Urban Traffic Control

The UK government’s THINK! road safety website is launching a new campaign to warn drivers of the dangers of country roads. It says 60 per cent of people killed on Britain’s roads die on rural roads and new research shows many more drivers are needlessly putting themselves at risk of an accident. Three people die each day on average on rural roads; the number of people killed on country roads is nearly 11 times higher than on motorways. A shocking 25 per cent of drivers report having had a near miss o

Road safety campaigners and European traffic police have welcomed the agreement by EU transport ministers to back a change to rules on cross-border enforcement of traffic offences such as speeding. This comes on the heels of an Institute of Advanced Motorists report that 23,295 overseas drivers have escaped UK speeding penalties since January 2014. The European Commission published a revised cross-border enforcement law in July in response to a European Court of Justice ruling in May that said the exi

A detailed survey carried out by international tyre manufacturer Bridgestone, road charity Brake and internet-based market research firm YouGov has revealed that a third of primary school parents have witnessed near misses outside the school gates. More than half of parents are also worried about their child’s safety near roads on the school run, as autumn arrives and the nights get darker. The survey also revealed that: Two thirds see 4-11 year olds crossing the road without holding the hand of an a

TransCore is to develop, integrate, and maintain a network of express lanes on behalf of San Francisco’s Metropolitan Transportation Commission’s (MTC) Bay Area Infrastructure Financing Authority (BAIFA). The competitively procured US$54.6 million project will see 90 miles of existing high occupancy vehicle (HOV) converted lanes into express lanes on I-680, I-880 and I-80. The aim is to improve connectivity by closing gaps in the existing HOV network and improve freeway efficiency by making the best use

Austrian traffic technology corporation Swarco has acquired Munich-based transport research and consultancy firm Transver, in an agreement that will see them aggregate their comprehensive knowledge of international transportation systems (ITS) and push their cooperation with universities and research institutions in the field of intelligent traffic management. Swarco sees the acquisition as an important step in mastering the mobility challenges of the future. Both companies have extensive experience in t

Parsons Brinckerhoff, in conjunction with architect Miguel Rosales, has been awarded a contract by Cuyahoga County, Ohio for the conceptual design of a pedestrian and bicycle bridge on the lakefront in Cleveland. Intended to connect Cleveland’s downtown and the lakefront, the bridge will provide convenient access for pedestrians and cyclists and create an iconic structure, symbolising the renewed vibrancy of the lakefront district. The Parsons Brinckerhoff team will develop preliminary plans, includi

A US$4.6 million Highways Agency project to boost safety and reduce congestion around key junctions along the A585 south of Fleetwood in Lancashire, UK, is underway. The road is to be widened and improved at two junctions, boosting capacity between Bourne Way and West Drive and providing an additional lane in each direction. Signals at the junction with Bourne Way will improve the safety and ease for drivers joining and leaving the A585. Work on the improvements started on Monday 15 September and is due

HP Software has been awarded a contract by the city of Auckland, New Zealand to deliver a Big Data project designed to provide a safer community and more efficient roadways for its citizens. Auckland Transport, the government agency responsible for all of Auckland’s transportation infrastructure and services, will deploy video analytics powered by HP IDOL on servers and storage from HP Enterprise Group, and with support from HP Software Professional Services. Auckland Transport will use HP’s integrate

Indra, in partnership with Auneti (Autopista Necaxa-Tihuatlán) and FCC, has deployed traffic management technology in the six tunnels of the new Necaxa-Tihuatlán highway in Mexico. The US$18 million project also includes intelligent transportation systems (ITS) and control and communication systems on the 83 kilometres of highway sections 1 and 2. A new operational control centre equipped with Indra's Horus integrated roadway and tunnel management solution manages traffic along the new road's two sectio

Drivers in the UK are very familiar with the concept of traffic roundabouts at intersections, which are designed to keep traffic moving more efficiently than a traditional signal-controlled intersection. However, according to a report on the US Government Executive website, drivers in some parts of the US don’t understand them. In Oakland County, just outside Detroit, some roundabouts have seen big spikes in crashes and property damage since they were built, but the severity of those accidents has been