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The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) today called on state departments of transportation to verify that railroad crossing warning systems interconnected to traffic signals function properly to verify that the traffic signals and crossing lights are properly sequenced and enough time is provided for traffic to clear from a nearby intersection before a train enters a crossing. The agency also urged states to add event recorders to traffic signals connected to railroad crossing systems so information o

The American Public Transportation Association (APTA) and the NFC Forum have signed a formal Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that will enable the two organisations to jointly educate the industry on near field communication (NFC) technologies supporting the needs of public transportation operators. The use of NFC for public transit ticketing is growing. Recently, New York State announced a plan to support NFC payments for the 11-million-user Metropolitan Transportation Authority, and the UK Cards Asso

Drawing more than 200 professionals from intelligent transport systems (ITS) and related disciplines, ITS Australia recently hosted the first in a series of ITS showcase events in Melbourne. Focusing on automated vehicles and cooperative ITS, the event was setting the stage for what’s to come as Melbourne prepares to host the 23rd ITS World Congress later this year. Keynote speakers from USA, UK and Europe shared insights about global technology that is changing the way we use and develop transport techn

The Kansas Turnpike Authority (KTA) has entered into an agreement to be part of a hub system that will allow for compatibility between the multiple agencies in Texas and the Oklahoma and Kansas turnpike authorities, beginning in 2017. This partnership will allow travellers to use one electronic transponder to pay for tolls in the Midwest. Although the agreement has been signed by KTA, there is still much to be done before the electronic tolling systems can all work together, including the back-office

The London Borough of Barnet has awarded OpenView Security Solutions a contract to supply and maintain CCTV cameras and software for the unattended enforcement of moving traffic contraventions. The Videalert-based platform will initially be used to enforce a range of moving traffic contraventions at more than 20 locations as well as being deployed outside 32 schools to increase road safety for children across the borough. Chairman of Barnet Council’s Environment Committee, Dean Cohen, said: “The int

The International Bridge, Tunnel and Turnpike Association (IBTTA) applauds a new Congressional Budget Office (CBO) report, Approaches to Making Federal Highway Spending More Productive, which examines the economic advantages of tolling as one means of funding the nation’s highway system.

Reforms are set to make bus travel in the UK more passenger-friendly and give councils more freedom to improve services. Roads Minister Andrew Jones said reforms will help deliver better journeys across the country, as he delivered a keynote speech at the UK Bus Summit. Under the changes in the Buses Bill, councils will be given the choice to franchise services and enter into new partnerships with providers. All companies will have to share information about routes, fares and timetables, paving the

The widespread adoption of autonomous vehicles could bring billions of pounds to the UK economy and save hundreds of lives, according to a new report by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, which is calling for urgent Government and industry action to encourage the greater use of autonomous and driverless vehicles. It also calls for urgent resolution of legislative, technological and insurance issues to help encourage the rollout of autonomous or driverless vehicles. Philippa Oldham, head of transpor

A new system that combines laser-based remote sensing and automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) is being trialled in London and Birmingham in a bid to catch polluting cars. Developed by Hager Environmental and Atmospheric Technologies (HEAT), the emissions detecting and reporting system (EDAR) remotely detects and measures infrared absorption of environmentally critical gases coming out of a moving vehicle. The technology is combined with still/scene camera technology and an ANPR camera, which al

Spanish multinational Indra is to deploy its access control and ticketing technology across the Buenos Aires Metropolitan Area (BAMA) rail network, one of the world's largest with more than 200 stations. The contract also includes system maintenance during a two-year period. Argentina's national rail operator has awarded Indra the contract, worth US$39 million, under which the firm will equip eight lines with 1,400 access control machines, or turnstiles; 170 disabled entrances; 200 automatic recharging m

The first policy outlook paper issued by the Better Infrastructure Initiative at the University of Sydney, Re-establishing Australia's Global Infrastructure Leadership, claims that Australia could save billions of dollars by focusing infrastructure spending on existing infrastructure networks. The report found that low innovation, declining productivity and a failure to positively engage customers are key factors holding back the nation's infrastructure. It recommends greater transparency, better stan

Transport Systems Catapult (TSC) spin-out Immense Simulations and Improbable have been successful in their application to the Innovate UK Connected and Autonomous Vehicles call for a Collaborative Research and Development project, to create a new solution for the coordination of autonomous vehicle fleets. Immense Simulations will develop ‘tools for autonomous logistics operations and management’, building on its SpatialOS distributed simulation platform, a new operating system that enables developers to