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Traffic and Parking Control (TAPCO) has increased its product offering with the acquisition of California-based traffic industry manufacturer and supplier Hawkins Traffic Safety Supply, now operating as Hawkins Traffic, a division of TAPCO. TAPCO believes synergies between the two companies will better serve its customers nationally, while providing those on the west coast with additional traffic and parking control options. Hawkins has been manufacturing traffic control products for seven decades and will

According to new analysis from Frost and Sullivan, advances in sensor fusion technologies with high imaging capabilities to enhance manoeuvrability are quickening the development of unmanned vehicles. The resulting increase in the use of unmanned vehicles will eventually alter the dynamics of the transportation industry. The report, Innovations in Unmanned Vehicles–Land, Air, and Sea, finds that high-quality image and navigation sensors such as light detection and ranging systems, radar, and advanced global

Americans took 10.8 billion trips on public transportation in 2014, which is the highest annual public transit ridership number in 58 years, according to a report by the American Public Transportation Association (APTA). “In 2014, people took a record 10.8 billion trips on public transportation -- the highest annual ridership number in 58 years,” said Phillip Washington, APTA chair and CEO and general manager of the Regional Transportation District in Denver. “Some public transit systems experienced all-ti

Alstom has signed two contracts with Egypt’s National Authority for Tunnels (NAT) to supply the signalling system in a consortium with Thales and, in partnership with Colas Rail, Orascom and ARABCO, the infrastructure of the phase 4A of Cairo metro line 3, currently under construction. Alstom’s shares in these contracts are worth around US$96 million. Cairo’s metro currently carries three million passengers per day and this is expected to reach five million by 2020. Its network includes two fully operationa

David Crawford takes a look at innovations to reduce crashes at rural intersections. Intersection crashes continue to represent a worryingly large share of deaths and serious injuries across US highway networks. Statistics from the US Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration show that an average of 21% of road traffic accident deaths occur at crossings. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) calculates that intersection crashes account for 48% of all injury-related i

Almost one third of consumer vehicles shipping in 2024 will be equipped with some form of heads-up display (HUD), with the bulk of the growth driven by combiner units. Traditional head units are being joined by virtual instrument clusters and HUDs in providing drivers with information relating to navigation, on-board audio and inputs from ADAS systems. These displays will demonstrate strong growth, with the proliferation of connected vehicles requiring adaptable and reconfigurable visual interfaces. There a

The VRUITS project, which is sponsored by the European Commission, has organised a seminar on cyclists’ safety on 26 March, in the city of Helmond in the Netherlands. The project aims at providing recommendations on ITS applications for the improvement of the safety and mobility for vulnerable road users. VRUITS assesses the societal impact of selected ITS applications and demonstrates the use of innovative ITS applications for VRUs. During the seminar the VRUITS partners will discuss how ITS can be used to

Construction has begun on a US$10.7 million pedestrian and cycling bridge over one of Africa's busiest highways in Johannesburg. ‘The Great Walk Bridge’ will form part of a dedicated five kilometre pedestrian and cycling path from the heart of Alexandra to the centre of the Sandton central business district - providing a quicker, safer route for the estimated 10,000 people who walk or cycle between the two areas daily. Construction, which is being implemented by the Johannesburg Development Agency (JDA) on

Authorities have released video showing crashes that happened after police say a 65-year-old bus driver fell asleep at the wheel and hit several vehicles in suburban Detroit. Multiple cameras on board the bus captured what happened: the bus appears to be proceeding normally, as the driver drifts off for just a moment and doesn’t notice the line of cars in front of him until it’s too late. He brakes and attempts to swerve, but hits the back of the car in front. The out-of-control bus continues on its way, h

Strabag’s Czech has been awarded two new motorway contracts worth US$26 million in the Czech Republic as part of a consortium with Eurovia CS. The company will build two sections of the D3 motorway linking Prague with southern Bohemia on behalf of the Road and Motorway Directorate of the Czech Republic. “We have proved our expertise in road and motorway construction in the Czech Republic in the past – including the D3 motorway, which connects Prague with Austria,” says Strabag CEO Thomas Birtel.

According to the IDTechEx report Range Extenders for Electric Vehicles Land, Water & Air 2015-2025, over eight million hybrid cars will be made in 2025, with a range extender, the additional power source that distinguishes them from pure-electric. They will also be in buses, military vehicles and boats: a major new market overall. Today's range extenders consist of little more than off-the-shelf internal combustion engines. They are being replaced by second-generation range extenders - piston engines design

RFID Journal has announced the finalists for its 2015 RFID Journal Awards. The winners will be revealed at this year's LIVE! event in San Diego, California on 15-17 April. "The scope and complexity of the deployments in this year’s submissions were beyond anything we've seen in the past, which indicates that RFID has matured to the point that some companies are using it on a large scale and in core parts of their operation," said Mark Roberti, RFID Journal's founder and editor. "We're excited to have the fi

The Joint Roads Policing Unit of Thames Valley Police and Hampshire Constabulary in the UK commissioned the Transport Research laboratory (TRL) to evaluate the effectiveness of their roads policing strategy in terms of reducing the number of people killed and seriously injured in road collisions. The focus was on the fatal four causes of collisions: speeding, drink-driving, not wearing a seat belt and drivers using mobile phones. TRL carried out a detailed literature review, in-depth review and analysis of

Four US senators have introduced the bipartisan Railroad Safety and Positive Train Control Extension Act in an effort to extend the deadline for full implementation of positive train control (PTC) on US railroads to 2020. Missouri has 4,400 miles of main rail track that are operated by 19 different railway companies. PTC is a technology designed to automatically stop or slow a train before certain collisions. The Rail Safety Improvement Act of 2008 mandates that PTC must be installed by31 December 2015. PT

The UK government Transport Select Committee has called for a Visionary UK strategy to maximise benefits of new motoring technology in its report, Motoring of the Future. The committee says new automotive technologies could unblock congested highways, deliver a step change in road safety and provide the basis for rapid industrial growth, but the Department for Transport (DfT) will need to develop a comprehensive strategy to maximise the benefits of new motoring technology, such as telematics and driverless

Researchers at the University of New Mexico, along with collaborators at San Diego State University and BAE Systems, are utilising drone technology to develop an operational prototype to assess infrastructure damage. The drone will use innovative remote sensing approaches and cameras mounted on low cost aircraft or unmanned drones to detect and map fine scale transportation infrastructure damage such as cracks, deformations and shifts immediately following natural disasters such as earthquakes, floods and h

German visual displays specialist eyevis is to partner with Danish technology company TM Group in a distribution agreement to supply eyevis control room solutions to the Nordic market, with a particular focus on Denmark. TM Group provides a range of solutions to ensure business compliance, security, operational efficiency and customer experience across Scandinavian. The new partnership is aimed at increasing the distribution of eyevis solutions into control room and security markets in the territory.

The European Road Transport Research Advisory Council (ERTRAC) has officially released its latest research roadmaps on urban freight and automated driving. The roadmaps will contribute to the definition of research programmes involving cities, industry, retail and logistics service providers, supported by Horizon 2020, the European Framework Programme for Research and Innovation for 2014-2020. Jointly drafted by ERTRAC and ALICE (Alliance for Logistics Innovation through Collaboration in Europe), the urban

The Barcelona Metropolitan Transport Authority (ATM) has chosen Netherlands-based NXP Semiconductors’ MIFARE DESFire for their new mobility card, T-Mobilitat. The new T-Mobilitat card will provide over 5.7 million inhabitants of the city with easy access to public transportation via NXP's MIFARE DESFire contactless solutions, delivering smart mobility services to more than 70 public transport operators in and around the Spanish city. The new T-Mobilitat card will eventually replace current magnetic machiner

Five leading US transportation organisations have joined the Intelligent Transportation Society of America (ITS America) Leadership Circle; AAA, General Motors, the Michigan Mobility Transformation Center, New York City Department of Transportation and Parkmobile will join the 36 established members, bringing the total number of Leadership Circle member organisations to 41. “These companies and organisations represent the very best in transportation innovation and ingenuity,” said ITS America Interim presid