News

Sydney bus passengers can now track whether their bus service is running late, with the New South Wales (NSW) government making real-time information on bus movements available to mobile app developers. The latest versions of TripView, Arrivo Sydney and TripGo allow users to locate the nearest bus stop and ticket machine, predict when a bus is to arrive and see where a bus is on its route using GPS data from the Public Transport Information Priority System (PTIPS). The real time information will initially b

The city of Sacramento in California is to trial electric vehicle (EV) charging on its own EVs. Evatran, developer of Plugless Power wireless electric vehicle charging technology, has announced that the city is to take part in its Apollo Trial Program, joining industry participant such as Bosch Automotive Service Solutions, Duke Energy, Google, DTE Energy, and the Hertz Corporation. Plugless Power technology, based on the 100 year old principle of magnetic induction, was developed to allow electric vehicle

The Greater Wellington Regional Council is developing a transport study to upgrade the public transport system in the city of Wellington, New Zealand, with the study due to be wrapped up by April 2013. The council plans to build a light rail network to connect Kilbirnie and the Central Business District (CBD), and is also considering upgrading bus lanes or constructing a bus corridor under the transport study. Greater Wellington Regional Council chair Fran Wilde said stretching the study to include the sout

Australia’s Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR) and transportation consultants ARRB Group (ARRB) have signed a new partnership agreement that provides committed funding for capability development, research and technology transfer. The agreement builds on the long history of successful collaboration between ARRB and TMR and is precisely aligned to the strategic goals of both organisations. The primary technical focus of the agreement will be to create a national asset research centre of e

Austrian rail telecommunication systems integrator Kapsch CarrierCom has been awarded the contract to maintain the entire GSM-R (Global System for Mobile Communications – Railway) network on behalf of British railway infrastructure operator Network Rail. The multi-year agreement will see Kapsch supporting Network Rail’s control centre team to ensure the highest levels of network availability, enabling higher frequency of train services and greater safety standards. GSM-R is an international wireless communi

A real-time traffic data collection system developed by the Texas A&M University Transportation Institute (TTI) is going nationwide and could go global, according to the university. The development, known as AWAM (Anonymous Wireless Address Matching), uses the first portion of the MAC address from anonymous wireless devices, such as Bluetooth-enabled devices, carried in vehicles to measure the travel time between two points along freeways and arterial roads in rural and urban environments. It provides real-

A new 3G wireless communications solution which allows Siemens UTMC OTUs to be connected to the company’s PC SCOOT UTC instation has been launched by the company following extensive field trials. The newly released 3G option is available on Gemini2 and is provided by the use of an approved 3G router and antenna kit and is quick and easy to install. It allows junctions to be added onto the UTC system without the need for physically wired or fibre links, reducing installation and civil engineering costs. Ac

UK-based metric parking is to supply a further twenty-seven of their Elite pay and display parking machines for an extension to a parking project in a suburb of the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur. The order follows the shipment of eighty-two similar machines last year to the city of Petaling Jaya and brings the total number of Metric machines in Malaysia to more than 1,000. Metric Group export manager Mike Hewett praised the part played by the Metric Group’s Malaysian distributor My One Solution, and said:

The Municipality of Randers in Denmark is using Bluetooth technology from Danish company Blip Systems to improve traffic flow in the city. Consultancy company Cowi developed the Cowi CitySense system using BlipTrack sensors from Blip Systems. The popularity of Bluetooth technology makes it ideal for traffic monitoring, as increasing numbers of drivers use Bluetooth-equipped headsets or hands-free systems for their mobile phone. Small boxes with built-in Bluetooth sensors monitor traffic on a 2.5 km long st

A recent study by the University of Minnesota found strong support for automated speed enforcement, particularly in work zones and school zones and if revenues from fines are dedicated for road safety programs. Presenting the findings, Frank Douma, associate director of the State and Local Policy Program in the Humphrey School of Public Affairs said automated speed enforcement has been deployed in fourteen states and in many countries, especially in Europe. Automated speed enforcement is proven to be an ef

Bus passengers in London can now use their use their contactless debit, credit or charge card to touch in on the yellow Oyster card readers and pay the single Oyster fare on any of London's 8,500 buses. Introducing the scheme, Transport for London (TfL) says the new payment option will also be good news for the approximately 36,000 people per day who board a bus and find they have insufficient pay as you go balance on their Oyster to pay for their journey as they will be able to use the other card they may

A new report from ITS America, Smart Parking and the Connected Consumer, looks at the size of the parking industry and the smart parking opportunities for facility operators and municipalities. The parking industry, defined as parking facility management, billing and collection, enforcement, and other ancillary services, is a US$24-25 billion dollar industry. The commercial parking lots and garages industry includes about 3,000 companies with combined annual revenue of more than US$8 billion. The parking cu

The Chilean subsidiary of Canadian highway traffic management technology company International Road Dynamics (IRD) has been awarded a major contract state of the art weigh in motion (WIM) and related control equipment to a customer in Paraguay. The contract, valued at around US$3.6 million, was awarded to PAT Traffic and also includes a central control centre connected to all the weigh stations to provide real-time station management and statistical reporting. It is anticipated the project will be completed