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UK-based manufacturer of rugged CCTV cameras Redvision claims its VMS1000 will offer end users and installers a cost-effective, server-based control system. Digifort’s video management software powers the solution. Stephen Lightfoot, technical director at Redvision, says the device maximises the functionality of the company’s X-Series and Volant rugged pan tilt zooms and Vega fixed cameras and is also integrated with 245 other CCTV brands. “This enables the re-use of legacy CCTV cameras into surveillance

Oxford City Council in the UK is trialling technology start-up Urban Electric Networks’ pop-up charge point in a £600,000 initiative to encourage UK residents to make the switch to electric vehicles (EVs). Urban Electric says its UEone is a charging solution for households who have to park cars on-street in residential parking zones. The project is co-funded by Innovate UK, following a successful £474,000 bid led by Urban Electric.

UK ITS manufacturer AGD Systems says its 343 Highways Monitoring Radar provides real-time data on multiple lanes and improves highway safety. The radar collects traffic flow data on the network and replaces loop technology to monitor lanes on inter-urban routes. Ian Hind, commercial director at AGD Systems, says the solution employs enforcement-grade radar and measurement techniques to quantify speed, range and length of passing vehicles. “The radar allows instant decision-making in determining whether t

Technology company Activu has added three features to its visualisation and collaboration software platform ActivWare, which helps traffic management centres (TMCs) monitor and manage operations. The ActivLink feature will help connect ITS systems, sensors and devices to ActivWare. The company says the Internet of Things visualisation allows time-sensitive information about critical events to be disseminated to any display or device – enabling a faster incident response. Additionally, the ONVIF-complian

If you want to get up to speed on the main issues facing the transport sector and tolling companies, ASECAP Study Days event in Ljubljana was a good place to start. Colin Sowman reports (Photographs: Louis David). Increasing populations, ever-higher technical and safety requirements, and electric and hybrid vehicles will provide both challenges and opportunities for tolling companies. The annual Study Days event organised by ASECAP (the European association for tolling companies) examined all of these aspec

Cars are starting to learn to understand the language of pointing – something that our closest relative, the chimpanzee, cannot do. And such image recognition technology has profound mobility implications, says Nils Lenke Pointing at objects – be it with language, using gaze, gestures or eyes only – is a very human ability. However, recent advances in technology have enabled smart, multimodal assistants - including those found in cars - to action similar pointing capabilities and replicate these human qual

The ITS industry will get into a ‘terrific mess’ if it doesn’t sort out the question of interoperability, says Georg Kapsch. He talks to Alan Dron about data, connectivity – and why governments should stay out of technology issues Governments should set a regulatory framework to help shape the direction of road technologies - but then stand aside and allow industry to create the necessary technologies, according to a European pioneer in the field. Georg Kapsch, CEO of Kapsch Group and Kapsch TrafficCom,

ITS projects in the Houston area have seen costs crunched – and even a system failure has proved valuable in analysing performance. David Crawford reports on developments in the Lone Star state Savings by Texan public agencies are major factors in the recent ITS Texas awards, recognising beneficial initiatives in bridge strike prevention and traffic intersection control. In the first, the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT)’s Houston District, covering the state’s most populous city and its surround

Increased connectivity in transportation is a potential goldmine for hackers. To stop them, Stacy Janes at Irdeto says it’s important to think ‘maliciously’. Adam Hill talks to him about ITS’s weak points – and why turning up car radios could be enough to bring auto manufacturers to their knees

Byton is to begin trialling ten battery-powered M-Byte prototype vehicles under actual traffic conditions and on test tracks in Nanjing, China. The SUV will also be trialled in cold weather tests during the winter. Dr. Carsten Breitfeld, CEO and co-founder of Byton, and the company’s president and co-founder Dr. Daniel Kirchert, accompanied the roll-out of the first test vehicles at the prototype manufacturing plant in Nanjing. “The fact that the first M-Bytes are now undergoing road testing is a sign

Drivers in London, UK, could be fined £130 for not using electric or hybrid vehicles on nine ‘electric streets’. The project is intended to cut pollution and improve air quality. Drivers of petrol and diesel cars will be restricted from using some roads in the Shoreditch and Old Street areas of the city between 7am-10am and 4pm-7pm on weekdays.

US regions with higher public transportation use can cut traffic fatality rates by 10-40%, according to a new figures from the American Public Transportation Association (APTA). APTA analysis of recent National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and Federal Transit Administration data shows that metropolitan areas with public transit use of more than 40 annual trips per capita have up to 40% of the traffic fatality rate of metro areas with fewer than 20 annual trips per capita. APTA and the Vision

Indian ride-hailing company Ola has entered the UK and says it will offer users in South Wales the option of private hire vehicles (PHVs) and taxis on one platform. The company has also obtained a licence to operate in Greater Manchester and is working with local authorities across the UK to expand nationwide by the end of the year. Ola says it screens all drivers through a disclosure and barring service. In addition, the firm offers riders 24/7 voice support and the option to share ride details with

Self-employed courier or taxi drivers who get their work through apps could be more likely to be involved in a collision, says a new study. The University College London (UCL) research found 63% of ‘gig’ economy respondents – who are not paid a salary - are not provided with safety training about managing risks on the road. The emerging issues for management of occupational road risk in a changing economy: A survey of gig economy drivers, riders and their managers also revealed 65% of drivers did not

Chinese ride-sharing company Didi Chuxing has blamed its own ‘vanity’ for lapses in safety which led to the rape and killing of a 20-year-old female passenger. The firm issued a public apology for the incident which took place on 28 August and says it will now prioritise safety over growth. In an emailed statement, Didi founder Cheng Wei and president Jean Liu say: "We see clearly this is because our vanity overtook our original belief. We raced non-stop, riding on the force of breathless expansion and

Volkswagen will deploy 2,000 all-electric vehicles in Berlin, Germany, under its We Share brand in the second quarter of 2019. The company says it will motivate young, urban users to engage with e-mobility and stimulate interest in the technology. According to Volkswagen, We Share is a free-floating car sharing service which is aimed at providing people who do not own a car with electric vehicles at any time. The first fleet will comprise 1,500 e-Golf vehicles while an additional 500 e-up! models will a

The US National Operations Center of Excellence (NOCoE) will celebrate transportation management and operations which save lives, time and money in Washington, DC, next January. The first Transportation Systems Management and Operations (TSMO) awards ceremony is expected to attract 13,000 transportation professionals. Patrick Son, managing director of NOCoE, says the event will recognise smarter management and operational strategies to increase the capacity of existing streets. The event will take place

Kapsch TrafficCom says its modernised Austria-wide toll collection system for trucks over 3.5 tonnes allows enforcement to be carried out through a single gantry. Highway and expressway operator Asfinag is now using the Go Maut 2.0. The gantry will carry the radio beacons and cameras for number plate recognition as well as an optical vehicle classification system. The vehicle class and number of axles can be determined in free-flowing traffic using high-resolution video cameras and stereo video imaging p

Connected autonomous vehicle technology company Cohda Wireless has appointed Jochen Steinhauer as sales director Europe. He will work in Cologne, Germany, and report to vice president of business development, Bernd Luebben. Steinhauer has 20 years of sales and management experience in the technology sector and previously worked at Internet of Things company Telit Communications. He also worked with Swiss manufacturer U-blox for five years and held senior roles with Atmel and NEC Electronics.

Reliability is the key factor in people’s acceptance of autonomous vehicles, suggests a new academic study. Nine out of ten people said it was easy to use 2getthere’s Parkshuttle, operated by the Dutch municipality of Capelle aan den Ijssel. Four out of five respondents said the system - which connects Rivium business park and metro station Kralingse Zoom - is reliable, mainly because of its frequency and punctuality. The qualitative study from Utrecht University also focused on operational factors