses six special embedded sensors to detect electrical impulses generated by the heart.

HaCon has won the contract for EVAplus, a large-scale Deutsche Bahn (DB) project which will see complete remodeling of the integration of the German operator's timetable data.

Klaus Schierhackl has been appointed as the new president of ASECAP, the European Association of tolled road infrastructure operators. The election of the new president took place yesterday at the 39th ASECAP Study and Information Days, the annual congress of the tolled motorways operators.

As America braces for $4 average price for gasoline and the potential fallout from breaching this psychological barrier, a new study has just been released by the Mobility Collaborative that predicts $4 per gallon is not enough to significantly reduce the number of people choosing to drive alone as single occupant vehicle travellers (SOV).

StarTraq, a UK-headquartered specialist in offence management, is today announcing its launch into the Asian market at Intertraffic China 2012, following the successful launch of its International Partner Programme in Europe earlier this year. The company aims to increase the global reach for its cloud-based software that automates repetitive processes, such as traffic offences.