UTC

More than 3,000 council-maintained road bridges in Great Britain are substandard, according to a report by the RAC Research Foundation. Analysis of data received from 199 of the 207 local highway authorities in England, Scotland and Wales found that 3,203 structures over 1.5m in span are not fit to carry the heaviest vehicles now seen on our roads, including lorries of up to 44 tonnes. The 3,203 bridges represent about 1 in 23 of the roughly 72,000 bridges to be found on the local road network. Many o

Siemens will unveil Plus+, a new generation of traffic controller and signals at Traffex 2017 at the NEC, Birmingham next month. The new solution includes newly designed and dedicated on-street equipment and fully integrated design, configuration and installation tools, ensuring the most efficient traffic signal implementation available today. The Plus+ system uses advanced technology to distribute intelligence and control around the intersection, rather than it all being centrally located in the contro

Siemens real-time traffic control system, SCOOT (Split Cycle Offset Optimisation Technique), has reduced Ann Arbor, Michigan’s weekday travel times along the Ellsworth Corridor by 12 percent and weekend travel time by 21 percent, according to the company. Based on these results, the city has decided to operate all downtown intersections with SCOOT technology in the upcoming year. The Siemens SCOOT technology takes an adaptive approach to traffic management, allowing sensors at an intersection to detect v

Global Traffic Technologies (GTT) is to provide the city of Grand Prairie in Texas with its Opticom emergency vehicle pre-emption (EVP) solution. Opticom works alongside intersection controllers to help ensure emergency vehicles can move through intersections rapidly and safely. The system has been deployed at 22 of the city’s busiest intersections, allowing Opticom-enabled emergency vehicles to send a request to the intersection controller ahead of its arrival and turning the signal green to expedite it

The London Borough of Havering has introduced Fixed Penalty Notices (FPNs) to crack down on dangerous driving and parking during the school run. The pilot scheme uses Public Space Protection Orders (PSPOs), making anti-social driving a criminal offence in areas around schools.

From 1 March 2017, UK drivers caught using a phone while driving will face tougher penalties. Under new legislation announced by the Department for Transport, offenders will receive six penalty points on their licence and a £200 fine, up from the previous three points and £100 penalty.

The International Bridge, Tunnel and Turnpike Association (IBTTA) and ITS America have both responded positively to President Donald Trump’s address to Congress, where he outlined his administration’s priorities, including repairing and rebuilding America’s transportation infrastructure. Trump said he will ask lawmakers to approve legislation that would see a US$1 trillion investment in infrastructure, funded by a mix of direct federal investment and private financing, according to The Hill.

VMS manufacturer Bartco UK will use Traffex 2017 to showcase its integration of ITS products which aim to increase road safety. The company is working with SRL Traffic Systems on the integration of its HD Quattro portable variable message sign (VMS) with temporary traffic lights, designed to show basic safety information during temporary traffic light installation and road works.

Kapsch TrafficCom North America has been awarded a four-year contract to design and install an agency-wide transportation management software (ATMS) for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ). The new system will utilise Kapsch’s DYNAC software, enabling the Authority to manage ITS assets at its bridges, tunnels, aviation and port facilities, as well as the PATH rail transit system from any of its individual facility operations control centres (OCC) and the Authority’s Agency Operation Ce

Queensland State Government, Australia, has launched a new app, QLDTraffic, a new traffic and travel information service providing the latest news about incidents and conditions on the road. QLDTraffic offers a journey-planning website and free app, maps detailing where and when incidents are occurring on Queensland roads to enable drivers to check current traffic conditions to make informed decisions about their travel route. Users can plan their journey by address or landmark and select their pref