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German PTV group has signed a new agreement with Greek software company Emisia to incorporate the COPERT Australia database of CO2 emissions and fuel consumption in its routing and optimisation solutions. COPERT Australia is a specific database for Australia's route network and will be embedded into the PTV xServers, a range of advanced software components for route and trip planning. This will enable detailed calculation of CO2 emissions for heavy duty vehicles on trip and stop level in accordance with

Millions of people rely on public transit to get around and since 2007 Google has worked to include public transit routes and schedules in Google Maps. In its latest blog, Google says it makes it even easier to get around on public transport with the addition of public transport information for Vancouver, Chicago and every 2016 Olympic Games host city in Brazil. David Tattersall, Google’s product manager, Public Transit says in his blog: “Our transit data spans six continents, 64 countries and more th

The challenges of congested city transport systems and safety were the hot topics at the intelligent transport systems (ITS) business exchange conference held recently in Melbourne featuring speakers and delegates from Asia, Australia, Europe, USA and New Zealand. Hosted by ITS Australia, the conference attracted 200 participants from seven nations and facilitated an international exchange about innovative technologies and successfully deployed solutions to major transport issues across public, private a

Railway communications specialist Kapsch CarrierCom has been awarded the tender for two more Global System for Mobile Communications – Railway (GSM-R) projects in the Czech Republic. The company will install its state-of-the-art technology on the 200 kilometre Kolín – Havlíčkův Brod – Křižanov – Brno and the 110 kilometre Prague – Beroun – Králův Dvůr, Prague – Benešov and the Prague – Lysá nad Labem line over the next two years. In both areas, Kapsch will be setting up the GSM-R core network that has be

The final Drive C2X event will take place at the EUREF campus in Berlin on 16 and 17 July. For the first time, European-wide results of field operational tests (FOTs) are available and will be presented during the event. The Drive C2X final event also includes: a debate about the major outcomes of field operational tests on cooperative systems for smart driving; a business modelling gaming session to plan together the road to deployment; a dedicated conference with Q&A sessions focusing on results, da

In its federal budget announced on 13 May 2014, the Australian government announced plans for new infrastructure projects costing US$117.04 billion to keep the economy going after the mining boom ends. The new funding and existing projects are expected to boost infrastructure investment to US$47 billion by end of the decade. The government will invest US$11 billion to fast track infrastructure projects including US$3.4 billion for road projects, US$4.6 billion to asset-recycling fund for states and US$2.

In another application for autonomous vehicles, Oshkosh Defense has integrated its TerraMax unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) technology into an Oshkosh MRAP all-terrain vehicle (M-ATV) to demonstrate capabilities for route-clearance missions. M-ATV and other heavy and medium tactical wheeled vehicles equipped with TerraMax UGV technology enables one or multiple vehicles in a route clearance convoy to operate autonomously, resulting in fewer troops exposed to threats. The technology is designed as a modul

In a recent blog post, Google’s director of their self-driving car project, Chris Urmson has given an update on the technology that he says is better than the human eye. Google’s autonomous vehicles have logged nearly 700,000 miles on the streets of the company’s hometown, Mountain View, California. Urmson says a mile of city driving is much more complex than a mile of freeway driving, with hundreds of different objects moving according to different rules of the road in a small area. He claims that

Known for its high foot-traffic, congested streets and short blocks, the flow of pedestrian traffic plays a major role in San Francisco’s transportation network. Traffic controller maintenance adds to the problem where the cabinets have single front doors that obstruct pedestrian walkways, restricting the flow of foot traffic, and often forcing rerouting and delays. That’s about to change; the City has awarded McCain a contract for the supply of traffic controller cabinets, including the City’s first-ti

According to Finland’s VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, technology developed by the centre makes it possible to miniaturise an entire measuring laboratory to the size of a small sensor. Using the technology, the Fabry project at VTT has developed smart optical measuring devices for uses that include optimisation of vehicle engines, reduction and monitoring of environmental emissions, and quality control of pharmaceuticals. Participants in the Fabry project to develop spectroscopic sensor devi

Q-Free’s German OEM partner VMT Düssel has recently installed its VideoScan automatic licence plate reader (ALPR) system at the entrances to Phantasialand theme park in Brühl, Germany, in an effort to provide the park with an insight to the type of visitors, their geographic distribution and pattern of returns. Q-Free’s Intrada ALPR software is integrated into the system’s video processing server for video and image handling; video captured by the VMT VideoScan installed on the entry lanes is sent to the

Sensys Traffic is to supply a customer in Asia with pilot speed enforcement systems to be trialled in an urban environment. The order, worth US$152,000, is for systems which have been designed with features adapted to the customer's unique environment and requirements and which will be tested prior to a decision on further investment. Sensys believes that the pilot systems will be delivered during summer 2014, with subsequent evaluation during the autumn. "This is the first order in accordance with

Jenoptik Robot, a key part of the Jenoptik Traffic Solutions division, has acquired all the activities of Dutch company Robot Nederland, which will be fully integrated into the group structure over the next few months. Both parties have agreed not to disclose the purchase price. Jenoptik CEO Michael Mertin says: “This step is a manifestation of our consistent strategy to take more responsibility with and for our customers directly on site. This will allow us to incorporate our know-how into future proje

UK company Green Gate Access Systems has installed the UK’s very first solar barriers at the entrance to a 350-space car park at Warwick Hospital. The two ‘up and down’ barriers are operated via a key code for known users, with a GSM interface linked to the hospital’s facilities office for visitors without a key code. The barriers are powered via 24V solar panels installed at each barrier, with an encoder safety device, underground induction sensor and infra-red beam, to ensure they do not come down on

Transurban-Fluor and AAA Mid-Atlantic have released the second annual report on distracted drivers on I-95 in Northern Virginia, which found that despite major construction, distracted driving is a growing problem on the heavily travelled corridor. The report, part of the Orange Cones, No Phones campaign focused on reducing distracted driving in the 95 Express Lanes construction zone, found that the number of frequent I-95 drivers likely to use their cell phone while driving has increased from 56 percent i

The Erskine Bridge vehicle safety barrier replacement team introduced what is said to be a UK first in temporary traffic management on major trunk roads projects with the use of Bluetooth technology to monitor journey times and keep drivers updated on potential delays. Working on behalf of Transport Scotland, with Leeds-based Sky High Technology, contractor Highway Barrier Solutions and the Scotland TranServ project team introduced the origin-destination vehicle movement system to establish how long it w

The European Court of Justice has stopped a directive designed to ease cross-border exchange of information adopted by the European Parliament and Council in October 2011. This directive sets up a procedure for the exchange of information between member states in relation to eight road traffic offences (speeding, non-use of a seat-belt, failing to stop at a red traffic light, drink-driving, driving under the influence of drugs, failing to wear a crash helmet, use of a forbidden lane and illegally using a m

According to French think tank IDATE, there will be 420 million connected cars on the road by 2018, compared to 45 million in 2013, an annual growth of 57 per cent. IDATE attributes the development of the market to European safety regulations and manufacturers looking to identify new sources of revenue.

Construction group Strabag, as part of the DirectRoute consortium, will finance, plan, build and operate the 57 kilometre long section of the Irish N17/N18 motorway between Gort and Tuam near Galwayon behalf of National Roads of Ireland. The public-private partnership (PPP) project has a total private sector investment value of about US$459 million.

US live traffic video aggregator TrafficLand is providing video from its national network of roadside Department of Transportation cameras on the latest WeatherBug mobile app for the iOS platform.