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Along with death and taxes, there is one other certainty in modern life: change. In this issue of ITS International, Jarrett Walker (an urban transit expert who has unaccountably ruffled the feathers of Tesla’s Elon Musk) sensibly implies that we should be wary of fads, but there are some developments which require our full attention. Among these are connected and autonomous vehicles: try as we might to avoid them as dinner party topics of conversation, the world outside of ITS is waking up to the

A key US vote may have changed what internet service providers are allowed to charge and how they restrict content: Joe Dysart explains why this has consequences for ITS companies. While most people were rushing around last December, grabbing last-minute gifts for the holidays, the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) voted to drive a stake into the heart of the free and open internet. In a majority vote, the agency killed ‘net neutrality’ - a policy that has prevented your regional internet service

US Cities The need to connect existing infrastructure has led various US transit authorities into imaginative alleyways: David Crawford examines some new roles for street furniture. US cities are vying with each other in developing schemes to create a new generation of connected places. Their strategies include taking advantage of their streetlight poles’ height and ubiquity to give them new roles in supporting intelligent nodes. They are now being equipped for collecting real-time data on key transport

As cycling becomes an increasingly popular method for commuting and recreation, what moves are afoot to keep the growing numbers of cyclists safe on ever-more-busy roads? Alan Dron puts on his helmet and pedals off to look. It would have seemed incredible just a decade ago, but cycling in London has become almost unfeasibly popular. The Transport for London (TfL) June 2017 Strategic Cycling Analysis document noted there were now 670,000 cycle trips a day in the UK capital, an increase of 130% since 2000.

There is far more to working out the worth of a project than simply filling in a few headings on a spreadsheet. David Crawford surveys some recent thinking from the US and Canada. Cost benefit analysis (CBA) “can’t be carried out with a cookbook”, warns US analyst Professor Robert J Brent. “ You can’t just get out a spreadsheet and fill in the data for all the headings. Each transport CBA should have something that is distinctive, in terms of location (for example, for a rural area), types of user

A driverless public electric shuttle is operating around South Australia’s Tonsley Innovation District as part of a trial set to include public roads. The five-year project, valued at AU$4m (£2.2m), is intended to build public acceptance of the technology. Initially, the Navya Arma Flinders Express (FLEX) shuttle will offer first mile-last mile services between the Clovelly Park train station and Tonsley main assembly building, then connections to bus stops on the main South Road and businesses within th

Cubic Transportation Systems (CTS) says its ticketing system will provide commuters in Queensland, Australia, with more payment options for public transport. The AU$371m (£208m) project will allow passengers to use bank cards, mobile phones and personal electronic devices such as watches. The initiative stems from an agreement with the Queensland Department of Transport & Main Roads. CTS’ upgrade includes real-time passenger information and the company will also be responsible for the operation and

VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland’s robot car Marilyn is parking autonomously - 100m away from its driver. The trial in Tampere uses the Internet of Things (IoT) and is expected to allow vehicles to park closer together without fear of collisions at airports and shopping centres. Johan Scholliers, project manager at VTT, says the technology will also help reduce congestion in parking areas.

Siemens ITS will deliver traffic signals and CCTV equipment to engineering contractor Alun Griffiths in a bid to improve traffic flows in the UK town of Yeovil. The equipment will be implemented along a series of junctions and roundabouts at 11 locations. The 18-month project is part of Somerset County Council’s Yeovil Western Corridor project and is expected to make journeys faster by 23% on the western side and 16% on the eastern side of the town. This contract includes the replacement of expired

Uber intends to launch its newly-acquired Jump electric bikes in Seattle, US, in a move which could increase competition among rival firms. The ride-hailing company will decide on whether to apply for a permit once regulations have been mapped out by the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDoT). SDoT is finalising a permit programme for bike-share operators and plans to present a proposal to the city council next month. A report by the Seattle Times says three bike-share companies operate in the city

K Group intends to boost Finland’s electric car charging infrastructure by 50% by 2019. The solar power producer will install 400 charge points for electric cars and plug-in hybrids at 70 outlets of convenience chain K-Store across the country. The project will support the government's target to increase the number of electric cars in Finland to 250,000 by 2030 and to build 2,000 public charge points by 2020. Around 300 of the charge points will feature 22kW capacity while the remaining 100 will char

Cohda Wireless' connected vehicle technology is being trialled on 100 freight vehicles in a bid to keep traffic moving and reduce congestion in Sydney, Australia. The system allows trucks to keep traffic lights green so they can pass through a 25-mile trial site comprising three freight routes. The three-month project has been initiated by Transport for New South Wales and Roads and Maritime Services. The routes are located at Pennant Hills, Parramatta and King Georges roads. Additionally, Cohda is r

Smart city road manufacturer Crown International says its double electric vehicle (EV) charge point could save UK local authorities £3bn. The solution is intended to provide an intelligent infrastructure which does not clutter road space and helps to encourage more drivers to switch to EVs. The solution can be installed around existing street furniture and offers an alternative to digging up the road to install new cables – which is expected to save up to £4,000 per charging point. Crown’s platform comes

Dirk Weiber, head of research at Init, has received the European Talent in Mobility award in the best manager category, at Transports Publics 2018 in Paris. The award recognises professionals that have contributed to the development of public transport and sustainable mobility. Weiber has been involved in research projects involving electromobility, travel assistance for people with special mobility needs and the automatic detection of safety incidents.

Jacob Bangsgaard has been re-elected MaaS Alliance president at the organisation's general assembly in Brussels. Under his new role, Bangsgaard will provide a bridge between MaaS Alliance and other related activities of Ertico. Additionally, FIA Region's Thomas Møller Thomsen has been re-appointed vice president and treasurer of MaaS Alliance. The new board of directors also includes Joost Vantomme (ACEA), Carme Fabregas (ATM Barcelona), Nick Jones (Transport Systems Catapult), Marius Macku (Uber),

Bombardier Transportation says its automated people mover (APM) 300 system will help manage increasing passenger numbers at China's Shenzhen Airport, terminal 3. The contract, valued ¥453m (£53m), will be carried out by CRRC Puzhen Bombardier Transportation Systems (PBTS) and is expected to be operational in 2020. PBTS is a joint venture between Bombardier Transportation and Chinese railway rolling stock manufacturer CRRC Nanjing Puzhen. Through the agreement, PBTS will deliver an integrated system

Singapore-based technology group ST Engineering intends to protect its connected and autonomous vehicles (C/AVs) from cyberattacks through utilising SafeRide’s software suite, Vsentry. Vsentry combines a zero false-positive security engine with an artificial intelligence-based anomaly uncovering and response engine to defend against known and unknown threats and anomalies. It protects vehicle connectivity channels, connected application software and the in-vehicle network to help safeguard digital assets

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 ActiWare. 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-compl

ITS provider HMI Technologies and its subsidiary Ohmio will develop a manufacturing plant for autonomous vehicles and an artificial intelligence transport research centre in the Heshan, China. The project is part of a $20m agreement with the city’s Industrial City Management Committee and will commence from 1 July.

Singapore-based bicycle-share firm oBike has “temporarily withdrawn” from Melbourne, according to city authorities. Unlike many other bike-share schemes worldwide, oBike has no docking stations – and this has meant that oBikes have been abandoned around the city by users. Pictures of the distinctive yellow bikes in trees, on bus shelters and in the Yarra river circulated widely on social media. A memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the city and the company says that oBike is responsible for ensu