News

Deployment of the European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS), an EU-wide railway signalling system is proceeding at a very low-level, according to a new report from European Court of Auditors. In assessing if the ERTMS had been proper planned, deployed and managed, the auditors visited Denmark, Germany, Spain, Italy, Poland and the Netherlands and detected a reluctance from infrastructure managers to invest in the necessary equipment due the expense and a lack individual business cases.

Deployment of the European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS), an EU-wide railway signalling system is proceeding at a very low-level, according to a new report from European Court of Auditors. In assessing if the ERTMS had been proper planned, deployed and managed, the auditors visited Denmark, Germany, Spain, Italy, Poland and the Netherlands and detected a reluctance from infrastructure managers to invest in the necessary equipment due the expense and a lack individual business cases.

Vehicle infotainment systems take drivers eyes off the road and hands off the wheel for potentially dangerous periods of time, according to the latest research from the American Automobile Association’s Foundation for Traffic Safety (AFTF). The AFTF commissioned researchers from the University of Utah to examine visual (eyes off road) and cognitive (mental) demands and the time taken to complete infotainment systems tasks on 120 drivers aged 12 -36 on 30 new 2017 model-year vehicles.

UK-based research establishment TRL has launched a blind spot simulator rig which uses virtual reality to improve truck cab design, road layouts and improve the safety of road users and reduce costs for designers. The precision of the system is based on a physical rig developed by TRL and Volvo. It ensures an accurate representation of direct vision from a real-life Volvo vehicle cab which allows seat, steering and wheel adjustments to be replicated for each driver.

Parkeon Transportation has partnered with technology provider Timespace to expand the company's integration capability into on-vehicle surveillance. CCTV specialist Anthony O' Brien has joined the company and will be working with bus companies to implement digital video recording technology to augment passenger safety and asset security. Through using this technology, the systems will record key data along with hi-definition imagery, along with live view connectivity.

RAI Amsterdam Intertraffic has signed a memorandum of understanding with Tarsus Indonesia to bring its first trade event to the country and address a variety of traffic problems. Intertraffic Indonesia 2018 will feature road infrastructure, traffic management, road safety, parking and smart parking technologies. It will be attended by road infrastructure project owners, public transport and toll road operators, transportation operators from private sectors, transportation authorities and other government

Mobility solutions provider Groupe PSA is to launch its Free2Move smartphone app in Seattle – the first such application in the US. The mobility solutions app interacts with a range of car and bike sharing providers allowing users to compare location, characteristics and operating costs of available transportation options, including offerings from Car2Go, Zipcar then TravelCar. Several bike sharing services such as Ofo Bike, Lime Bike and Spin Bike will be added over the next 60 days.

The University of Southampton has won and become the first recipient of the first IAM RoadSmart Human Factors Research Award (£50, 000). The money will help fund a PhD student project for research into the training implications for drivers as vehicles become more automated. The winning submission, ‘Training Implications for Drivers of Automated Vehicles’, was written by students Neville Stanton and Katie Plant.

The Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) has chosen French driverless technology company EasyMile to lead its autonomous shuttle bus pilot project. According to MnDOT, this will be the first cold climate test in the US. EasyMile will use its EZ10 electric shuttle on MnDOT’s pavement test facility, MnROAD. Testing will include how the shuttle operates in snow and ice conditions, at low temperatures and on roads with salt.