Parkeon and Waysis partner on MPP solutions
Parking solutions provider Parkeon has joined forces with Waysis, whose Yellowbrick solution is one of the world leaders in mobile parking payment (MPP), to create MPP operation Yellowbrick International. Parkeon’s MPP solution, Whoosh!, has already been adopted by more than 40 cities in France, the UK and the USA.
Major Scandinavia-Russia motorway inaugurated
Meridiam, the global investor and asset manager specialising in public and community infrastructure, has announced the inauguration of the E18 Eagle Motorway, connecting Koskenkyla to Kotka in Finland. The 53 kilometre motorway is a key link in a major transportation corridor linking Scandinavia to Russia. The highway will serve as a model European project through the implementation of a comprehensive environmental protection program and contribute to development of both regional tourism and trade between F
Dual purpose for new weigh-in-motion site
A new weigh-in-motion weighbridge is being installed on State Highway 1 at the Rakaia Bridge to support the introduction of high productivity motor vehicles (HPMV) on this key South Island, New Zealand, freight route. The HPMV system allows vehicles carrying a divisible load of essential goods to weigh more than the official 44 metric tonnes without a permit, but only on specified routes.
IRU and UITP join forces to promote sustainable mobility
The International Road Transport Union (IRU) and International Association of Public Transport (UITP), the two largest global road and public transport federations, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to cooperate and jointly advocate solutions to meet modern mobility challenges worldwide.
Supported by an annual Working Programme, the MoU sets the basis for cooperation on policy issues of common interest in public transport including taxis, education and professional training, social dialogue
NYC transit system five-year plan rejected
The five-member New York State Capital Program Review Board has vetoed the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s 2015–2019 MTA Capital Plan which the MTA said would renew, enhance and expand the transportation network with a US$32 billion investment.
The largest element of the program is safety and reliability projects worth US$22.2 billion to renew the MTA’s mass transit network.
It also proposes investing US$4.3 billion in new technology, communications systems and railroad infrastructur
Study ranks accessibility to jobs by transit in top US cities
New research from the Accessibility Observatory at the University of Minnesota ranks 46 of the 50 largest (by population) metropolitan areas in the US for accessibility to jobs by transit.
The new rankings, part of the Access Across America study begun last year, focus on accessibility, a measure that examines both land use and transportation systems. Accessibility measures how many destinations, such as jobs, can be reached in a given time.
In the study, rankings were determined by a weighted average
Government funding to get hydrogen cars moving
The arrival of hydrogen cars on UK roads is a step closer today as Business Minister Matthew Hancock announced up to US$17.6 million of funding from Government and industry to help prepare the UK for the roll-out of hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs).
The investment will help establish an initial network of up to 15 hydrogen refuelling stations by the end of 2015. It includes US$3.2 million of funding for public sector hydrogen vehicles.
The announcement follows news earlier this month tha
Australia’s congestion may force use of road user pricing
Speaking at the company’s annual general meeting this week, chief executive of toll road operator Transurban, Scott Charlton, claimed that there will come a time when Australia’s roads can no longer be widened to alleviate increasing congestion.
He told shareholders that policy reform around infrastructure will be an increasing focus of stakeholders to ensure the most efficient and fair use of transport networks.
“As we have said before, it is clear that we cannot simply keep building out the network
FTA supports A9 HGV speed limit trial
The Freight Transport Association (FTA) has given its support to the HGV speed limit trial which commences on the A9 in Scotland on Tuesday 28 October.
The pilot project on the A9 will raise the speed limit on the single carriageway sections between Perth and Inverness from 40 to 50mph for heavy goods vehicles which have a laden weight exceeding 7.5 tonnes. The trial, which will last 36 months and is to be introduced at the same time as a new average speed camera system, is aimed at improving the opera
US transport management order for Q-Free
Q-Free Open Roads has been awarded an order for advanced transportation management systems (ATMS) for a Homeland Security-related project in the US.
The US$831,000 contract is for Open Roads’ Video Image Control and Display System (VICADS) video management equipment and services and will be delivered within the end of first half 2015.
VICADS provides a video over IP solution, enabling existing network equipment and infrastructure to control and monitor video cameras.
“We are happy to see that Open
Galileo service provision delegated to European GNSS Agency
The European GNSS Agency (GSA) and the European Commission have concluded Galileo Exploitation Delegation Agreement which delegates a range of tasks for Galileo to the GSA, providing a framework and budget for the development of services and operations through 2021 and serves as an initial step towards the full Galileo exploitation phase..
Under the terms of the Agreement, which runs until 2021, the European Commission is responsible for the overall programme supervision, the European Space Agency (ESA)
Smart highways market ‘worth US$27,992 million by 2019’
A new research report by MarketsandMarkets, "Smart Highway Market by Technology (Intelligent Transportation Management, Intelligent Traffic Management, Communication, Monitoring), and by Display (Variable Message Signs, Digital Signage) - Global Forecast to 2019", estimates that the global Smart Highways Market is US$12,564.4 million in 2014 and is expected to grow to US$27,992 million in 2019. This represents an estimated compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 17.4 per cent from 2014 to 2019.
In the cur
Rural roads: deadlier than you THINK!
The UK government’s THINK! road safety website is launching a new campaign to warn drivers of the dangers of country roads.
It says 60 per cent of people killed on Britain’s roads die on rural roads and new research shows many more drivers are needlessly putting themselves at risk of an accident. Three people die each day on average on rural roads; the number of people killed on country roads is nearly 11 times higher than on motorways.
A shocking 25 per cent of drivers report having had a near miss o
Scott Belcher to become CEO of TIA
President and CEO of the Intelligent Transportation Society of America (ITS America), Scott F. Belcher, is to become CEO of the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) on 9 November, 2014 after serving for seven years at the helm of ITS America.
During his tenure, ITS America significantly grew its membership and public profile as the champion and leading voice for the use of technology to create a safer, smarter, more efficient and sustainable transportation system. From vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V)
EU urged to green-light revised cross-border enforcement proposal
Road safety campaigners and European traffic police have welcomed the agreement by EU transport ministers to back a change to rules on cross-border enforcement of traffic offences such as speeding.
This comes on the heels of an Institute of Advanced Motorists report that 23,295 overseas drivers have escaped UK speeding penalties since January 2014.
The European Commission published a revised cross-border enforcement law in July in response to a European Court of Justice ruling in May that said the exi
Vector and Baselabs partner on ADAS
Vector and BaselabS have formed a partnership aimed at jointly creating products and services for the development of advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) and automated driving.
Vector will focus on special software tools for the development of ADAS and automated vehicles, while Baselabs will concentrates on software for data fusion in multiple-sensor scenarios, including the necessary algorithms. Baselabs will also provide application support in the development of ADAS and automated vehicles.
Th
Award for PTV’s truck parking app
PTV Group’s truck parking app, Truck Parking Europe has been awarded this year's telematics award in the Best Innovation category at the recent IAA Commercial Vehicles exhibition.
Launched in November 2013 for iOS devices, the app now lists over 15,000 registered parking spaces along Europe's main traffic routes. It is now available as an Android application and is said to be the largest free platform for lorry parking, with plenty of additional features and information on their availability.
Drivers
Volvo gives truck drivers all-around visibility
Volvo Trucks has developed new technology specifically to protect pedestrians and cyclists. The technology, developed in a research project called Non-Hit Car and Truck in cooperation with Volvo Cars.
Volvo Trucks’ research shows that limited visibility is one of the main causes of heavy truck accidents with vulnerable road users in Europe.
It claims its new technology enables a vehicle to do a 360 degree scan of everything that happens around it, receiving information via sensors, radars and cameras
EVs on a roll
A recently updated report by IDTechEx, Electric Vehicle Forecasts, Trends and Opportunities 2015-2025, indicates that the global market forecast for all hybrid and pure electric vehicles is expected to exceed US$533 billion in 2025.
Sales of the BMW i3 and Tesla Model S pure electric cars are rising rapidly, with Tesla holding back demand because it cannot produce enough for at least a year. Those are premium priced vehicles.
The major problem with mainstream pure electric cars is price. However, App
Survey finds one third of parents witness near misses outside schools
A detailed survey carried out by international tyre manufacturer Bridgestone, road charity Brake and internet-based market research firm YouGov has revealed that a third of primary school parents have witnessed near misses outside the school gates.
More than half of parents are also worried about their child’s safety near roads on the school run, as autumn arrives and the nights get darker.
The survey also revealed that: Two thirds see 4-11 year olds crossing the road without holding the hand of an a