IBTTA global workshop to highlight future toll technology
The forthcoming IBTTA (International Bridge, Tunnel and Turnpike Association) global technology workshop will highlight current and future technologies for the toll industry and will showcase the differences and similarities among the technologies used in the global tolling market.
Hosted by French ASECAP member, ASFA (French Federation of Motorways and Toll Facility Companies) and supported by ASECAP, the workshop takes place in Deauville, France, from 27 to 29 October.
Fleet management systems expected to reach 10.1 million units in the Americas
According to a new research report from analysts Berg Insight, the number of fleet management systems deployed in commercial vehicle fleets in North America was 3.3 million in the fourth quarter of 2012. Growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 15.6 percent, this number is expected to reach 6.8 million by 2017. In Latin America, the number of installed fleet management systems is expected to increase from 1.6 million in quarter four 2012, growing at a CAGR of 16.3 per cent to reach 3.3 million in
CCTV enforcement aids school road safety
A new digital CCTV system from UK civil enforcement supplier Videalert for the enforcement of stopped vehicle offences has been specifically designed to reduce the incidence of stopping and parking on the zig-zag lines outside schools.
Using a single camera, the Videalert system continuously monitors the restricted area and automatically zooms in to capture the number plate of any vehicle that stops during the period defined by the local traffic order, typically twice a day during the school opening and
Cubic NextWave improves transit agencies’ mobile services
Cubic Transportation Systems’ NextWave mobile business system is, says the company, a comprehensive platform that enables transit operators to rapidly and securely provide new mobile services to their customers.
NextWave provides a cloud-based platform that integrates with both closed and open loop contactless fare systems, payment processors, mobile networks, NFC platforms and both iOS and Android smartphones and tablets, for the introduction of mobile phone-based contactless fare cards, mobile fare pur
Bluetooth helps Odense, Denmark tackle congestion
Odense municipality in Denmark has installed Bluetooth sensors along the city’s ring road to gather data on travel times and traffic flow.
The BlipTrack system, manufactured by Danish company Blip Systems, utilises sensors at strategic points in the road network to detect signals from Bluetooth-enabled devices in passing cars to collect traffic and travel time information.
The data will enable Odense traffic officials to improve the capacity of existing roads and detect changes in traffic patterns. In
EU traffic police chiefs welcome new focus on serious injuries in road crashes
Europe’s senior traffic police officers gather in Manchester today for the annual conference of Tispol, the European traffic police network. A priority will be to review the techniques that will always be effective in reducing road traffic deaths and serious injuries, and also to consider new ways of dealing with familiar challenges.
The theme of the conference is ‘Improving Road Safety – Solutions that work’ and the event includes presentations from the head of road safety at the European Commission an
UK government boosts road funding
Communities across the UK are set to benefit from government funding which will tackle traffic bottlenecks (pinch points) and congestion on local roads.
Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin has announced US$129 million of further funding to remove these bottlenecks, US$40 million of which has already been awarded to fifteen improvement schemes. McLoughlin also announced he was inviting local councils to submit bids by the end of October for a share of the remaining US$89 million being made available.
Vancouver to replace tunnel with toll bridge
In an effort to reduce "the worst bottleneck" to traffic in the region, Vancouver, British Columbia, is to replace the Massey Tunnel on highway 99 with a wider bridge that is expected to be a tolled.
The four-lane lane tunnel, which opened in 1959, is heavily overloaded for much of the day, carrying an average daily traffic of around 80,000 vehicles. Public consultation favoured a new bridge over the alternatives of renovation and additional tubes.
Roads and bridges projects in Middle East valued at US$109 million
Ahead of December’s Gulf Traffic exhibition in Dubai, the latest figures from Ventures Middle East indicate ongoing roads and bridges projects across the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) region are currently valued at US$109 billion.
Host of the 2022 Football World Cup, Qatar, leads the way with an allocation of US$20bn for roads and highways, in addition to a US$35bn rail network. The UAE, second worldwide for roads quality in the latest Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report, has investments worth
Tolling executives share best practice at IBTTA annual meeting
The world’s tolling executives, engineers, and planners gathered in Vancouver last week to share best practices and innovations in transportation from nineteen countries around the globe.
The International Bridge, Tunnel and Turnpike Association’s (IBTTA) selected Vancouver for its 81st Annual Meeting and Exhibition due to the city’s dramatic transportation renaissance over the past-decade that has been fuelled by innovative funding solutions, including public-private partnerships, serving as a world-cl
Australia steps up to next level of ITS deployment
The recent 2013 Australian ITS summit revealed that Australia is moving rapidly from test beds and pilots to real world applications of new ITS technologies, especially in the vehicle sector.
The summit identified some next steps in technology to improve Australia’s transport networks, including: integrated public transport systems; interoperability of communications and ITS platforms; totally integrated multi-modal, real time traveller information; roll out of managed motorway systems; and autonomous ve
Global connected car market expected to reach US$131.9 billion by 2019
New research by Transparency Market Research "Connected Car Market -Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast, 2013- 2019" , indicates that the global connected car market is expected to reach US$131.9 billion by 2019, growing at a CAGR of 34.7 per cent from 2013 to 2019. 4G/long-term evolution (LTE) technology is in a commanding position due to its lower operating costs associated with high data transmission volumes as compared to other technologies.
Indonesia implements intelligent traffic enforcement
Indonesia’s Jakarta city has unveiled an intelligent road-transportation application, the Electronic Registration Identification (ERI) system, which is aimed at upgrading the enforcement of traffic regulations in the city.
According to Irvan Prawira, the traffic police's chief of security and safety, motorists would be required to have an on-board unit (OBU) installed in their vehicle for transmission of vehicle and owner data to electronic readers set up at intervals on the road. Mobile readers will al
Zimbabwe needs billions for infrastructure projects
Zimbabwe requires more than US$33 billion for infrastructure projects over the next 20 years to turn around its economic fortunes, a senior World Bank economist has said.
Nadia Piffaretti said infrastructure development should be part of Zimbabwe's long term economic transformation objectives, stating that US$11.3 billion was required for electricity generation-related projects alone while another US$13.4 billion should be allocated towards transport infrastructure development in the coming two decades a
Eaton and BACC collaborate on LED lighting
California’s Bay Area Climate Collaborative (BACC) and Eaton's Cooper Lighting division are to collaborate on the Bay Area Next Generation Streetlight Initiative, a region-wide project designed to facilitate the upgrade of 200,000-plus municipal streetlights to LED technology.
Djibouti builds rail to link Ethiopia, South Sudan
The Djibouti government has said that its US$600 million rail project under construction by China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) will facilitate business activities.
Ethiopia's Transport Minister, Workneh Gebeyehu said that the new railway line would change the socio-economic conditions of the two countries as well as generate jobs for youths. The Ethiopian Government is also undertaking a similar project, linking Addis Ababa with Djibouti. The Ethiopian project is also expected to be
Major US smart card contract for Lecip/Arcontia
Swedish smart card solutions specialist Arcontia International, a subsidiary of Lecip, Japan, is to provide an automated smart card-based fare collection system for the Transit Authority of River City (TARC) of Louisville, Kentucky, in a contract worth more than US$4.9 million.
The system, based on Lecip’s fare box system and Arcontia’s contactless smart card technology, will be installed on TARC buses operating in five counties in Kentucky and southern Indiana, providing transport to more than 15 millio
Construction of Shenzhen expressway to commence in 2014
Shenzhen, China, will start construction of its 93 kilometre outer ring expressway, intended to become one of the most important east-west expressways in the city, next year.
The US$4.3 billion project includes 82 bridges and twelve tunnels, and is expected to be completed in 2018.
The expressway is viewed as the most important of the seven expressways in Shenzhen’s expressway network. It is designed with three lanes in each direction and a speed limit of 100 kilometres per hour.
Xerox signs five-year deal to manage TxDOT toll roads
Transportation technology provider Xerox has signed a contract worth around US$100 million with the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) to provide customer service and toll operations to the state over the next five years.
Xerox will establish a new customer service operation in Austin, Texas to process a growing base of more than eight million monthly toll transactions while managing over 750,000 accounts. Customer service centre operations include transaction processing, license plate image rev
Tender to be issued for Spanish motorway
The Castilla la Mancha Department of Development in Spain is to issue a tender for the planning and the construction of a motorway to link the towns of Toledo and Ciudad Real and reduce commuting time between the two towns.
Potential bidders have twelve months to present a proposal for the project, which is estimated to be worth around US$188,600.
State-owned company Ineco will carry out the project planning, while the government of Castilla-La Mancha and the Ministry of will Development will be res