News

According to a new report from ABI Research, after more than a decade of trials and tests, the ITS industry finds itself facing important decisions regarding mandating dedicated DRSC-based technology and ensuring seamless integration with existing converged technologies, using them as a proxy to bridge the time, penetration, and cost gap of ITS infrastructure which is not expected to reach critical mass before the end of this decade.

Esri has announced a strategic alliance with Microsoft to assist public and private agencies and communities around the world during disasters. Microsoft will display Esri public information maps on its cloud-based disaster response incident portal, as well as point citizens to the maps via its online outlets, such as MSN and Bing. Esri's ArcGIS integration within a number of Microsoft's disaster response management solutions will provide governments and leading aid organisations with a more comprehensive s

Siemens Infrastructure & Cities will handle the electrification of Hawaii's first rail transit system which is scheduled for completion by 2019. The new line will run alongside Honolulu's 32-kilometer main arterial road from the East Kapolei district via Pearl Harbor and the airport to the Ala Moana district in the west.

TransCore ITS has announced that Tracy Marks has been named as president, succeeding John Simler. Marks joined the company in 1993 and most recently served as senior vice president of both the Southern US and international regions. In addition, he has been general manager of United Toll Systems, a growing product division within TransCore ITS.

The Dubai Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) and the US-based National Association for Pupil Transportation (NAPT) are entering into a formal partnership to share information and experiences on school transportation, and will co-host a school transportation Summit next spring in Dubai.

PayByPhone has won a contract to introduce a pay-by-phone payment service across approximately 13,000 on-street paid parking spaces throughout the city of Seattle. The service will enable drivers to use their cell phones to pay for parking. Drivers can also choose to receive a text message reminder before their parking time expires, with the option to add time remotely and receive parking receipts by email.

Ford is developing a complete virtual factory to simulate the full assembly line production process. The company says this will enable it to improve quality and cut costs in real world manufacturing facilities by creating and analysing computer simulations of vehicle production procedures.

Trafikverket, the Swedish Transport Administration, has increased the amount of work for Q-Free on the Gothenburg congestion charging project. In March, the company learned that it had been awarded a contract, valued at nearly US$24 million, for the delivery of road side equipment, infrastructure and service and maintenance for two years with an option for additional six years. At the time, it was pointed out that the final contract value would be dependent on selected options and also the duration of the s

UK-headquartered Total Car Parks has announced the acquisition of seven new car parks around the UK. The company manages over 30 sites nationally, offering a full range of car park operation services; from general management to the transformation of development land into functioning car parks.

Bournemouth Borough Council on the south coast of England is the first local authority in the country to deploy Siemens InView, the company’s all new fault management system designed specifically for the traffic market. It allows traffic managers to keep a record of traffic monitoring and control equipment and to track the status of that equipment, including maintenance issues, running costs and equipment reliability. Cloud based, with a web browser interface, InView offers fault reporting and asset managem

Linde North America has made a five-year commitment to deploy DriveCam’s driver risk management solution in its entire fleet of 1,250 vehicles in US and Canada. A member of the Linde Group, a world-leading gases and engineering company with around 51,000 employees in more than 100 countries worldwide, Linde North America awarded the contract after an extensive trial and over multiple competitive solutions.

Entries for the third annual RAC Future Car Challenge, which takes place on Saturday 3 November, are now being invited and for this year there are even more opportunities for manufacturers to get involved with the Challenge and events linked to it, such as the Regent Street Motor Show. The event, which is owned by the Royal Automobile Club, and sponsored by RAC Motoring Services, was first introduced in 2010 to showcase low energy use vehicles. It features competitors driving electric, hybrid, hydrogen and