UTC

The European Commission has adopted a measure to ensure that by 2015 vehicles can call emergency services in the event of a crash. The Commission wants the life-saving eCall system to be fitted to all new models of cars and light vehicles from 2015. eCall automatically dials Europe's single emergency number 112 in the event of a serious accident and communicates the vehicle's location to the emergency services. According to some estimates, eCall could speed emergency response times by 40per cent in urban ar

David Crawford investigates initiatives and issues in travel information for disabled passengers. World Health Organisation estimates suggest that 10% of the global population live with a disability. This can impact directly on their mobility, with implications for their independence; keeping active; and travelling to work, education and social activities; as well as the accessibility of information necessary to aid mobility. The EU-supported ‘CARDIAC’ project (Coordination Action in R&D in Accessible & Ass

Satellite navigation provider Garmin is teaming up with Inrix, a leading company in the field of traffic intelligence technology, to provide up-to-the-minute traffic information across the DAB (Digital Audio Broadcast) network. By leveraging the latest breakthroughs in DAB technology, INRIX will help Garmin deliver better, more detailed live traffic data, updated more frequently and without an internet connection. Garmin says this new generation of “Garmin 3D Traffic Live” will provide their customers acce

French company Diginext is to supply Lille transport operator, Transpole, with its MobilitX multimodal traveller information system for Lille Central Station. Using the latest European standards for interoperability MobilitX integrates real time information from all traffic and transport systems in the city, to provide full travel information, regardless of the mode of transport.

The twin-bore Hindhead tunnel in southern England has made the A3 London to Portsmouth route safer and more efficient, aided by the large overview video wall and operator consoles installed in the control room by Electrosonic, working with main contractor Balfour Beatty Engineering Services for the Highways Agency. To meet the Highways Agency’s requirement that the control room should operate in a similar way to other traffic control rooms on the major road network, Electrosonic devised a solution based on

Telvent GIT, real-time IT solutions and information provider, is to implement its urban mobility control centre and traffic light installation maintenance service for the city of Castellón de la Plana, Valencia, Spain. The contract includes Telvent’s integrated service management platform, SmartMobility ICM, which will enable coordinated management of all aspects of the city’s urban mobility. Initial focus will be on centralised monitoring of smart traffic infrastructures and traveller information panels, a

Georgia’s Department of Transportation’s has upgraded its Advanced Traffic Management System in response to increased traffic density and demands on its transportation infrastructure. New Jersey based-Activu has installed state-of-the-art video wall displays and intelligent network-based visualisation software that integrates with 1,645 video detection cameras, 500 full-colour closed-circuit television cameras, its NaviGAtor II and 511 systems, changeable message signs, Navigator website, and smartphone app

According to the Transportation Research Board ITS Committee, international cooperation between the United States, Japan, and the European Union (EU) is helping accelerate the research and development of intelligent transportation systems (ITS) standards and technologies by fostering collaboration between professionals on three continents. "Through international cooperation, we're able to learn from each other more quickly and with less expense than if we were working on our own," said Jane Lappin, chair of

Vialis and Nedap are to join forces to improve traffic flow in Dutch cities and make parking easier. Vialis, a subsidiary of VolkerWessels, will integrate its Vivaldi dynamic traffic management system with the Nedap Sensit wireless parking space detection system. A large number of municipalities in the Netherlands already use Vivaldi to optimise traffic flow via traffic control systems and signs; Sensit wirelessly detects vacant parking spaces. By combining the two technologies, motorists will be guided to

TransCore ITS is to supply the State of California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) with its TransSuite traffic control system for management and centralised monitoring of existing traffic signals statewide. The TransSuite system will support Caltrans’ strategy to proactively manage traffic through the monitoring of traffic signals and traffic conditions at state-operated intersections. TransCore ITS will develop an interface to the Caltrans controller firmware to support once-per-second communicati