Search

As this issue of ITS International goes to press there is considerable confusion over the introduction of the French Ecotax following widespread and sometimes violent protests. Following a series of postponements going back over several years, the GNSS-based tax on vehicles over 3.5 tonnes was due to come into effect on 1 January 2014 and was expected to raise one billion euros per year. However, the French government has announced that the tax has been suspended indefinitely but is stressing that this is

Astronauts report that the sensation of seeing the Earth from space is extremely humbling; revealing both the wonder of our world and its fragility with a level of clarity they have never experienced before, or after. From space everything the Astronaut has ever known is but a small green and blue blob that can be masked by the smallest obstruction. And from that distance all the countries in the world are equally far away and their inhabitants cannot be divided into rich or poor, by religion or colour.

Transportation innovator Leo McCloskey has joined ITS America as senior vice president for Technical Programs, where he will manage the Association’s contract work with the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) and other public sector, private industry and research partners. McCloskey will lead ITS America’s Technical Programs group and direct the organization’s research, standards, and other technology-driven initiatives. He joins ITS America from telematics technologies and connected vehicle services s

Ertico – ITS Europe and communications standards body ETSI have staged the second eCall Testfest event where vendors tested the interoperability of their eCall systems. The week-long event was staged at CETECOM in Essen, Germany, and attracted more than 30 vendors – both in-vehicle and public safety answering point (PSAP) suppliers - from all over the world. During the event 350 pairing sessions were organised each of which allowed one in-vehicle unit to test with one PSAP unit. Over the course of the

During the ITS World Congress in Tokyo, ITS Finland, the Finnish Ministry of Transport, Ertico - ITS Europe, HERE and others joined forces to launch a best "ITS in your pocket" app contest for the ITS European Congress in Helsinki 16 to 19 June 2014. The App Contest 2014 is open to European companies, teams and individual developers and over the next few months, workshops and webinars will be organised in various European cities to support participants in their proposals. There are three categories ‘Mu

Dedicated to recognising emerging talent as well as established and successful players, nominations for the 2014 Telematics Update awards are now open. Past winners include Audi, BMW, Livio Radio, WirelessCar, Tweddle, TeleNav, Telogis and many more. The twelve categories include: Best Telematics Product or Service Launch in an Emerging Market (BRIC Region); Best Insurance Telematics Product or Service Launch; Best Telematics Service Provider Award; Best Telematics Content Aggregator Award; Best Telema

A new ten year plan released by the Maine Turnpike Authority defers decisions on work to upgrade its three largest toll plazas pending completion of a next generation toll collection study that will consider the costs and benefits of going all-electronic, versus open road electronic tolling (ORT) and cash and a timetable. Objections from local residents and the failure of the Turnpike to consider the alternative of all-electronic tolling (AET) led to the delay of a previous ten year plan in 2009 that set

PTV Group, in association with MTECH, Thailand, is holding an urban traffic planning and management workshop in Bangkok on Tuesday 14th January. During the workshop participants will have the opportunity to learn more about the capabilities of Visum, Vissim, Viswalk and Vistro, and find out about the software applications and why they are suitable for traffic and transport investigation in Thailand. Case studies demonstrating the use and application of PTV software in Thailand as well across the regio

Redflex Holdings has announced the appointment to the board of non-executive Director, Adam Gray, who is co-founder and managing partner of Coliseum Capital Management, an investment firm that focuses on long-term investments in both public and private companies. Prior to this, he had approximately twenty years of private equity and operating management experience. He is currently a director of New Flyer Industries and Uno Restaurant Holdings Corporation. Gray brings significant investment and operation

US Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx has announced a Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (TIFIA) loan for US$452 million to finance the Downtown Crossing section of the Louisville and Southern Indiana Ohio River Bridges Project. The cost of the Downtown Crossing, which Kentucky is funding, is around US$1.3 billion, and represents one half of the bi-state Ohio River Bridges project, which also includes the new East End Bridge, also spanning the Ohio River eight miles to the north

Transport for London (TfL) and bus operator Go-Ahead London have begun a trial of the capital’s first electric buses on two routes in the city. The 12-metre single deck buses were built by Chinese manufacturer BYD Auto have zero tail pipe emissions, resulting in lower carbon emissions. The trial will help TfL develop plans for greater use of electric buses in central London in the future, supporting the Mayor’s vision of a central London Ultra Low Emission Zone. The trial will be used to establish wh

Sensys Traffic is to supply a customer in Jordan with mobile and fixed speed enforcement systems, and red light enforcement systems. The order, worth US$761,414, is Sensys' first order from Jordan, and is expected to be delivered in the first quarter 2014. "It is very pleasing to have achieved this breakthrough order from a market that has previously been dominated by a competitor. We are continuing to invest in selected markets in the Middle East, where we received orders earlier this year from thre

sanef ITS Technologies America continues to build on its success in North America with two major orders - from the Niagara Falls Bridge Commission (NFBC) and Blue Water Bridge Canada (BWBC). As the operator of the Alliance for Tolling Interoperability (ATI) hub clearing-house, sanef has expertise in interoperability initiatives, and is to supply its FastToll Interop for E-ZPass interface software to NFBC, which will enable the authority to process transactions from customers using E-ZPass transponders.

ITS Australia says is third biennial Summit held in Sydney demonstrated a convergence of government, industry and academia to focus on the forward strategy and the projects and initiatives required to deliver improved mobility, safety and sustainable travel. Brian Negus, president of ITS Australia, said: “Governments are recognising that ITS applications can ‘sweat the asset’, but clearly the challenge is to get more funding into the sector. This amplifies the need to demonstrate the real benefits from

Since announcing their collaboration earlier this year, Continental and IBM have been working together to provide software and engineering services for an embedded vehicle client and a back-end platform to enable intelligent transportation systems. With highly scalable cloud platform services, automobile manufacturers will be able to deliver a wide range of new in-car services, intuitively connecting drivers and passengers to the outside world. At CES, to be held 7-10 January 2014 in Las Vegas, Nevada,

A US$45 million upgrade to the Great Ocean Road in Victoria, Australia will begin next year after the peak summer season, when up to 16,000 vehicles a day cruise along the iconic 240 kilometre stretch of coastal scenery. Prime Minister Tony Abbott has announced resurfacing works will begin in Anglesea, one of the first towns along the iconic tourist drive, with a US$1.6 million upgrade. Abbot said, “This project is one of the first to help improve the 240 kilometre Great Ocean Road, making it safer fo

US state Departments of Transportation (DOTs) are gearing up to meet the challenge of maintaining a high level of service during the winter without the benefit of additional financial resources. High-tech solutions like GPS guidance systems and low-tech products like potato juice are helping states to cut costs, improve efficiency, and minimise environmental impacts. The Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities uses a variety of advanced technologies to combat extreme winter weather and

UK company Newpark Mats and Integrated Services (NMIS), part of Houston-based Newpark Resources and a worldwide provider of ground protection solutions, is continuing its expansion strategy with the acquisition of today of its UK distributor, Oxfordshire-based Terrafirma Roadways (TFR). The gives the company a stronger foothold in the UK and Europe and will be supported by increased production capacity at the company’s Louisiana based manufacturing plant, where Newpark recently announced a US$41.1 millio

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is providing a US$92 million loan for Turkey’s first trans-shipment container terminal AsyaPort, as the country continues to improve its infrastructure to create the conditions for sustaining its strong economic growth. The Bank’s financing will be used to design, build, operate and maintain a new container terminal in the town of Barbaros, Tekirdag province, some 130 kilometres west of Istanbul. The International Finance Corporation (IFC) and T

The European Commission has adopted Shift2Rail, a new public-private partnership to invest around US$1.3 billion in research and innovation to get more passengers and freight onto Europe's railways. Rail is amongst the most efficient and climate-friendly forms of transport, but currently it only carries about only 10 per cent of European cargo and 6 per cent of passengers each year. Shift2Rail is an ambitious public-private partnership which will manage a seven-year work programme of targeted research an