News

The US Department of Transportation's Intelligent Transportation Systems Joint Program Office (ITS JPO) is hosting a free public webinar on Tuesday 10 July, 2012 from 1:00pm-2:30pm ET, to discuss the new features found in Version 7.0 of the National ITS Architecture and the new version of the Turbo Architecture Software as a part of the Talking Technology and Transportation (T3) webinar series.

In line with a new proposal, the local municipality Budapest, the Hungarian capital, will be able to collect a congestion charge from motorists for using its roads. The bill enables the introduction of variable charges for different kinds of vehicles and zones in the city. Istvan Tarlos, mayor of Budapest, has said that motorists entering the city centre would be required to pay a one-off congestion charge of between US$1.70 and $2.00. However, the borders of the planned congestion zone are still under disp

Trapeze Group has purchased Bacchus Management Holdings, the parent company of Bacchus Management Systems based in Brisbane, Australia, which provides integrated operations and financial management, ticketing and RTPI (real-time passenger information) solutions to the passenger transport industry. The company’s core product is TIMS, a comprehensive integrated transport solution for bus and road transport operations. Bacchus clients include major operators in bus and coach transport across Australia and New

Q-Free has received a tag order from Vinci Autoroutes valued at over US$2.5 million. With a network of 4,385 km under concession, including 4,310 km in service, Vinci is Europe’s leading motorway operator. Its four concession operating companies, ASF, Cofiroute, Escota and Arcour, serve the south and west of France, representing half of the country’s total motorway network under concession. Vinci motorways carry 2.2 million customers a day, with 1.5 million electronic toll subscribers.

Annual cost savings in US states with universal motorcycle helmet laws were nearly four times greater (per registered motorcycle) than in states without these comprehensive laws, according to a Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report study released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Universal helmet laws require that motorcycle riders and passengers wear a helmet every time they ride.

Flexpoint Sensor Systems has revealed it will target the rapidly growing market for vehicle sensors. A study by Global Industry Analysts projects growth in the global sensors market to top US$20.6 billion by 2017. The report singles out safety and comfort applications for particularly strong growth, two areas in which Flexpoint’s bend sensor technology is currently in advanced-stage testing and product placement.

Jupiter Systems, a specialist in visualisation and collaboration solutions for display walls and networked PCs, has announced its twentieth consecutive year of profitability and growth, driven by strong worldwide sales, strategic investments, and continued innovation and product quality. “Achieving our twentieth consecutive year of profitability and sales growth over the recent challenging economic period represents a significant accomplishment,” said Eric Wogsberg, the company’s president. “Strategic inves

Electric vehicle (EV) sales in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE), a region with a population of over 100 million people and a solid macroeconomic environment, are anticipated to cross the 60,000 mark by 2017 and witness even stronger growth post 2017, generating revenue opportunities for existing and new market participants in the e-mobility area.

The Swiss National Council has approved a motion by Ulrich Giezendanner regarding the misuse of speed cameras. Giezendanner is convinced that the cameras are used to rip off motorists and he believes that they do not actually increase road safety on the majority of the country’s roads. If the Swiss Council of States votes for the motion as well, the Swiss Federation will only be allowed to approve radar speed cameras on Swiss national roads in areas that are prone to accidents. It is estimated that this wou

The mayor of Nice, Christian Estrosi, has announced that he no longer wishes to participate in the test of Zapa zones (Zones d'Actions Prioritaires pour l'Air), the goal of which is to reduce polluting gas emissions by 10 per cent by reducing car traffic in certain zones. Along with Paris Saint-Denis, Lyon, Grenoble, Aix-en-Provence, Bordeaux and Clermont-Ferrand, Nice on France’s Mediterranean coast had signed up for a three-year government pilot programme. However, Estrosi now says that the city’s own ove

Siemens Vietnam and Vietnam Motors Industry Corporation (Vinamotor) headquartered in Hanoi have entered into a cooperation agreement to apply Siemens Elfa hybrid drive technology for city buses in Vietnam. Siemens will supply all necessary components and provide technical support, while Vinamotor will prepare the platform and manufacture remaining parts of the bus for operational readiness.

Parsons Brinckerhoff has named Greg Kelly to the newly created position of global chief operating officer (COO). Clifford Eby succeeds Kelly as president of Parsons Brinckerhoff’s Americas Transportation operating company. “The COO position is being created to ensure the continued success of each of our operating companies and to enhance their abilities to work together across our expanding global operations,” said George J. Pierson, president and CEO of Parsons Brinckerhoff. “Greg Kelly has led our large