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Santiago's public transport system is operating at full capacity, Chilean President Michelle Bachelet said. Her comments come after a power failure resulted in the closure of three key metro lines on Friday, leading to the worst service disruptions in the subway network's history, forcing hundreds of thousands of commuters to find alternative means of transport. The shutdown caused Metro de Santiago president Aldo González to resign and government and opposition lawmakers have asked transport minister

The first of the EMV Transport Forum meetings will be held at Transport Ticketing & Passenger Information Global 2015, the world’s largest gathering of the public transport industry for smart fare collection and passenger services, on 29 January at the Lancaster in London. The EMV Transport Forum is the UK’s first industry collaboration focusing directly on aspects of implementation and market adoption of EMV transport ticketing. With the discussion shaped by pre-submitted concerns and questions, the

As the path to acceptance of automated vehicles on the UK’s roads moves forward, so does TRL’s role in developing robust research tools to provide the necessary evidence as to the human response to automation and its general acceptance by the driving population. Behind the scenes, TRL experts have been working on developing the software required to enable the transition of DigiCar to run as an automated vehicle as and when required. As a result, TRL’s full mission driving simulator, DigiCar, has devel

Four of the latest variable message signs (VMS) are to be installed around junction 35 of the M6 motorway at Carnforth, giving drivers better warnings of incidents and other information about the motorway such as weather conditions. As part of the work, new CCTV cameras will be mounted on the VMS signs and standalone masts, allowing Highways Agency traffic officers at the North West Regional Control Centre at Newton-le-Willows to monitor and manage motorway incidents more effectively. A similar, US$2

Danish IT company Blip Systems has appointed German traffic monitoring specialist Traffic Data Systems as its value added reseller for German-speaking countries. Traffic Data Systems is now offering BlipTrack, a non-intrusive solution that collects, analyses and visualises real-time data. BlipTrack sensors collect data from passing vehicles equipped with Bluetooth and wi-fi-enabled devices and calculate journey times and traffic flow. The solution is also able to analyse data from third-party data source

A report on the role of speed in vehicle crashes in New South Wales (NSW), Australia, makes a number of recommendations to isolate speed as a causal factor in crash rates by improving data collection and conducting specific research to identify the triggers for speeding, particularly in rural and regional areas. The report, by the Joint Standing Committee on Road Safety (Staysafe) also looks at the appropriateness of speed limits and approaches adopted in other jurisdictions and the adequacy of existing

Colin Sowman catches up on some of the latest research around outdoor pollution and looks at options available to authorities in areas of poor air quality. Iair quality hasn’t already reached the top of the agenda in transportation department meetings in your area, it probably soon will with national, trans-national and even global bodies calling for authorities to reduce pollution levels.

Efficient speed enforcement in the most highly frequented tunnel in Austria on the A7 near Linz. The Bindermichl-Niedernhart tunnel complex on Austrian highway A7 connects the major east/west A1 route from Vienna/ Bratislava to Munich/Salzburg with the A7/ E55 running south from Prague in the Czech Republic. This happens right in the middle of the city of Linz, Austria.

Temporary intelligent transport system (ITS) solutions provider, Mobile Visual Information Systems Ltd (MVIS), has supplied the BAM Morgan Sindall joint venture with a temporary over-height detection solution for use on the M62 and M1 junction 39 to 42 smart motorway project. Developed by MVIS and its partner, Intellicone temporary work zone safety system creator, Highway Resource Solutions (HRS), the over-height detection solution is part of the partners’ work-zone safety portfolio, the first temporary

Indian IT company Tech Mahindra has joined forces with The Open University (OU) and Milton Keynes Council in leading the charge in the United Kingdom's smart cities revolution, in an agreement which will see the parties work closely together in researching key areas behind smart cities. Smart cities harness the power of big data to improve the running of key services such as energy and transport, making them more reliable and efficient. The new partnership will focus its efforts on: Energy; Transportatio

The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) has begun work on installing an active traffic management |(ATM) system on interstate 66 through Arlington, Fairfax and Prince William counties from the Washington, DC line to Route 29 in Gainesville. Designed and built by TransCore, the system is intended to improve safety and incident management and will include new sign gantries, shoulder and lane control signs, speed displays, incident and queue detection, and increased traffic camera coverage.

Jenoptik has acquired a 92 per cent share in UK company Vysionics, in a deal which reflects the strategy of the Group to invest specifically in global growth markets. The deal will enable Jenoptik, whose section control technology is already used successfully in Austria, Switzerland and Kuwait, to leverage Vysionics’ expertise in automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) and section control for international markets. In the UK, where section control is also widely used on construction sites in order to p

Shem Oirere looks at Kenya’s plans to introduce a new generation of vehicle registration plates fitted with microchip technology by the end of this year. In a move to improve driving standards and prevent fraud, the authorities in Kenya are planning the introduction of a new numberplate system which will incorporate microchip technology.

Global shipments of factory-installed Driver Monitoring Systems (DMS) systems based on interior facing cameras will reach 6.7 million by 2019, according to recent findings from ABI Research. “DMS solutions are expected to gain new momentum as critical support systems for human-machine interactions (HMI) related to ADAS active safety alerts and autonomous-to-manual handover but also as solutions enabling smart dashboards and contextual HMI in an in-vehicle environment increasingly characterized by inform

Frost & Sullivan's is holding an online complimentary Analyst Briefing to shed light on the key factors influencing car sharing growth in cities and the market size potential. The briefing starts at 0400 GMT on 20 November. Speakers are Frost & Sullivan Industry Principal (Mobility) Martyn Briggs and Zipcar general manager (UK) Mark Walker.

Nokia’s navigation and mapping business Here has become the thirteenth member of the International Transport Forum’s (ITF’s) Corporate Partnership Board, its platform for policy dialogue with the private sector. “Here is working at the cutting edge of current trends in transport. Their input will be of great value for the CPB by deepening the technical knowledge in support of a business perspective on emerging transport policy issues and new challenges to the transport system”, said ITF secretary-general

With the launch of Dart Charge set for 30 November, work to remove the toll booths will begin on Friday 28 November - the same weekend the new payment arrangements go live. Dart Charge means that drivers will no longer stop at a barrier to pay the charge. Instead, they will pay online, by phone, by post or in one of thousands of payzone retail outlets. The new payment arrangements will signal the start of major construction work to improve the road layout at the crossing, with 27 lanes of traffic reduced

Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) has announced federal funding of US$33 million for 56 projects to improve transportation alternatives, according to PennDOT Secretary Barry J. Schoch. Transportation alternative projects enhance pedestrian and bicycle facilities, improve access to public transportation, create safe routes to school, preserve historic transportation structures, provide environmental mitigation, create trails that serve a transportation purpose, and promote safety and mob

The 505 kilometre road linking Kenya with Ethiopia is expected to be completed by the end of 2015, according to the Governor of Kenya's Marsabit County. Construction of the road is expected to cost more than US$500 million and is being funded by the African Development Bank, the European Union and the Kenya Government. It is now 60 per cent complete and is expected to enhance the economy of the area by improving trade and regional integration between Ethiopia and Kenya by reducing general transport co

In a bid to reduce congestion during peak hours, Abu Dhabi transport authorities have completed the installation of smart systems to control traffic lights at key intersections depending on the number of cars on each side. Officials said the system has been installed at 56 junctions in Abu Dhabi city and outskirts and described it as one of the world’s most advanced traffic management systems involving smart applications and ground sensors. The new system uses in-road sensors to detect the number of v