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December 13, 2013
Coeval acquired, looking forward to growth
Specialist vehicle activated sign (VAS) and overhead vehicle detector (OVD) manufacturer Coeval Group has been acquired by QAS Asset Finance. Coeval’s owners, Nick Sharp and Gordon Bell have also announced their retirement after 26 years with the business. Coeval’s new managing director Gary Higgins was previously managing director of the TSEU Group that included Traffic Signals UK and Microsense Systems before they were acquired by Telent in 2008. He believes there are significant market opportunit
December 13, 2013
Qatar QMIC awarded at Gulf Traffic
The Qatar Mobility Innovations Centre (QMIC) at the Qatar Science and Technology Park scooped two prestigious awards including the Innovation in Traffic Management award, and the Road Transport Technology award at this year’s Gulf Traffic exhibition and conference for its Masarak iTraffic system. Masarak is an intelligent platform and integrated suite of services developed by QMIC in partnership with the Ministry of Municipality and Urban Planning in Qatar. Masarak’s iTraffic system is a comprehensive so
December 13, 2013
FTA demands no more delay in new Thames Crossing
Responding to the yesterday’s announcement that there is still no definitive answer to the location of the new Thames Crossing, the message from the Freight Transport Association (FTA) was “don’t delay and let the building begin to help improve capacity and ease congestion at Dartford as soon as possible”. The Government has stated that Option B connecting the A2 Swanscombe Peninsula with the A1089 has been ruled out of the process, but has failed to confirm as to where the new Lower Thames crossing wil
December 12, 2013
Horizon 2020 launches three new calls for transport projects
The launch of calls for proposals and related activities under the Horizon 2020 work programmes for 2014-15 has been announced. The launch of these calls also marks the launch of Civitas 2020, the next phase of the Civitas initiative which is designed to strengthen sustainable urban mobility across and beyond Europe. The first call, Mobility for Growth, focuses on innovation and technology projects in air, rail, road and waterborne transport, logistics, intelligent transport systems and infrastructure.
December 11, 2013
Coach crash-prevention system tracks drivers' eyes
Australian facial tracking systems developer Seeing Machines has teamed up with European coach and tour operator Royal Beuk, in a deal that will see the deployment of automated fatigue monitoring systems to ensure driver alertness and safeguard coach passengers. The Seeing Machines fatigue monitoring system is based on patented eye-tracking technology that can detect if a driver is distracted or falling asleep at the wheel. Using sensing equipment that requires no re-calibration between different drive
December 10, 2013
Kuala Lumpur to get intelligent traffic control in 2014
Early 2014 will see the deployment of a new traffic management system in parts of Kuala Lumpur. The TrafficSens system, developed by local firm TrafficSens Systems using a government R&D grant of USD$561,272, will utilise TrafficSens traffic signals installed at 62 intersections across the city. By April 2014, the new system will be integrated with the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL)'s existing automated management system. Using artificial intelligence, TrafficSens will manage the traffic signals based
December 10, 2013
Polis 2013 conference calls for greater coordination of EU policies
Mobility professionals from across Europe have called for greater coordination of European policies that affect urban and regional transport. Speaking at the 2013 Polis conference, new president Javier Rubio de Urquía said, "We need coordination between European environment, climate, research, energy and transport policies as these have a direct impact on urban and regional transport. This is required to deliver the best sustainable urban and regional transport systems in Madrid as well as anywhere else
December 9, 2013
UK plans fully integrated transport network to high tech hot spots
The UK government’s plans to support the country’s burgeoning high-tech industry, centred on London, Cambridge and Oxford, are being facilitated by the Department for Transport (DfT) and its plans for a fully integrated transport network linking each of the three core technical clusters, as well as the wider technical community. The DfT is developing proposals for the construction of a new railway line from Bedford to Cambridge. This would build on the ongoing work on the east-west rail project and compl
December 9, 2013
SwRI and USDOT operate connected vehicle affiliated test bed
In the US, the Texas-based Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) is operating a connected vehicle affiliated test bed in cooperation with the US Department of Transportation (USDOT) Research and Innovative Technology Administration. The DOT test bed project facilitates information exchange as well as access to tools and resources across other test bed facilities to support and encourage consistent future deployment of connected vehicle technologies. The project aims to advance the technology for full deplo
December 6, 2013
UK government’s autumn statement – fuel tax freeze ‘a positive step’
Among the transport announcements made by the UK Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne, in his Autumn Statement, he promised tax relief for motorists, including a freeze in fuel duty for the remainder of this Parliament. He also confirmed the abolition of the paper road tax disc, ‘removing an administrative inconvenience for millions of motorists’ from October 2014. This move is expected to save the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) around US$5 million a year. It will also save fleet own