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March 20, 2017
Funding to accelerate take up of hydrogen vehicles and infrastructure
The UK government has announced a new US$28.5 million (£23 million) fund to accelerate the take up of hydrogen vehicles and roll out more cutting-edge infrastructure. Hydrogen fuel providers will be able to bid for funding in partnership with organisations that produce hydrogen vehicles to help build high-tech infrastructure, including fuel stations. The funding will boost the creation of hydrogen fuel infrastructure and uptake of hydrogen-powered vehicles. A competition will be launched this summer,
March 17, 2017
Highways England urged to make CCTV of “swerve to avoid” crashes available to insurers
With distracted driving causing a dramatic rise in ‘swerve to avoid’ crashes, Claims Management & Adjusting (CMA) has welcomed a clarification by the UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) that traffic flow CCTV is not personal data. In a stance criticised by drivers, fleet operators and insurers, Highways England has apparently used the Data Protection Act to justify the deletion of footage after only seven days, even when it might prove liability in a serious accident. It has also cited the cost of st
March 17, 2017
Ford introduces night-time pedestrian detection
Ford is introducing technology that can automatically brake for pedestrians at night; the pedestrian detection system processes information from a radar located in the bumper and a windshield mounted camera; while a database of pedestrian shapes enables the system to distinguish people from objects such as trees and road signs. The camera delivers more than 30 snapshots every second and the video live-feed and viewing angle enables the system to pick out pedestrians, even in low-light conditions, illumin
March 17, 2017
Major Midlands junction improvement open
Highways England’s US$236 million (£191 million) scheme to improve journeys for drivers using a major interchange on the M1 in the Midlands has been officially opened. The major upgrade to improve the flow of traffic at junction 19, where the M1, M6 and A14 meet, is intended to the journeys made by more than 150,000 vehicles through the area every day. The new east-west link between the villages of Catthorpe and Swinford now runs beneath the M1-M6 link, and the M6, and connects the villages with the A
March 17, 2017
Econolite Group and Savari to collaborate on V2I solutions
Econolite Group has finalised negotiations with Savari and is forming an exclusive partnership to accelerate the deployment of vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) safety applications for the connected and automated vehicle (CAV) market. The agreement provides Econolite exclusive distributorship of Savari’s StreetWAVE roadside units (RSUs) to the Americas, Middle East and Africa. By combining Savari StreetWAVE RSUs with Econolite’s intelligent transportation system solutions, Centracs ATMS and Cobalt controll
March 16, 2017
Highways England announces multi-million pound major road improvements
Multi-million pound road improvement schemes announced today by Highways England are set to help unlock the development of more than 4,000 homes and more than 10,900 jobs. The improvements, worth a total of US$92 million ((£75 million), will create opportunities around Derby and Daventry in the Midlands, Oldham in the North West, Durham in the North East and Taunton in the South West. Highways England is making a US$15.3 million (£12.45 million) contribution towards the schemes from its Growth and Hou
March 15, 2017
London’s first Low Emission Bus Zone to tackle toxic air
London’s first Low Emission Bus Zone has been launched in Putney High Street, one of the most polluted areas of the capital. The clean bus zone, which runs a total of 145 buses on seven scheduled routes, will now be serviced by cleaner buses in a move to cut harmful nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions. The route is the first of 12 new Low Emission Bus Zones to be introduced at air quality hotspots. The zones represent the most extensive network of clean buses of any major world city. The routes are one‎ p
March 15, 2017
Government must broaden focus on CAV, says House of Lords
A new report by the UK House of Lords Science and Technology Committee says the government should broaden its focus so work on connected and autonomous vehicles (CAV) benefits all sectors and not just road vehicles. The report, Connected and Autonomous Vehicles: The future? also states: While we cannot say with any certainty what the impact on congestion will be, it is possible to imagine a situation of total gridlock as CAV crawl around city centres. It is important the right policy decisions relating to C
March 10, 2017
USDOT webinar: variable speed limits – are they for everyone?
The USDOT's Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) Professional Capacity Building program will host a free webinar, ‘Variable Speed Limits: Are They for Everyone?’ on Tuesday, 4 April from 1300 to 1430. The webinar will be hosted by Jimmy Chu, a transportation specialist for the Federal Highway Administration's Traveller Information Management Team. Variable speed limit (VSL) systems use information on traffic speed, occupancy, volume detection, weather, and road surface condition to determine appropri
March 10, 2017
Upgrades to public transport across Regional Victoria
The Victorian government in Australia has released a tender for its Road and Rail Minor Works Program, which aims to deliver new car parks, more comfortable waiting areas and better passenger information at train stations across rural and regional Victoria. It also aims to improve cycling infrastructure at stations with new, secure bike cages and hoops to make it easier to ride to the station and catch the train. The US$17 million (AU$22.5 million) program will also upgrade bus stops, signage and acce