News

FOT-Net has been established by the European Commission to network Field Operational Tests (FOT) organisers in one platform to address common issues related to the practical organisation, set up and follow-up of FOT results. FOT-Net has organised a free workshop to be held at the Tokyo International Forum on Monday 14 October before the ITS World Congress opening ceremony, to exchange knowledge, best practices and foster cooperation for FOT activities and supporting the coherent development and implementati

Australia’s New South Wales Roads and Maritime Services has awarded Redflex Traffic Systems the contract to provide around forty Redflex Radarcam in-vehicle mobile speed for the State’s expanded mobile enforcement program. Redflex has been operating an interim program in New South Wales since 2010, involving the delivery of 930 enforcement hours per month. The expanded program is to deliver 7000 hours per month when fully operational, a percentage of which will be delivered by Redflex. Comments Redflex Gene

Policies that improve the energy efficiency of urban transport systems could help save as much as US$ 70 trillion in spending on vehicles, fuel and transportation infrastructure between now and 2050, according to a new report from the International Energy Agency. The report, A Tale of Renewed Cities, draws on examples from more than thirty cities across the globe to show how to improve transport efficiency through better urban planning and travel demand management. Extra benefits include lower greenhouse-ga

The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) and the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) have partnered to provide funding to eleven businesses, non-profit organisations and research institutions to promote energy-saving technologies designed to reduce carbon-dioxide emissions in New York State.

Intelligent Transport Systems Australia has praised the National Infrastructure Plan presented to the Council of Australian Governments last week. ITS Australia Chief Executive Officer Susan Harris said this Plan recognises some realities that challenge infrastructure management in Australia and it recommends a clear set of actions to force reform in policies and processes. Among the key actions recommended in the National Infrastructure Plan are: Reform of current infrastructure funding methods; Wider appl

Econolite has promoted Melvyn Haxby to the position of director of International Business Development, following the retirement of Ed Ehrman, the company’s former director of International Business. Haxby joined Econolite December 2012 as regional manager for Latin America; prior to that he was international sales director of Iteris, managing the development of international markets and sales. He previously held posts with HSBC, Odetics Europe, Comdisco and Eunetcom.

Back office solutions provider StarTraq is one of five finalists in the Transport Supplier of the Year category of the National Transport Awards 2013. StarTraq implemented its back office system across the four collaborating forces in Wales to provide efficiencies in the administration of traffic fines, with the direct result of making the roads in Wales safer. Commenting on the company's nomination, StarTraq's CEO Allan Freinkel says, "For StarTraq to be shortlisted in the category 'Transport Supplier of t

Motorists in the Dutch city of Zoetermeer are to benefit from a smart parking concept developed jointly by Nedap and Vialis, which displays real-time parking space availability on Vialis electronic displays alongside the access roads to the city centre. Parking data will also be made available through an app for smart phones and through navigation systems in vehicles. The city is the first municipality in the Netherlands to respond to Ministry of Infrastructure and the Environment request to make parking da

Intelligent transport system (ITS) solutions provider, Mobile Visual Information Systems (MVIS), played a crucial role in the traffic management plan for the UK’s 2013 Royal Ascot 2013, helping to prevent congestion around the event. MVIS supplied Royal Ascot’s traffic management team with three trailer-mounted solar powered Solar 2012 CCTV cameras, enabling the team to monitor the number of vehicles approaching the event and to respond instantly to heavy traffic by activating a reroute plan. This meant th

The Venus RFID windshield tag developed by Star Systems International has received approval from the Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI) for use across India’s national highways. Meeting the requirements of India’s Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) Resolution H-25011/4/2011-P&P (Toll) Vol. II, the Venus windshield tag is suitable for use with India’s united electronic toll collection system across all toll plazas along the national highways. “The Venus windshield tag offers Indian

Sensys Traffic and the Swedish Transport Administration have signed multi-year contracts estimated to be worth up to US$82.5 million, and at least US$16.5 million for the delivery of monitoring systems and roadside cabinets for traffic safety cameras. Sensys won procurement contracts for measurement systems and measurement cabinets earlier this year. The procurement process was appealed, but following a subsequent decision of the Administrative Court, Sensys and the Swedish Transport Administration have now

London’s Mayor’s Roads Task Force (RTF) has set out a bold new vision for the future of the city’s roads and streets to ensure the capital can cope with major population growth, support jobs and thousands of new homes, while remaining one of the most attractive, vibrant, accessible and competitive world cities. A range of proposals includes: roofing over arterial roads to create new surface space; changing the way goods and services are delivered, such as shifting HGVs and freight out of peak hours; embraci

The Swedish Transport Administration (Trafikverket) is to continue its contract with Q-Free for the service and maintenance of the congestion charging infrastructure in Stockholm. The three-year contract is valued at approximately US$6 million and commences in November 2013. Congestion charges were introduced in Stockholm in 2006, first as a trial followed by a referendum, then permanently from 2007. A 2011 report published by Elsevier in mid-2011 concludes that during the first five years of operation the