News

The Moscow region’s first toll road opened on 1 October 2012 on the M4 Don highway. The state-owned company Russian Highways (Avtodor) has invested US193 million to reconstruct the road before introducing the toll system, which it is planned to extend in the future. Car drivers will pay US$0.32 at night and US$0.96 during the day; truck drivers will pay from US$0.48 to US$3.8 depending on vehicle size and time of day. Drivers can pay by cash, credit cards, prepaid contactless smart cards, or via transpond

Following its receipt of an order earlier this year for the supply of supply traffic safety systems and the set up and support of local operations, and following acceptance testing, German traffic systems manufacturer Jenoptik has successfully implemented its automated enforcement system in Malaysia. The system includes the enforcement cameras and back office system; prior to implementation, the complete system was rigorously tested, from the recording of offences and transmission to the back office, to the

Slough Borough Council (SBC) in the UK has joined the growing number of UK local authorities to deploy the latest version of Comet, Siemens’ traffic management and information system. Comet will enable SBC to meet its policy, operational and travel information requirements including the ability to set network strategies. The solution will provide a command and control system for strategic variable message signs (VMS) and car park guidance and will also provide dynamic content to SBC’s planned internet and

IBM and Ireland’s Electricity Supply Board (ESB) are set to work together to deploy more integrated charging IT system for electric vehicles in Ireland. With 1,000 such public charging points now installed around the country, drivers will also be able to access all charging stations using an ID card. ESB Networks, which is currently rolling out the public charge points around Ireland, will be using IBM's Intelligent Electric Vehicle Enablement Platform to operate and manage these charge points. Apparently,

Road Expo, Scotland's largest traffic management and highway maintenance event, opens on 7– 8 November 2012 at the Royal Highland Centre, Edinburgh. Road Expo provides road professionals with the opportunity to see the latest technology and get to grips with the implications of legislative changes. The 2012 show will be packed with features offering visitors the opportunity to network with peers, exchange ideas and discover ways to increase efficiency and reduce costs. Over one hundred leading suppliers i

Public transport in the northern Indian state of Himachal will shortly benefit from safer travel and a more efficient service, when the Himachal Road Transport Corporation (HRTC) installs a vehicle tracking system based on GPS on buses in the state. Jointly funded by HRTC and the Indian government, the system will be installed on a total of 2,000 buses and will send real-time information about the location and speed of the vehicle to a central server. This information will be integrated with the passenger

Greece has successfully completed the first tests of its automatic emergency call system, eCall, within the framework of the eCall pilot national research project, a European initiative intended to bring rapid assistance to motorists involved in a collision anywhere in the European Union. eCall uses a device installed in vehicles that will automatically dial 112 (the pre-assigned European emergency number) in the event of a road accident and wirelessly send airbag deployment, impact sensor information and G

Toshiba International is to replace over 20,000 high-pressure sodium (HPS) street lamps in San Antonio, Texas with LED luminaires. The city’s existing 250-watt HPS luminaires consume 310 system watts and are being replaced by Toshiba’s 100-watt 42-chip TGT LED luminaires. According to Toshiba, product durability and low energy consumption means LED lighting provides one of the lowest life cycle costs of any lighting technology.

UK company Ecotricity is to install a network of rapid charging points in motorway service stations around the country enabling an electric car to be recharged in around 15 minutes. Conventional charging points usually take several hours to provide enough power for modern electric cars. With a range of around 100 miles, this has meant the vehicles are largely used for short journeys in towns and cities, limiting their uptake by consumers.

An important workshop is being held prior to the ITS World Congress in Vienna, with the aim of promoting discussion between the ITS community and the EU Future Internet Public-Private Partnership programme (FI-PPP). Instant mobility is a two-year research project in the EU FI-PPP that is exploring the potential of future internet technologies to improve the mobility of people and goods, and the operation of transport networks and systems.

The Indonesian Transportation Ministry has allocated US$11.4 million for an ITS project to be implemented in 22 cities in the country. “The government has prepared US$0.5 million for each city,” said transportation deputy minister Bambang Susantono. Any additional funding will be provided by provincial governments and the private sector.

Nissan North America has selected Sirius XM Radio as the exclusive provider of a comprehensive suite of premium telematics services for Nissan branded vehicles. According to Trisha Jung, Director, Nissan Connected Services, the aim is to provide more than just innovations in driving performance, fuel efficiency and safety. "Being the first car company to launch these telematics services allows us to further enhance the whole customer driving experience by providing the finest audio entertainment and data s

In Northamptonshire, Kettering Borough Council has replaced its aging pay and display machines with new Metric Aura Elite pay and display meters as part of an updating programme to provide customers with the best available choice. The new solar powered meters are equipped with chip and pin and contactless credit/debit card facilities they also accept all UK coins including the new 5p and 10p coins and provide the Council with updated coin validators. Metric have also provided their WebASLAN back-office repo

Archives of sessions at the 2012 ITS America Annual Meeting and 2011 World Congress on-demand archives of sessions are now available. They offer many hours of recorded content for reference to sessions attended and those that you just didn’t get a chance to hear. Click on http://www.itsa.org/events/meeting-archives to view the full set of available recordings and instructions about how to download and purchase. Starting at the 2013 Annual Meeting in Nashville, ITS America will offer these audio synch-to-s