DURAG buys into JES Elektrotechnik to expand tunnel sensor work
German tunnel sensor monitoring manufacturer DURAG has taken a 50% stake in the Austrian tunnel air and lighting monitoring company JES Elektrotechnik.
JES, based in Hallein, Austria, manufactures and sells environmental monitoring solutions for transport infrastructure applications such as tunnels, underground car parks and road weather stations. JES also sells sensors from manufacturers such as DURAG. Its markets are mainly in German-speaking countries worldwide and it also carries out maintenance on b
RAC Foundation to lead UK road casualty investigation
The UK government has given the RAC Foundation £480,000 to lead a road casualty investigation with police forces. The trial’s dedicated teams will research selected cases to get a better understanding of the causes behind road accidents to help inform road safety policies.
Under the agreement, the RAC Foundation will work with the Department for Transport (DfT), Highways England, Driver & Vehicle Standards Agency and the police.
Car drivers misled and endangered by words like ‘autonomous’
Carmakers using the word ‘autonomous’ are lulling UK drivers into a false sense of security, says a new report. The warning from Thatcham Research and the Association of British Insurers (ABI) follows reports of drivers crashing because they are over-reliant on technology that is not fully autonomous.
The partnership is now calling for manufacturers and legislators to clarify the capability of vehicles sold with technology that does some driving on behalf of motorists.
Thatcham’s latest paper, Assi
Roadside breathalysers to tackle drink drivers in UK
The UK government has pledged £350,000 to the Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety to run a competition for companies to develop roadside evidential breathalysers.
Although drivers are currently tested at the roadside in some cases, the breath test there is only used as an indicator of wrongdoing. The government’s stated aim is to prevent offenders who are marginally over the drink-drive limit from sobering up before reaching the police station where they are tested for evidence in court.
EIT Digital to bring sustainable parking to cities
Belgium company EIT Digital says its MyCarLot solution will help local governments plan parking policies and provide better services. The system is currently operating in Rennes, France, and uses real-time and forecasted parking data to address special needs like disabled parking or electric vehicles.
MyCarLot is intended to help users find available parking lots in advance based on personal preferences and using predictive algorithms and vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) communication.
Maurizio Griva
Birmingham has highest number of ULEVs in UK
The city of Birmingham is home to the highest number of ultra-low emission vehicles (ULEVs) in the UK, according to new research: there were 12,247 licenced models as of Q4 last year, says number plate specialist Click4reg.
Its analysis of the top 20 UK local authorities was carried out ahead of government plans to host a zero-emissions vehicle summit in September 2018. The event is due to focus on vehicle technology to tackle carbon emissions and improve air quality.
The research showed that Peterbo
StreetLight Data forms M2 Initiative to measure traffic interaction
Mobility analytics company StreetLight Data has launched its Multimodal Measurement Initiative (M2 Initiative) to measure the way various modes of travel interact. The company says it is developing new analytics that describe the behaviour of each transportation mode individually.
The project will assess the interaction between trips made by personal vehicles, public transit, walking, biking, commercial trucks and gig economy trips made by on-demand rideshare and delivery drivers.
For the first phase
Alan Turing Institute and Toyota to modernise traffic management
The UK’s Alan Turing Institute and the Toyota Mobility Foundation are partnering in an 18-month project which they say is intended to modernise traffic management. They will collaborate with data providers and government managers to look at the way cities could run in future.
Potential outcomes include the integration of an artificial intelligence (AI) system for traffic control, a platform for interactive data manipulation to monitor traffic behaviour and developing mechanisms for fleet operators and ci
NEVS utilises phantom auto technology to improve AV safety
Swedish electric vehicle manufacturer NEVS is using technology from Phantom Auto to improve the safety of passengers in its electric autonomous vehicles (AVs). Phantom Auto’s teleoperation system allows a remote human operator to take control of the vehicle in situations which an AV cannot handle on its own - such as inclement weather, road work and other road obstructions. The remote operator sits in front of a series of screens, has a 360-degree view of the AV’s surroundings and can take control at any
Pod Point enters preferred home charger agreement in Norway
Charging provider Pod Point has been appointed Nissan’s preferred supplier for home chargers in Norway as part of a three-year partnership. Through the agreement, Pod Point will install chargers for Nissan’s range of plugin-in vehicles which includes the Leaf and e-NV200.
Verizon turns street lights into smart city hubs
Verizon is touting its light sensing platform, showing how ITS intelligence can live and be managed inside street lights.
“We’ve essentially turned the light pole into a network device that can interact with a variety of modular sensors and push data to the cloud,” said Destah Owens, a solutions architect for Verizon’s Smart Community group.
Chiltern Railway extends ticket free trial
UK-based Chiltern Railways is extending its ticket free trial from Oxford Parkway to London with two additional stations in Buckinghamshire until August 2018. Through Silver Rail’s post-pay technology, users will be billed through the smartphone ninja app. Riders travelling from Haddenham & Thame Parkway and Princes Risborough stations can now take part in the project. The service also offers journeys between London Marylebone, Oxford Parkway, Islip, Bicester North and Bicester Village station. The app
SafeRide and Irdeto partner on cybersecurity for C/AVs
Cybersecurity company SafeRide Technologies Ltd and Dutch firm Irdeto have launched a solution to help original equipment manufacturers and Tier-1 suppliers protect connected and autonomous vehicles (C/AVs). Called Vsentry, the device combines network security with software security of the engine control unit to allow users to detect anomalies and respond to attacks.
Vsentry uses an artificial intelligence engine and provides multi-layer protection for securing the connectivity perimeter and the in-vehi
Mott MacDonald to continue managing Highways England's CAB
Mott MacDonald will continue managing Highways England’s change advisory board (CAB) which the government-owned company relies on to control its daily traffic operations. Mott MacDonald will also handle the forum’s websites and technical specifications over the two-year contract. The CAB brings together system professionals to document Highways England’s business needs so they can be implemented into safe and cost-effective solutions. The board manages the technical specifications used by Highways
DriveOhio to monitor traffic and road incidents with drones
DriveOhio will use unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) to understand how to manage traffic, roadway incidents and roadway conditions along the 33 Smart Mobility Corridor from 1 July. The three-year project, valued $5.9m, is intended to complement autonomous and connected vehicle tests along the 35-mile stretch between Dublin and East Liberty.
Traffic Logix shows off its new speed enforcement cameras
Traditionally used to encourage driver awareness, Traffic Logix is now pushing its Guardian line of speed cameras for a new ITS application: enforcement.
According to marketing director Marc Roth, Traffic Logix now considers itself an ITS company and is looking to partner with other ITS solution providers to integrate its cameras and speed enforcement capabilities in other solutions.
It’s clear sailing ahead with StaRWIS from Lufft USA
The easy-to-install and compact StaRWIS, presented by the US division of Lufft, is a new stationary sensor for road weather information systems.
StaRWIS is based on a non-invasive, spectroscopic measuring principle, according to the company, based in The sensor is particularly suitable for hard-to-reach or critical locations, which make installation on the ground difficult or impossible. This includes, for example, bridges or city streets.
Vector launches testing interface for V2X applications
Vector is introducing a new testing interface for its CANoe software. Dubbed the VN4610, the new interface allows developers to easily create a simulation environment for testing V2V and V2X applications. “As companies continue to develop connected vehicles, they are going to need a device to bring in DSRC signals,” said Jim Hutter, marketing manager, Vector. The VN4610 is able to receive and transmit data using DSRC and two CAN channels. This creates a seamless link to the CANoe software and provides
EtherWAN develops shallow switch for ITS market
Addressing the concerns of its ITS customers, EtherWAN has developed a shallower managed 10GB switch that fits better in the narrow traffic cabinets that are typical at intersections around the world.
“Our competitors are more focused on the IT market, but we wanted to give our ITS customers a switch that works for their needs,” said Jim Toepper, director of products and marketing for EtherWAN.
Houston Radar extends detection range on SpeedLane Pro radar
Houston Radar has upgraded its SpeedLane Pro dual-beam, low-power side-fire radar, specifically designing it for the U.S. market. According to Stephanie Hilton, marketing manager for Houston Radar, the company needed to expand SpeedLane’s coverage to accommodate wider highways that are prevalent in the U.S. As a result, the sensor’s detection range has been increased from 150 feet and eight lanes to 256 feet and 16 lanes. The extended range makes the SpeedLane Pro ideal for traffic counting, vehicle