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July 29, 2013
Road ahead fraught with danger
With more than 300 people losing their lives in road accidents every year, the Millennium City in Haryana, India, desperately needs to improve its road infrastructure. Although successive governments in Haryana have gifted the city numerous expressways, making the roads safe and traffic flow smooth has not figured prominently in the political schemes of development. Traffic in the city and on the expressways, most significantly the Gurgaon-Delhi Expressway, has been mired by a range of problems, from a sca
July 29, 2013
Engineering firm unveils I-70 improvement project
International engineering firm Parsons Corp has unveiled its proposed US$3.5 billion project to ease traffic on Interstate 70 through the central mountains in Eagle County, Colorado. Parsons had submitted an unsolicited proposal to Colorado Department of Transportation in 2011. The three-phase project would include tolled express lanes and a bus rapid transit system and be completed as soon as 2021. The express lanes would be reversible to accommodate peak traffic flows to and from the mountains. The proje
July 26, 2013
Qatar invests $70 billion to pave the way to world beating transportation
Eng. Zeina Nazer looks at what Qatar’s recently-announced investment in transport infrastructure will mean on the ground. Qatar is experiencing a rapid economic and industrial growth. This growth is characterised by a rapid population increase and by the urgent need towards the development of both infrastructure projects and major transport projects. In order to handle this rate of development within Qatar, Public Works Authority (Ashghal) is developing a fully-integrated multimodal transportation system in
July 24, 2013
NTSB urges standards for connected vehicles
In response to fatal school bus accidents at intersections in New Jersey and Florida last year, the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has recommended that the government should set performance standards for new safety technology that allows cars and trucks to talk to each other and then require the technology be installed in all new vehicles. Vehicles equipped with the technology can continuously communicate over wireless networks, exchanging information on location, direction and speed ten tim
July 24, 2013
Iteris on team to operate VDOT’s traffic operations centres
American ITS solutions provider Iteris has been selected as part of a team to operate, integrate, and provide innovative solutions for Virginia Department of Transportation’s (VDOT) five traffic operations centres. Iteris was chosen as a sub-contractor by Serco to provide traffic operators at two of VDOT’s five traffic centres and general engineering services as requested by Serco. The centres monitor traffic conditions via cameras and other technology, allowing them to provide traveller information on road
July 24, 2013
Cycle scanner ready to retro-fit on HGVs
Cobra UK has launched its cycle scanner, which can be retrofitted to heavy goods vehicles (HGV) to aid safety for cyclists. The device was developed in response to the growing issue of cyclist safety, particularly in the London area, and uses the latest GPS and live video CCTV technology. It features a scanner and six sensors along the nearside of a vehicle to detect a cyclist and a live video camera to identify exactly what is happening around the vehicle. If a cyclist enters the nearside of the vehicle,
July 22, 2013
First EU-US Interoperability Centre opens
The first of the twin centres designed to promote common standards in electric mobility and smart grids on both sides of the Atlantic has been inaugurated at the US Department of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory near Chicago. The second Centre will be opened in the EU, at the JRC sites in Petten, The Netherlands and Ispra, Italy, in 2014. The launch follows eighteen months of dedicated work following the letter of intent for closer co-operation, signed by the JRC, the European Commission's in-hous
July 22, 2013
Indra to upgrade Curitiba’s ITS system
A consortium comprising Indra and its local partners Esteio and Dataprom is to install an integrated monitoring system, Sistema Integrado de Monitoramiento (SIM), for the Brazilian city of Curitiba. The US$19.7 million project will expand the urban traffic management solution that prioritises public transportation throughout the city and equip it with new intelligent transportation systems (ITS) and an operations support system (OSS) for the city’s fleet of 2,500 buses. The project also includes variable me
July 19, 2013
Government green lights road and rail improvements
UK Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin has confirmed a £1.2 billion order for more state of-the art trains to transform rail travel on one of Britain’s busiest intercity routes. The 270 carriages will be manufactured in Britain by Hitachi Rail Europe as part of the government’s overall £5.8 billion Intercity Express Programme (IEP). The trains will operate on the East Coast Main Line from 2019 and will deliver significant benefits to passengers, including boosting capacity by 18 per cent, improving trai
July 17, 2013
Smart mobility seminar focuses on role of SMEs in ITS
The INTRASME Smart Mobility Market Opportunity Workshop in Turin, Italy on 25 September will see successful SMEs (small and medium-sized enterprises) share their insights into emerging opportunities in intelligent transport systems (ITS). The workshop will hear from leading policy makers in ITS, research on future trends in the transport industry and experts in funding opportunities. The Smart Mobility Market Opportunity workshop will appeal to policy makers, researchers and SMEs that are keen to understand