Illuminated road studs aid roundabout safety
In a bid to improve safety at the Sheriffhall roundabout near Edinburgh, Scotland, Clearview Traffic has been working with BEAR Scotland on an innovative accident reduction project at the complex six-arm gyratory roundabout which is used by over 42,000 vehicles per day.
The project, which Clearview says is the first of its kind in the UK, uses the company’s IRS2 intelligent hardwired road stud to increase driver awareness and improve lane discipline on and off the roundabout.
Improvements and efficien
Q-Free win ATMS deal in US
In a contract worth US$1.4 million Q-Free TCS is to supply the City of Montgomery in the US with an advanced transportation management system (ATMS).
The contract is for a parking guidance system which will begin in July and delivered by the end of 2014. Q-Free TCS has previously delivered two parking guidance systems to the same customer.
“Q-Free is the market leader within parking guidance solutions in North America. This contract confirms the attractiveness of our offering in this market,” says Q-F
Traffic management market ‘worth US$16.89 billion by 2019’
A recent study by MarketdsandMarkets, Traffic Management Market by Solutions, Displays & Systems (Full Pedestrian, Parking Space and Toll Management, Above Ground Pedestrian and Vehicle Detection) - Global Advancements, Projects, Worldwide Forecast & Analysis (2014 - 2019) analysed and studied the major market drivers, restraints, and opportunities in North America, Western Europe, CIS and Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa, Asia-Pacific and Latin America.
The study reports that the traffic manageme
Report proposes autonomous transport system for London
A wide-ranging report produced by transport expert Professor David Begg, A 2050 vision for London, looks at the impact that the rise of autonomous transport systems might have on UK cities, and in particular London.
Begg’s report proposes 10mph zones for traffic near schools and in busy areas and suggests that the safety of and efficiency of London's transport network could be improved by the introduction of driverless vehicles.
Speeds for automated buses could be restricted by remote control, while
Alpha release of (SET-IT) software
The USDOT's Intelligent Transportation Systems Joint Program Office (ITS JPO) has announced that the Systems Engineering Tool for Intelligent Transportation (SET-IT) software is available as available as an Alpha release.
SET-IT software integrates drawing and database tools with the CVRIA so that users can develop project architectures for pilots, test beds, and early deployments.
The Alpha version of the SET-IT software is provided as-is with the current capabilities of the tool at this point in i
UK government to invest in sustainable transport schemes
Dozens of sustainable transport schemes got the green light this week, Transport Minister Baroness Kramer has announced.
The range of schemes will include improved infrastructure for cyclists and pedestrians, better bus journeys and new and upgraded transport interchanges allowing people to easily switch from one mode of transport to another.
The Department for Transport is providing US$109 million towards the schemes in the latest round of its Local sustainable Transport Fund, with Local Enterprise P
Big data helps San Diego optimise public transit
San Diego Metropolitan Transit System (MTS) has turned to Cubic’s big data subsidiary Urban Insights to make better use of its data, according to a report in Information Week.
The agency has disparate data sources, including a smart-card payment system, GPS-based automatic vehicle location devices on buses, automatic passenger counters on trolleys, and extensive route and schedule information formatted in the general transit feed specification (GTFS) format developed by Google in 2006.
"We look at all
Chinese search giant ‘developing autonomous cycle’
While Google develops driverless cars in the west, in China, internet giant Baidu is said to be developing an unmanned autonomous bicycle. According to Techweb, a prototype of the world’s first unmanned bike is possible by the end of this year.
The bike is said to be able to identify its owner, navigate obstacles and run on its own using an electric motor. The bike, without a rider, can apparently sense its environment well enough to avoid obstacles and navigate complicated road conditions.
The device
Birmingham City Council improves city centre parking management
UK-based parking specialist Parkeon is to install 43 Parkeon Strada Rapide terminals in Birmingham, on behalf of Birmingham City Council.
The terminals are all mains powered, coin-only meters, with the added benefit of being fitted with 3G modems enabling connection to the Parkfolio centralised management system, an easy to use flexible, web-based system that will enable the council to control parking by live monitoring live of financial and terminal status across the parking zones.
All the new termi
Toyota engineer awarded patent for V2V system
Toyota Technical Center’s (TTC) general manager of the Integrated Vehicle Systems Department, Hideki Hada, has been awarded a patent for the development of vehicle speed indication using vehicle to infrastructure technology.
The idea behind vehicle speed indication using vehicle-infrastructure is to improve traffic flow by dynamically adjusting posted speed limits on highways using vehicle to vehicle communication.
The system uses Dedicated Short Range Communication (DSRC) to transmit vehicle speed t
First ever pedestrian safety action plan for London
Transport for London (TfL) has published London’s first Pedestrian Safety Action Plan following consultation in the spring. One of the Mayor and TfL's top priorities is to reduce by 40 per cent the number of people killed or seriously injured on London's roads by 2020 and action is being taken to prioritise the safety of the most vulnerable road users: pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists.
The plan has been compiled by TfL working alongside key stakeholders, and looks to address the concerns and chall
South Korea tests accident avoidance system
South Korea's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport has begun testing of vehicle-crash avoidance technology on a short road from Seoul to Suwon on the Seoul-Busan expressway, with a view to reducing the number of highway accidents.
The accident avoidance system uses wireless access in vehicular environment (WAVE) technology which allows vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure communication, detecting any change in road conditions and warning drivers of potential hazards. Closed circuit
IRD pleased with 2014 performance to date
International Road Dynamics’ results for the three and six one of the world's leading providers of systems and solutions for the three and six months ended 31 May show total revenue up 15 per cent year to date, which the company says is due to a strong growth in key geographic markets.
Revenue in Canada and the US revenue rose 23 per cent year to date on solid performance in projects and product sales, while Latin America revenue increased 22 per cent year to date on significant project deliveries. Sout
US business leaders discuss concerns over transportation funding
US business leaders briefed Vice President Joe Biden and US Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx yesterday on business issues associated with transportation infrastructure during a meeting hosted by the White House Business Council and Business Forward.
Meeting participants included executives from large manufacturers, shipping companies, trade associations, and a range of other businesses, including Doug Oberhelman, chairman and CEO, Caterpillar, and Matt Rose, executive chairman, Burlington Northern S
Slovenia chooses Q-Free ATMS
Q-Free is to supply advanced transportation management systems (ATMS) to Ljubljana City (Ljubljanska Parkirisca and Trznice) in Slovenia, in a contract worth US$875,000.
The contract, which runs for three years, includes seven new parking systems, maintenance and support of the parking systems and upgrading of the existing central system. Implementation begins this month.
“Q-Free is the market leader in road user charging and ATMS solutions in Slovenia. This contract confirms the attractiveness of o
Keolis Amey Docklands to run Docklands Light Railway until 2021
Transport for London (TfL) has named Keolis Amey Docklands as the new franchisee of the Docklands Light Railway (DLR) to operate and maintain the network until April 2021, with an option for this to be extended until 2023.
Around 100 million passenger journeys are made on the DLR network annually and this new contract, with a value in excess of US$1.2 million, will commence on 7 December 2014 and will see Keolis Amey Docklands work with TfL to ensure that passengers continue to see improvements to thei
Madrid and IBM partner on smarter cities project
The City of Madrid and IBM, through its subsidiary INSA, have announced the start of a ‘smart city’ project, designed to improve city life for Madrid’s three million inhabitants.
The contract, with an estimated value of approximately US$20 million, will IBM’s Smarter Cities technology, including Big Data and analytics, to transform the city’s supplier management model, allowing the city to manage and pay each service provider based on service levels in an effort to improve the management of public servi
US$144 billion market forecast for multi-motor electric vehicles
The latest Electric Motors for Hybrid and Pure Electric Vehicles 2015-2025: Land, Water, Air report from IDTechEX finds that a US$144 billion market awaits in 2025, boosted by 8.9 million extra motors for multi-motor vehicles, most of them land vehicles - particularly cars - with industrial-commercial vehicles following close behind.
Primary author Dr Peter Harrop notes, "Nevertheless, largest profit may be made in military and other segments. In some segments you are likely to be competing with your cus
House proposes US$10.5 billion eight-month highway bill
The US Government House Ways and Means Committee is proposing a US$10.5 billion, eight-month transportation funding bill to push the debate over road and transit spending into the next Congress.
The proposal, which calls for a temporary extension of current transportation funding levels until 31 May 2015, comes as lawmakers try to come up with a way to replenish the Department of Transportation's depleted Highway Trust Fund before a predicted August bankruptcy date.
The traditional funding source fo
Keolis Amey Docklands to run Docklands Light Railway until 2021
Transport for London (TfL) has named Keolis Amey Docklands as the new franchisee of the Docklands Light Railway (DLR) to operate and maintain the network until April 2021, with an option for this to be extended until 2023.
Around 100 million passenger journeys are made on the DLR network annually and this new contract, with a value in excess of US$1.2 million, will commence on 7 December 2014 and will see Keolis Amey Docklands work with TfL to ensure that passengers continue to see improvements to thei