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The UK’s Transport Research Laboratory (TRL)’s chief executive Rob Wallis, attending the United Nations Climate Summit in New York last week, was delighted to be able to pledge TRL’s support to the UEMI initiative, by UN-Habitat. “The UEMI initiative, aimed at substantially increasing the adoption of electric vehicles within urban environments, aligns strongly with TRL’s own strategy and current activities,” Wallis explained. “TRL is actively engaged in leading innovative research programmes to understan

HP Software has been awarded a contract by the city of Auckland, New Zealand to deliver a Big Data project designed to provide a safer community and more efficient roadways for its citizens. Auckland Transport, the government agency responsible for all of Auckland’s transportation infrastructure and services, will deploy video analytics powered by HP IDOL on servers and storage from HP Enterprise Group, and with support from HP Software Professional Services. Auckland Transport will use HP’s integrate

Indra, in partnership with Auneti (Autopista Necaxa-Tihuatlán) and FCC, has deployed traffic management technology in the six tunnels of the new Necaxa-Tihuatlán highway in Mexico. The US$18 million project also includes intelligent transportation systems (ITS) and control and communication systems on the 83 kilometres of highway sections 1 and 2. A new operational control centre equipped with Indra's Horus integrated roadway and tunnel management solution manages traffic along the new road's two sectio

Drivers in the UK are very familiar with the concept of traffic roundabouts at intersections, which are designed to keep traffic moving more efficiently than a traditional signal-controlled intersection. However, according to a report on the US Government Executive website, drivers in some parts of the US don’t understand them. In Oakland County, just outside Detroit, some roundabouts have seen big spikes in crashes and property damage since they were built, but the severity of those accidents has been

A consortium led by Mota-Engil has won a tender for the construction and operation of a stretch of Mexico's Tuxpan-Tampico highway. The Tuxpan-Tampico highway links two of Mexico's busiest Gulf coast ports and will be the first project in the country to be developed under the public-private partnership (PPP) law's unsolicited proposal provision. The project involves the construction of a highway south of the city of Tuxpan, from the junction with the Tihuatlán-Tuxpan highway to the connection with the

Siemens has been awarded a US$38 million contract by Subterráneos de Buenos Aires/Sociedad del Estado (SBASE) to upgrade the signalling and passenger information systems on line C of the Buenos Aires Metro system, Subte. The contract includes the installation of a new automated train monitoring system on the five-kilometre metro line as well as an upgrade of the depot operations control centre. Work will be carried out without interrupting services and should be commissioned by the end of 2016.

Main Roads Western Australia has released its transport blue print to address advances in technology and rapid population growth. The Main Roads Intelligent Transport Systems Master Plan is set to guide Main Roads on a strategic journey to ‘smart roads, safe journeys’ by 2020. Developed through an extensive consultation process involving stakeholder workshops and industry submissions, the ITS Master Plan provides a strategic plan to deal with key challenges such as congestion, big data and automated and

According to Schneider Electric, its new traffic management solution, EcoTrafiX for cities and highways, enables operators to make mobility more efficient, safe and sustainable. The solution includes Schneider Electric EcoTrafiX controller, featuring advanced pre-emption management, low energy consumption and remote access for easy operations and maintenance. Additionally, its compact and robust architecture offers improved flexibility for additional options, such as sensors or uninterrupted power supplies.

Network video provider Axis Communications has become the first to join the SightLogix Strategic Partner Program, which is designed to leverage the superior intrusion detection of SightLogix SightSensor thermal cameras with established manufacturers and suppliers of video surveillance hardware and software. The program enables SightLogix partners to offer a total perimeter solution without the need for costly internal development, allowing them to focus on solutions that are more strategically aligned w

Brazil's ground transport agency ANTT and the European Railway Agency (ERA) have signed a memorandum of understanding and are working together to implement ANTT’s open-access railway concession model. The agreement calls for cooperation between regulators and for issues relating to technical requirements and standards to be addressed. Previously, Brazil's railway concessions included both the building and operating of railroads in one contract. Open-access, however, separates the transportation of car

TomTom is to partner with Bosch to integrate its navigation technology and maps into Bosch’s advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), enabling Bosch to develop more advanced applications including intelligent cruise control, upcoming curve alerts, and jam tail warnings. Up-to-date map and navigation data is an essential component of ADAS, providing drivers with a more detailed view of the road ahead. TomTom’s smart map making technology enables Bosch to create more accurate advanced driving application

An increase in orders in Australia has led Redflex to open an expanded office in Sydney to support business in New South Wales (NSW), Queensland and the Northern Territory. The 2,000 sq m purpose-built facility houses regional management, sales and technical support staff and provides maintenance for around 400 enforcement cameras installed in NSW, Northern Territory and Queensland. The building is also the main base for the mobile speed camera vehicles, management, operational and adjudication staff

Transport for London (TfL) has awarded Siemens a contract to replace existing speed cameras on selected routes in the capital with new digital average speed enforcement systems. The contract, part of TfL’s London Safety Camera Replacement Project, includes the deployment of more than 100 automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras over the next 24 months, covering four main routes across London, which Siemens says represents the largest roll-out of its SafeZone average speed enforcement solution in

Colombia's finance ministry is to study two unsolicited road public-private partnership (PPP) proposals received from Grupo Odinsa and Colpaitra. The first project, proposed by Grupo Odinsa, costs around US$55 million and involves the construction of Villavicencio city's beltway and four-lane roads between Ciudad Porfía and Acacias and between Ocoa river and Apiay, all in Meta department. The second project was proposed by Colpaitra and entails the expansion of a 35km stretch of road between Ibagué a

The US Department of Transportation (USDOT) has plans for multiple pilot deployments of connected vehicle technology in real-world settings throughout the country, bringing the promise of connected vehicles to some US roads even sooner. The pilots will serve as initial implementations of connected vehicle technology with the aim of delivering near-term safety, mobility, and environmental benefits. In early 2015, the USDOT will seek proposals from a wide variety of communities interested in being part of

Investment from the EBRD and help from Austria and the EU is helping Skopje, the capital city of FYR Macedonia, to upgrade one of its major streets, install a modern traffic management system and improve road safety. Although 45 million journeys are made on the city’s public transport each year, the growing number of vehicles on the streets has made improving congestion a priority for the municipal authorities. In addition, inadequate safety measures and the high volume of pedestrians mean that road safe

Singapore’s Land Transport Authority (LTA) is to conduct a six month trial of over-height vehicle sensors along a stretch of Upper Bukit Timah Road in a bid to prevent drivers hitting overhead road structures with a 4.5m clearance. If the pilot is successful it may be extended to more locations. When the system senses an approaching over-height vehicle, it will display a visual warning to alert the driver that his vehicle may hit the structure. Since 2010, there have been 24 incidents involving over-h

Texting while driving with Google Glass is clearly a distraction, a new University of Central Florida UCF) study has concluded, but there is a twist. In the study, texting Glass users outperformed smartphone users when regaining control of their vehicles after a traffic incident. The study, conducted in cooperation with the Air Force Research Laboratory, is the first scientific look at using Google Glass to text while driving. Distracted drivers are a hazard on the road and according to the National S

The One-Stop Shop for Traveller Information (OSS), a website that integrates weather and road information from multiple western states, developed at Montana State University’s Western Transportation Institute (WTI), has been awarded an international award from the Intelligent Transportation Society of America (ITS America). The OSS provides travellers with current road information that does not stop at jurisdictional boundaries. Combined with real-time weather information, the OSS provides motorists with

Digital security specialist Gemalto has been selected by China Mobile to provide its UpTeq NFC multi-tenant SIMs to protect consumer credentials used for mobile contactless applications, starting with mass transit services in Beijing. Gemalto pre-loads the SIMs with the Beijing transport application and enables over 22 million daily commuters in the city to travel on buses and the metro by simply tapping their smartphones on the contactless ticket reader. Beijing commuters are demanding convenient