UTC

City officials in Washington, DC, are launching a two-year test of technology that they hope will ease traffic gridlock and improve public safety in the city. In 2013, they will begin connecting traffic signals to existing high-speed network cables that run beneath the city streets. Once connected to the network, the signals will be equipped with video cameras and wi-fi hot spots. The test program will cover traffic lights at 16 intersections. According to governing.com the DC metro area regularly turns up

McCain, manufacturer and supplier of intelligent transportation systems, traffic control equipment and parking guidance solutions, has announced distributor partnerships with Quality Traffic Systems and M H Corbin. Both companies will represent McCain’s full line of traffic control equipment within their respective territories of Georgia and Ohio. “We are always looking for like-minded businesses to partner with,” said Nathan Welch national sales manager at McCain Inc. “Quality Traffic and M H Corbin are ju

A new 3G wireless communications solution which allows Siemens UTMC OTUs to be connected to the company’s PC SCOOT UTC instation has been launched by the company following extensive field trials. The newly released 3G option is available on Gemini2 and is provided by the use of an approved 3G router and antenna kit and is quick and easy to install. It allows junctions to be added onto the UTC system without the need for physically wired or fibre links, reducing installation and civil engineering costs. Acc

Grand plans have been announced for transport investment in India aimed at boosting city economies. India’s Government Secretary for Urban Development Sudhir Krishna explains all to Jason Barnes. There are many reasons for developed countries’ high levels of urbanisation, not least of which is that the types of employment to be found in towns and cities tend to generate relatively greater wealth and so make greater contributions to a country’s economy. That creates the imperative for developing nations to f

Australia’s National Transport Commission (NTC) wants cooperative intelligent transport systems (C-ITS) technology to be considered in the country. In a recently-released discussion paper, the NTC states the technology, which allows vehicles and other parts of the road network to communicate, could save 300 lives on the nation’s roads each year. The paper discusses the technology that is currently being trialled in the US and Europe by auto manufacturers and governments to allow drivers to plan their trips

Qatar’s Public Works Authority (Ashghal) is in the final phase of preparing an ITS master plan, while smart transport solutions have already been integrated in the traffic system in the country, with the aim of implementing a fully integrated Intelligent Transport System (ITS) before the FIFA World Cup 2022. Plans include special lanes for buses, more advanced surveillance cameras, a dedicated radio station to raise traffic awareness and special operation rooms to deal with accidents and other emergencies.

Long-time industry leader John Worthington reflects on where transportation in the US is heading – and where it should be going. Interview with Jason Barnes. The US’s new transportation bill reflects much of what is wrong in the sector in general and in ITS in particular, according to John Worthington. While a decision is welcome, he says, it does little more than provide certainty of funding for anything other than day-to-day operations. Worthington, former Chairman and CEO of TransCore, is back in the ITS

On behalf of ITS America, Paul Feenstra maps out implications and opportunities for the ITS industry. A critical milestone was reached last month when the US Congress passed, and President Obama signed, legislation reauthorising the nation’s surface transportation programmes, breaking a nearly three-year log-jam which had stymied critical transportation reforms and delayed much-needed infrastructure projects. The law, numbered P.L. 112-141 but known as MAP-21 (Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century),

The Asia development Bank (ADB) is calling for countries in Asia, including the Philippines, to invest heavily in "inclusive" and "sustainable" transportation systems if they want to spur economic growth and reduce poverty. "Without appropriate and adequate transport, countless millions of people lack access to jobs, markets, hospitals and schools. Regional connectivity remains a major challenge for many countries," ADB President Haruhiko Kuroda said in his speech during the second day of the "Transport For

Siemens has agreed new traffic signal maintenance contracts with four highways authorities in the UK, increasing the company's service cover across the country. The contracts are already under way in Coventry, Nottingham and Warwickshire, and due to start in Solihull shortly. Based on a competitive schedule of rates for a combination of various customer requirements, the contracts will run for five years and cover the maintenance of more than 400 traffic signal junctions, traffic equipment at almost 550 ped