News

Uber has won the right to challenge a Transport for London (TfL) rule which would require some of its drivers to pass an English language test. Announced by TfL last year and due to take effect from 1 October, the rule would mean that drivers who are not from English-speaking countries would have to take an English reading, writing and listening test, which TfL said was ‘in the interests of public safety’. Uber had previously supported the test, but now argues it is too rigorous and costly.

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, and Transport for London (TfL) are to proceed with the North-South Cycle Superhighway to King’s Cross after majority support in the recent public consultation. The plans, which will also benefit pedestrians with wider pavements and more crossing points, were supported by 70 per cent of the public.

The first phase of an urban sensing Array of Things project has begun in Chicago with the installation of the first of an eventual 500 nodes on city streets. The sensors will collect data on air quality, climate, traffic and other urban features, kicking off a partnership between the University of Chicago, Argonne National Laboratory and the City of Chicago to better understand, serve and improve cities.

The latest report by the A9 Safety Group on accident statistics on the A9 in Scotland indicate that there continues to be a sustained improvement in driver behaviour and a corresponding fall in collisions and casualties. The report contains collision and casualty data for the first 18 months of operation of the average speed cameras to 30 April 2016, which is the mid-point of the evaluation period. The other performance data covers the period to 30 June 2016 unless otherwise stated.

Esri’s founder Jack Dangermond is to tell delegates at the ITS World Congress in Melbourne that GIS, spatial technology, mapping and modelling are the keys that will unlock the door to tomorrow’s smart cities. He will say that using the data to bring together all the infrastructures, demands, challenges and future plans from different departments within city hall enables a common model to be built.

Australia’s first fully driverless and electric shuttle bus, the RAC Intellibus, has begun on-roads trials in South Perth, following tests in a closed environment, as part of the Royal Automobile Club’s (RAC) plan to trial autonomous vehicle technology. The RAC Intellibus will carry passengers and interact with traffic, parked cars, cyclists and pedestrians as it travels along South Perth Esplanade between the Old Mill, near the Narrows Bridge, and Sir James Mitchell Park.

Traffic, transit and weather information provider Total Traffic & Weather Network (TTWN) is to partner with Baron, a global provider of critical weather intelligence in a multi-year, data-collaboration partnership that will combine data from both companies to create the next generation of integrated traffic and weather solutions.

According to two university researchers, UK transport planning is not sufficiently taking into account the environmental impacts of transport choices. Their report, which is due to be presented at the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG) Annual International Conference today, says that road transport is the principal cause of air pollution in over 95 per cent of legally designated “Air Quality Management Areas” in the UK. Current estimates are that over 50,000 deaths a year can be attributed to air polluti

The first European Day Without A Road Death (Project EDWARD) is taking place across Europe on Wednesday 21 September. Devised by the European Traffic Police Network (TISPOL), the initiative aims to draw attention to the average of 70 deaths occurring every day on the roads of Europe. Project EDWARD has the support of European Transport Commissioner Violeta Bulc, the European Commission, the European Transport Safety Council and traffic police forces from across TISPOL’s 30 member countries.

ITS America and other leaders in the intelligent transportation community have united to call on the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to deny a request by Public Knowledge and the New America Foundation for an emergency stay on the use of dedicated short range communications in the 5.9GHz spectrum band. The petition was made in a joint FCC filing by the Intelligent Transportation Society of America, the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers and the Association of Global Automakers.

Dutch digital security specialist Gemalto is supplying the Bank of the Philippines Islands (BPI) with EMV prepaid banking and transport cards that support Manila Metro’s beep contactless ticketing system. BPI is one of the leading banks in the Philippines and the first to cater to both EMV and transport payment. The two-in-one card leverages Gemalto's Optelio technology and gives commuters greater security and convenience while increasing the transaction volume and user base for financial institutions.

Portsmouth City Council is adding school safety to the range of enforcement applications running on its hosted digital video platform. The council has started by deploying the Videalert system outside schools where illegal parking in keep clear areas has been identified as putting children’s lives in danger.

Sensys Networks, which provides integrated wireless traffic detection and data systems for smart cities, has announced an update to its detection equipment line-up. Comprising products that detect vehicles and bicycles, Flex Suite adds technological improvements and introduces new options for agencies looking for accurate traffic detection and data solutions.

Vaisala has acquired new products and technology from Finnish company Envitems to expand its offering in the growing air quality monitoring market. The products acquired measure pollution gases, like carbon monoxide, nitrous oxides, sulfur dioxide, hydrogen sulfide and ozone, as well as particles in the air. The products can be combined seamlessly with Vaisala industry-leading WXT multi-weather stations, and they present a novel, innovative way to build affordable but comprehensive air quality monitoring ne