Urban Traffic Control

FastGo to bring ride-hailing service to Indonesia and Myanmar

October 11, 2018

Vietnamese ride-hailing company FastGo intends to expand its service to Indonesia and Myanmar by the end of the year. In a report from Việt Nam News, Nguyễn Hữu Tuất, FastGo’s CEO, says the company expects to occupy a 30% market share in Indonesia and take second place after Grab in Myanmar. The company aims to raise US$50 million in a new round of funding to help accelerate regional expansion, Tuất adds. According to Tuất: “We chose Myanmar and Indonesia as we have relevant strategies for them in place.

Just Zip it! Lindsay takes to the road

October 10, 2018

Greater vehicle connectivity is going to have huge implications for traffic management. David Arminas climbed aboard a Lindsay Road Zipper to see what this might mean in future As vice president of barrier specialist QMB Canada, Marc-Andre Seguin is sanguine about the future for moveable barriers. On the one hand, it looks good. The oft-stated advantage of moveable barriers is that the systems are cheaper to install than adding a lane or two to a highway or bridge. Directional changes to lanes can boost

The search for travel management's Holy Grail

October 10, 2018

Combining accurate network estimates and forecasts with real-time information is the way to deal with traffic hot spots. Alan Dron looks at products which aim to achieve just that. Traffic management authorities have for years been trying to get ahead of the game. Instead of reacting to situations, they want to be able to head them off as they occur – or even before they happen. Finding that Holy Grail of successfully anticipating problems will save time, tension and tempers on city streets. Two new system

Australia and Michigan to develop safer roads and vehicle technology

October 10, 2018

The Australian government and the US state of Michigan have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to develop vehicle and road systems to help improve road safety. Michael McCormack, deputy prime minister and minister for infrastructure, transport and regional development, says the agreement is part of a strategy to position Australia for safer roads through automated and connected vehicles. “This is just one way the government is promoting safer vehicles on safer roads, including for our region

Ride-hailing companies could face taxes in San Francisco

October 9, 2018

Ride-hailing companies could be taxed for starting their journeys in San Francisco following a bill signed by California governor Jerry Brown. The bill - AB 1184 - calls for a 3.25% tax on net rider fares for single-party trips, or those provided by an autonomous vehicle, as well as a 3.25% tax on shared rides. Additionally, the city or county would be able to set a lower tax rate for net rider fares for those provided by a lower emission vehicle. A report by the San Francisco Chronicle says the

Nearly 25% of UK millennials ‘favour renting cars’ – new research

October 9, 2018

Nearly a quarter of UK millennials would forgo buying a car and are likely to subscribe to a car-as-a-service scheme within the next year, according to new research. The study by cloud software subscription service Zuora states UK millennials are ‘key drivers’ for the ‘subscription economy’, with 73% looking to increase subscription use over the next two years. Zuora’s A Nation Subscribed research involved 2,000 consumers and was carried out by YouGov. It shows 77% of 16-24 year olds and 85% of 25-34

Video: giant gantry is lifted overnight on the M6, UK

October 8, 2018

Highways England has released timelapse footage which shows a 20-tonne gantry being lifted over the M6 during an overnight operation in June. The 40m-wide structure will host 10 electronic signs between junctions 18 and 19 is being installed as part of a £274 million smart motorway project in Cheshire. The scheme will be completed in phases with all roadworks due to be removed by Spring 2019.

Netherlands bans electric carts after four children killed

October 8, 2018

The Dutch government has banned electric carts following a road-rail collision which killed four children in the southern town of Oss. The Stint cart carrying the children - aged four to eight - was hit by a train at a level crossing, the BBC says. A witness heard the 32-year-old female driver from a daycare centre shout that her brakes had failed. The driver and a fifth child were seriously injured in the crash. Stints can carry up to 10 children who are strapped in with a s eatbelt. The driver is

Kapsch to deploy advanced traffic management systems in Latin America

October 5, 2018

Kapsch TrafficCom says it is strengthening its presence in Latin America through the delivery of its traffic management systems in three countries. The combined value of the contracts is approximately €15 million. Kapsch’s EcoTrafix urban traffic management software will be used to integrate existing urban traffic control and management systems in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The solution is expected to improve coordination between agencies and will control more than 3,800 intersections, 60 variable message si

One in seven UK drivers would cross a level crossing illegally, says study

October 5, 2018

One in seven UK drivers would drive over a level crossing before the barrier or gate has opened, according to new research. Research agency Populus carried out a study on behalf of Network Rail which reveals six UK drivers have been killed at level crossings in the last five years. There are also around 46 incidents every week in the UK involving vehicles at level crossings – a third of which are caused by lorries, followed by cars at 28%. According to the report, one in nine drivers would go over a l