Urban Traffic Control

The UK’s Freight Transport Association (FTA) and FIA Europe have welcomed the European Commission’s package of measures, presented this week, to accelerate the transition to low carbon emissions in all sectors of the economy in Europe. The EU says the measures set clear and fair guiding principles to Member States to prepare for the future and keep Europe competitive. Responding to the announcement, the FTA said that the proposed measures are a step in the right direction to reducing freight carbon e

As a result of collaboration between VicRoads and the Technical University of Crete in Victoria, Australia, to find new ways to reduce congestion, drivers on the M80 are to benefit from new technology. Following a manual trial in 2014, the Adaptive Variable Speed Limit has now been implemented on the M80 ring road in Melbourne. The system recognises when traffic is starting to build up and adjusts traffic speed, regulating traffic flow and providing a safer and more reliable journey for the 160,000 drive

The UK government has launched a major consultation to help pave the way for automated cars to be used on British roads, with all drivers invited to have their say. Under the proposed measures, rules will be changed so automated vehicles can be insured for use on the roads. In addition, the Highway Code and regulations are to be altered so advanced driver assistance systems that change lanes on the motorway and park the vehicle by remote control can be used safely. Separately, the government will n

Commuters heading north on Wellington’s urban motorway will now get a smoother trip as the new lane is fully opened and New Zealand’s first smart motorway is turned on in the northbound direction. Using variable speed limits, which will be adjusted in real time in response to changing traffic conditions, the smart motorway will pace vehicles to smooth the traffic flow. Officials say this will result in safer journeys with more predictable travel times. It will also free up nearby roads for better public

In a bid to improve conditions for cyclists in Minneapolis, Global Traffic Technologies (GTT) using existing infrastructure and its Canoga 9004 system to detect and react to bikes at intersections. The traffic detection system is now able to recognise both vehicle and bicycles and the Canoga card reacts quickly enough to give cyclists a green light without needing to slow down or wait at the intersection or navigate a red light. Previously, only vehicles would trigger green traffic signals at intersectio

Transport for London (TfL) has announced its contactless ticketing system is set to be used by other major cities across the globe as part of a deal worth up to US$20 million (£15 million, which will be used to help deliver a fares freeze that the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan has announced across TfL services for the next four years. TfL signed a deal with Cubic Transportation Systems (CTS), allowing them to adapt the capital’s contactless ticketing system worldwide. It is the first of a number of plann

Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA), California, has awarded Iteris a US$2.1 million traffic signal synchronisation and communication as part of its on-going mobility enhancements. The project also includes upgrades to traffic signal infrastructure and signal timing improvements along a heavily travelled nine-mile stretch of the Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) in Newport Beach. Iteris will design and implement traffic signal system infrastructure and fibre-optic communications equipment and synchro

Speaking at the FIA summer cocktail party, European Commissioner Elżbieta Bieńkowska compared the emissions defeat device scandal to the banking crisis and proposed a three step programme to ensure that market confidence is restored. She insisted on the need for the auto industry to show all their cards so that constructive progress could be made. Her plans include the need to reform the EU's type-approval and market surveillance system. She also endorsed long-term investment in a low-carbon transport syst

Siemens is to supply all the traffic control and monitoring systems for the twin-bore Liantang tunnel, which will link Hong Kong to the new Liantang/Heung Yuen Wai border crossing with mainland China. The five kilometre long tunnel forms part of a four-lane freeway link, extending to around eleven kilometres in total, and is intended to provide a direct connection for cross-border freight and passenger vehicle traffic between the Northeast New Territories and the Eastern part of Shenzhen on the Chinese

The Commission has launched a new public-private partnership with the non-profit European Cyber Security Organisation (ECSO) on cyber-security that is expected to trigger US$2 billion (€1.8 billion) of investment by 2020. This is part of a series of new initiatives to better equip Europe against cyber-attacks and to strengthen the competitiveness of its cyber-security sector. The EU plans to invest US$500 million (€450 million) under its research and innovation (R&I) programme Horizon 2020, with the rema