Parking & Access Control

Although urban traffic control and parking management are inextricably linked in so many ways, there remain fundamental differences which undermine closer integration. Car parking guidance systems can have a significant, positive impact on congestion in town and city centres, however conflicting business models still stand in the way of the more profound integration of car parking management and Urban Traffic Control (UTC) systems.

Traffic Technology is launching the iSight CSS (Cycle Safety System), which detects cyclists in mixed traffic to provide advance warning to motorists of the cyclist's presence. The event will also be the opportunity for the company to introduce the Datacollector, which provides fast and easy data communication with the SID Speed Indicator Display.

The District Department of Transportation (DDOT) and Parkmobile have announced a programme that will allow residents, workers and visitors to use their mobile phones to pay for parking at all of the approximately 17,000 on-street metered spaces throughout the District of Columbia.

Amongst a total of nine pay and display parking machines on the Metric stand at Traffex will be an Aura cashless machine as well as the brand-new Metric Mobile that allows customers to pay on their mobile phone using a credit or debit card.

Like most countries, Bermuda recognised that it was losing revenue through non-compliance with vehicle registration regulations and was equally concerned about vehicles that were not properly insured or put through annual inspections. Indeed, the tiny island state, with a population of around 65,000 people and some 30,000 vehicles, estimated it was losing more than US$1.4 million per year in tax-based revenue since approximately 8 per cent of vehicle owners were cheating the system.

The newly launched Zeag Orion Xbit is designed for smaller enterprises (up to 100 spaces) with a need for a simple but professional car parking solution but who don't require a lot of peripherals, complex software and reporting systems. The unit accepts all payment methods including cash, cards, credit tickets and tokens, and provides a basic level of services including transaction reporting. The Xbit can work in standalone mode, meaning installation is quick and easy with minimum disruption as no costly ca

The Isle of Wight Council (IWC) in the UK has deployed crime-busting SmartWater traps, following a spate of thefts and vandalism from its 140 ageing Parkeon DG-Series Pay & Display (P&D) machines in the last year.

Paul Vorster, CEO of ITS South Africa, takes a look at the national enforcement situation in the year when the country gears up to host the FIFA Soccer World Cup. There are four main drivers pushing the growth of ITS-related law enforcement within South Africa. These are: transport operations associated with hosting the FIFA Soccer World Cup 2010; traffic management linked to increasing congestion; the development of new public transport systems such as BRT; and vehicle and driver-related crime.

International Road Dynamics (IRD) has been awarded a contract, valued at over US$1.4 million, by the Hawaii Department of Transportation (HDOT) to provide Enhanced Vehicle Classification (EVC) data collection.

Germany-headquartered Mile Traffic and Travel has been awarded a new multi year contract from BMW to provide next-generation real time traffic information throughout Europe.