News

US-based Global Traffic Technologies has been issued a US patent for its Opticom multimode phase selector technology, which allows traffic signal priority control systems to work with both legacy infrared and modern GPS-enabled communication technologies. The multimode phase selector is an important component for transit signal priority (TSP) and emergency vehicle priority (EVP) systems. Agencies can leverage existing technology when expanding their traffic signal priority systems, so existing IR-based s

Telecom subsidiary Motionlogic and software provider PTV Group have teamed up in a partnership in which Motionlogic provides traffic and people movement data, based on anonymised signal data from the mobile phone network. PTV Group then processes this data to provide urban transport planners with analysis that enables them to calibrate transport models and the current traffic situation and map travel demand in real time. In addition, there are also down-to-the-hour departure and arrival figures. By using

Rail technology specialist Bombardier Transportation is to supply French national railway company, Société Nationale des Chemins de fer Français (SNCF) with 52 additional Francilien electric multiple unit (EMU) commuter trains. The order, financed by Île-de-France's transport authority Syndicat des transports d'Île-de-France (STIF), is valued at approximately US$370 (€348 million) and is a call off from a contract signed in 2006 with SNCF for a maximum of 372 trains. The first trains from this order will

Electric vehicle (EV) charging company ChargePoint has installed EV charging facilities at Thruxton motor racing circuit near Andover in the UK. The Rapid charger and twin Fast charger are operated by ChargePoint Services’ GeniePoint Network and can be accessed via robust RFID card access or smartphone App and will be available for public access seven days a week. Situated just half a mile off the busy A303, they are ideally positioned for EV drivers to recharge whilst travelling between Hampshire and

According to a new report from IDTechEx Research, Electric Car Technology and Forecasts 2017-2027, the biggest change in cars for one hundred years is now starting. It is driven by totally new requirements and capabilities. They will cause huge new businesses to appear, but some giants will spectacularly go bankrupt. Cities will ban private cars but encourage them as autonomous taxis and rentals. Already 65 per cent of cars in China are bought by businesses. The Japanese want the car to be part of the hy

The recent Polis 2016 Conference was attended by 450 mobility professionals from across Europe and beyond who met to debate on urban and regional mobility. Local and regional authorities called for greater understanding of where automated road transport can benefit cities. The conference plenary session brought together local governments, the automobile industry, research and the European and international institutions to explore where automated vehicles can deliver benefit for cities and what needs to b

The Audi factory in Ingolstadt, Germany has deployed a smart parking system developed by Spanish company Urbiotica in a bid to optimise parking and reduce congestion in its 5,000-space car employee car park. The system utilises 22 U-Flow wireless parking sensors installed at the car park entrances and exits. These detect vehicles entering and leaving each parking sector and display occupancy data on information panels in real time, guiding drivers to free spaces and reducing congestion.

The Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) has welcomed Donald Trump’s nomination of Elaine Chao for Transportation Secretary. "This is a step in the right direction as former labour secretary Chao previously served in key leadership positions at the US Department of Transportation (USDOT) and in the private sector. She realises the challenges facing the transportation system and how it affects individual businesses and communities and the nation as a whole," said Jeffrey F. Paniati, ITE executive

FIA Region 1 has responded to the news that German Transport Minister Alexander Dobrindt and European Transport Commissioner Violeta Bulc have reached a deal for a non-discriminatory roll out of a controversial road toll scheme in Germany. Although final details of the deal have yet to be released, FIA Region I cautiously welcomes the deal if it means the replacement of some existing road taxes. The German Minister has committed to earmark revenue from the new road taxation scheme to be re-invested into the

The new IDTechEx report, Electric Car Technology and Forecasts 2017-2027 finds that the biggest change in cars for one hundred years is now starting. It is driven by totally new requirements and capabilities. They will cause huge new businesses to appear but some giants currently making cars and their parts will spectacularly go bankrupt. Cities will ban private cars but encourage cars as autonomous taxis and rental vehicles. Already 65 per cent of cars in China are bought by businesses. The Japanese wa

The Energy Technologies Institute (ETI) is seeking partners for a project which will develop a tool to provide accurate and transparent data on the performance of different types of vessels for use by stakeholders involved in the shipping industry. One of the major challenges of reducing carbon emissions from the shipping industry is convincing vessel financiers to invest in technologies that will make existing and future vessels more fuel efficient. Although a number of fuel efficient technologies already

UK tyre-monitoring specialist WheelRight has provided its drive-over tyre pressure monitoring technology to The Ray, a US-based project designed to showcase new technologies that will create a blueprint for the sustainable motorways of tomorrow. Comprising an 18-mile stretch of highway on West Georgia’s Interstate 85, The Ray is a proving ground for new ideas and technologies that will transform the transport infrastructure of the future. The environmental project is named after Ray C. Anderson, an Ameri

Market research company Berg Insight has released new findings about the smart cities market and in particular intelligent transport systems (ITS) for public transport. The company believes that the market is in a growth phase which will continue in the years to come. The public transport market is impacted by a number of trends, including several ITS-related developments that can alter the playing field for the solution providers on this market. Several parallel technology developments are currently tra