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Uber is now operating in London, UK, on a 15-month licence grant following a decision by Westminster Magistrates Court. The move follows Transport for London’s (TfL’s) refusal to renew the company’s licence in 2017. Chief magistrate Emma Arbuthnot deemed Uber as ‘fit and proper’ and ordered the company to pay TfL’s legal costs of £425,000. The ride-hailing firm claims it has now made substantial changes by replacing senior management.

Chinese artificial intelligence company Baidu has tested two self-driving cars for the first time along a 33km section of an unused expressway in Tianjin City. A news report says that the trial helped developers collect data on the cars’ performance and their ability to sense the road environment. The test site is part of the Tangshan-Langfang expressway, which is scheduled to open in the Hebei province later this year.

There is some controversy over the testing of connected and autonomous vehicles – but Robert Deans of Transurban North America explains how managed lanes could be vital in the development of CAVs, benefiting everyone. Managed lane operators have the opportunity to establish themselves as leaders in the testing and roll-out of connected and automated vehicles (CAVs), assisting and accelerating the transition of CAVs onto road networks to deliver economic and safety benefits. Managed lane facilities

A spat has broken out between two major US transportation organisations over how best to pay for road use: the ATA says tolls are ‘fake funding’ while IBTTA has scorned ‘scare tactics and falsehoods’… Much has been made of the state of US roads: everyone agrees that funding is needed – but who should pay? And how? Chris Spear, president and CEO of American Trucking Associationsm(ATA), believes finance is facing a cliff edge: the Highway Trust Fund (HTF), historically the primary source of federal revenue

EMS World magazine has chosen Global Traffic Technologies’ (GTT) Opticom Analytics as a 2017 Innovation Award winner at its annual World Expo in Las Vegas, based on the significant impact it can have on helping first responders travelling to an emergency. The solution provides details about preemption system performance by using GPS data collected from emergency vehicles. The system, part of the Opticom Emergency Vehicle Preemption platform, compiles data uploaded from vehicle equipment and presents the

Eltec Elektronik has launched its CyBox GW-P compact and wireless router which uses four long-term evolution (LTE) channels and intelligent control software to support vehicle-land data-sharing communications specifically for trains and buses. It uses all available links to reduce roaming costs and optimise available bandwidths. CyBox GW-P comes with data speeds of 600 Mbit/s (downloads) and 200 Mbit/s (uploads). A Wave 2 module provides data speeds of up to 1.7 Gbit/s and 4x4 MIMO as well as two Gigabit

UK-based Traffic Technology’s SpeedWatch can now target distracted and dangerous driving behaviour. It uses an aesthetic portable interactive display to deliver messages such as mobile phone use, fasten seat belt and excess speed. The SpeedWatch+ interactive display wirelessly interfaces to the manned SpeedWatch radar system, while a tablet device allows trained members of the public to select appropriate messages which are sent to the display to warn violating drivers. A positive driver feedback display

Hella has launched a multifunctional sensor which aims to enable higher levels of autonomous driving and allow OEMs and drivers the freedom to create more customised vehicles. It comes with three detection functions based on its environmental awareness capabilities and has been exhibited at the North American International Auto show 2018, in Detroit. Called Structural Health and Knock Emission (Shake) sensor, it has been upgraded to recognise structure-borne sound waves generated by contact or knocks on it

Elatec RFID Systems has developed a new reader module which supports all common radio-frequency identification (RFID) standards as well as Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) and near-field communication (NFC). Called TWN4 MultiTech 3 BLE, it aims to provide flexibility to manufacturers of devices for access control, charging stations, point-of-sale (POS), parking space management, fitness and time-tracking. The (re)configuration of integrated TWN4 MultiTech 3 BLE reader modules can also be carried out in a

On Semiconductor has released a new 1/3.2-inch backside illuminated (BSI) 4 megapixel (MP) CMOS digital image sensor which integrates delivery of image capture and depth mapping from a single sensor solution. Called AR0430, it is said to deliver 120 frames per second (fps) performance supporting slow-motion video in 4 MP mode. The sensor can be used in Internet of Things (IoT) applications including wearable devices, AR/VR products and security cameras. The sensor’s techniques, Colour Filter Array (CFA) an

Italy-based Targa Telematics (TT) has launched a new device with the intention of meeting the quality and cybersecurity standards imposed by car makers as well as the needs of car rental companies. Called Targa Plexer Smart, its microprocessors are said to enable edge computing and artificial intelligence functionalities to help reduce data transfer costs. The tool allows users to collect a mass of information and deliver multiple services. It includes a series of interfaces which can connect to the

Papercast has deployed its e-paper passenger information bus stop displays in Tannheim, Austria, as part of a strategy to improve public transport service quality, by rolling out real-time service data to its passengers. The displays are designed with the intention of operating around the clock using solar power and providing 3G mobile network connectivity. The Papercast solution is currently installed at Tannheim’s municipal office to measure passenger reaction and to define future requirements. These

Vaxtor Corporation’s (Vaxtor) advanced LPR analytics platform can now be deployed across Onssi’s Ocularis VMS platform to recognise, capture and archive data on licence plates, railway vehicles, US Department of Transport (USDOT) numbers and more, as part of an integration partnership between both companies. The agreement, according to Onssi’s Ken LaMarca, VP of sales & marketing, allows the solution to deliver a range of security and operations data to meet the specific challenges of the transportation and

Amsterdam-based TomTom Telematics (TTT) has rebuilt its Webfleet solution which is said to carry out a more effective job dispatch while delivering routing, navigation and traffic information. It has now been coupled with the new range of TomTom Pro Driver Terminals. The Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solution comes with an enhanced feature which enables managers to pre-plan specific routes or avoid certain locations. These routes can then be sent directly to drivers via the TomTom Pro 5350/7350 driver

Visitors attending ITS World Congress Copenhagen in September can receive 25% off registration and accommodation fees until 2 July. The Congress will feature technology demonstrations and showcases ITS achievements from the Danish capital and region. There is also a conference programme which includes presentations and discussions on the latest developments in ITS. More information is available on the website.

Ford has developed clothing which has built-in indicators and flashing brake lights for cyclists. Smart Jacket was developed with urban cycling clothing specialist Lumo and mobility software company Tome, and allows cyclists to better indicate their presence and intentions to other road users. The wearable’s navigation app wirelessly connects to smartphones and vibrates the jacket’s sleeves to help riders take the right direction to avoid busy roads.

The European Commission (EC) must create a regulatory framework to avoid fragmented deployment of co-operative intelligent transport systems (C-ITS). That is the view of ASECAP – the European Association of Operators of Toll Road Infrastructure - which warns that current installations need to communicate with future solutions. All C-ITS stations must be interoperable, the organisation adds.

Tulsa-based OmniAir Consortium has certified two devices for tolling interoperability from Star Systems International (SSI). The Vektra Windshield Sticker Tag and Solana Passive Transponder can be mounted on either a vehicle’s windscreen or headlamp. SSI supplies passive tolling devices across the world and to members of the 6C Toll Operators Coalition as well as other tolling operators within the US. Stephen Lockhart, CTO for SSI, said: “Star Systems International is committed to bringing the best

Swarco Traffic has installed 34 vehicle-activated signs (VAS) at key locations in the UK borough of Brent to support its council in reducing collisions, road danger and accidents that involve powered two-wheelers (P2Ws) such as motorcycles and mopeds. Motorcycles account for 19% of all road user deaths despite representing 1% of total road traffic, according to the National Think Road Safety Campaign. VAS are activated when an approaching vehicle is travelling over the system’s pre-set threshold.