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August 23, 2018
Artists repaint Gothenburg trams for LGBT rights
Gothenburg Public Transportation company Västtrafik invited artists from Sweden’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) communities to repaint six trams as part of August’s EuroPride celebration. Prints of the tram photographs will be auctioned at the Proud Trams art exhibition, with all proceeds going to charity RFSL to support LGBT rights. The colours of the rainbow are represented by the tram line numbers from red to purple – the trams travelled through Gothenburg during EuroPride from
August 14, 2018
EarthSense app to identify clean air routes for UK cyclists
UK-based air quality specialists EarthSense is developing an app which will identify and map clean air routes for people cycling or exercising. The company says the application could also help wider clean air strategies when combined with population movement data. According to EarthSense, collating this data would allow key decision makers to identify popular exercise routes and target resources to improve air quality at these locations. The app is being funded by the European Space Agency's grant p
August 14, 2018
Bird establishes board to help increase safety for e-scooter riders
US electric mobility company Bird has formed a global safety advisory board to implement campaigns and products to improve the safety for riders using electric scooters. The board will also seek to improve the safety of pedestrians and cyclists who share space with riders using low-speed e-scooters. Additionally, Bird intends to carry on working with cities through its Save Our Sidewalks pledge to boost rider safety and improve the quality of bikes lanes. The scope of the work includes repainting an
August 14, 2018
Georgia uses IoT technology to make school zones safer
The Georgia Department of Transportation (GDoT) is installing Applied Information’s internet of things (IoT) technology in a bid to improve safety in school districts statewide. The initiative will be complete before the start of the academic term. The Glance School Zone Beacon System is powered by AT&T's 4G/LTE mobile network and will be implemented at more than 300 schools in 118 counties. School zone beacons, flashing signs which warn drivers to slow down, will be connected to IoT technology to help
August 14, 2018
EkoRent deploys electric mobility service in Nairobi, Kenya
Finnish company EkoRent is launching its Nopia Ride electric mobility service in Nairobi, Kenya, in a bid to reduce emissions and solve the capital’s transportation challenges. The company, operating under the name EkoRent Africa, says it intends to increase the number of electric vehicles operating in the area to several hundred by the end of the year. Dr. Ombacho, head of public health in Nairobi, has urged other companies in the private sector to prioritise the development of environmentally friendly
August 10, 2018
Via launches on-demand shared mobility service for Mori staff in Japan
Via’s on-demand transit service is being trialled by 1,300 employees of urban developer Mori Building in Tokyo, Japan. The partnership’s stated aim is to provide a mobility solution which reduces congestion and emissions. Mori employees can use the Via-powered HillsVia mobile app to book a ride in V-Class vans provided by Mercedes-Benz. The technology matches multiple passengers travelling in the same direction and directs the vehicle in real time along an optimised route between staff homes and the
August 9, 2018
StreetLight Data raises $10m fund to solve transportation challenges
San Francisco-based mobility analytics company StreetLight Data has raised $10m of investment funding to build up the capabilities of its StreeLight Insight tool, a software platform that combines big data with processing and analytics tools to support critical planning, investment, infrastructure and policy decisions. StreetLight Data aggregates data from mobile devices, connected cars and trucks, the internet of things sensors and geospatial databases to offer a suite of analytics which examine mobility
August 8, 2018
Ford develops Smart Jacket to improve cyclist safety
Ford has developed clothing which has built-in indicators and flashing brake lights for cyclists. Smart Jacket was developed with urban cycling clothing specialist Lumo and mobility software company Tome, and allows cyclists to better indicate their presence and intentions to other road users. The wearable’s navigation app wirelessly connects to smartphones and vibrates the jacket’s sleeves to help riders take the right direction to avoid busy roads. It features audible interfaces and a system which allow
August 8, 2018
Regulation time-lag will hit driverless technology hard says leading consultancy BDO
The legislation surrounding driverless cars is lagging so far behind the technology involved that the industry is unlikely to see a regulatory framework in place any time soon says leading international business, finance and taxation consultancy BDO. And IEEE, "the world’s largest technical professional organisation dedicated to advancing technology for the benefit of humanity" can only see problems ahead as the politicians fall further and further behind. BDO has been looking at a report from www.Spectr
August 7, 2018
Motown morphs into Mobility City
Detroit was once a byword for urban decay – but ITS America recently held its annual meeting there. This gave David Arminas a chance to assess how fast Motor City is moving down the road to recovery. Motor City, as Detroit is still called, was on its financial knees only five short years ago. The future looked bleak as the city and greater urban area bled jobs and population. It was on 18 July 2013 that Motown, as Detroit is also known, filed for Chapter 9 bankruptcy protection, the