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American ITS solutions provider Iteris has been selected as part of a team to operate, integrate, and provide innovative solutions for Virginia Department of Transportation’s (VDOT) five traffic operations centres. Iteris was chosen as a sub-contractor by Serco to provide traffic operators at two of VDOT’s five traffic centres and general engineering services as requested by Serco. The centres monitor traffic conditions via cameras and other technology, allowing them to provide traveller information on road

According to Frost and Sullivan, Apple’s new iOS 7 for the automotive industry is too late and too limited for the automotive market. The device has notable changes to the interface and improved voice capabilities of personal assistant SIRI. Auto OEMs however, with their respective partners have moved many a mile without the need for Apple’s involvement. The announcement may be seen as a phased approach after last year’s announcement of SIRI EyesFree by Apple at WWDC. “If compared to other players, such as

Yotta DCL has completed its acquisition of Mayrise Systems, enabling the two companies to strengthen their asset management systems and services business in the UK and overseas. Yotta DCL, the highways technology arm of Oxford Metrics Group (OMG), has long been a business partner with complementary software and services for highways condition management and visualised asset management, as well as extensive highways surveying and consultancy services. Mayrise provides desktop and mobile software and IT servi

Cobra UK has launched its cycle scanner, which can be retrofitted to heavy goods vehicles (HGV) to aid safety for cyclists. The device was developed in response to the growing issue of cyclist safety, particularly in the London area, and uses the latest GPS and live video CCTV technology. It features a scanner and six sensors along the nearside of a vehicle to detect a cyclist and a live video camera to identify exactly what is happening around the vehicle. If a cyclist enters the nearside of the vehicle,

Hungarian navigation software supplier NNG is to supply its iGO primo software to European consumer electronics retailer Expert Italia, in a partnership that will see the software supplied with the Explorer Tablet, a special edition of the Android-based Samsung Galaxy Tab 2. Italian customers will now have access to a free edition of the iGO primo navigation software with the maps and content of 24 European countries. The turn-by-turn software comes with lifetime map updates and a wide range of NNG’s naviga

Rail Technology supplier Wabtec is to supply Herzog Technologies to provide with positive train control (PTC) equipment and services for Oceanside, California’s North County Transit District (NCTD) in a deal worth US$9 million. The contract includes an option worth an additional US$5 million. Under the initial contract, Wabtec will provide its interoperable electronic train management system (I-ETMS) equipment and installation for seven locomotives and ten passenger transit cab cars on NCTD's Coaster train,

The Gulf region is forging ahead with plans to improve its transportation infrastructure with US$121.3 billion worth of road and bridge projects already underway or in the planning phase.

The long-awaited overhaul to the Haifa metropolitan area’s public transportation system begins to take shape this week, as a portion of the extensive Metronit bus rapid transit (BRT) project starts to hit the roads throughout the region. Making use of approximately 40 kilometres of exclusive BRT lanes, the low-to-the-ground and high capacity Metronit aims for efficiency and convenience with its 84 efficient diesel and six hybrid vehicles, according to the Transportation Ministry. The first buses will appear

The first of the twin centres designed to promote common standards in electric mobility and smart grids on both sides of the Atlantic has been inaugurated at the US Department of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory near Chicago. The second Centre will be opened in the EU, at the JRC sites in Petten, The Netherlands and Ispra, Italy, in 2014. The launch follows eighteen months of dedicated work following the letter of intent for closer co-operation, signed by the JRC, the European Commission's in-hous

Engine oil manufacturer Castrol has partnered with TomTom to study the impact of stop-start driving patterns across the world. The study will uncover the traffic conditions in fifty key cities and regions around the globe, including New York, Sydney, Beijing, Bangkok, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, Moscow, Rio de Janeiro, London, Istanbul and Hong Kong. The report published by Castrol and TomTom in September 2013. Castrol’s studies already show that drivers can experience as many as 18,000 stop-starts every year.

A consortium comprising Indra and its local partners Esteio and Dataprom is to install an integrated monitoring system, Sistema Integrado de Monitoramiento (SIM), for the Brazilian city of Curitiba. The US$19.7 million project will expand the urban traffic management solution that prioritises public transportation throughout the city and equip it with new intelligent transportation systems (ITS) and an operations support system (OSS) for the city’s fleet of 2,500 buses. The project also includes variable me

Secure Interagency Flow (SIF), an American-based joint venture of French tolling companies Egis Projects and Sanef, are to build and operate the first full toll transactions matching hub in North America. The contract with the Alliance for Toll Interoperability (ATI) is for five years initially with possible annual renewals. The hub will work from constantly updated lists of participating toll operators' accounts to match transactions of other account holders.

Star-RFID, a Thailand-based RFID tag manufacturer and RFID hardware provider Star Systems International, have launched their new Star Venus windshield RFID tag designed specifically for automatic vehicle identification applications such as e-tolling, electronic vehicle registration, parking, secure access, and fleet management. The tag is designed and tuned to work while attached to a vehicle's windshield and constructed to provide reliable reading for years, even in extreme weather and driving environments

According to Paris-based Sesame Active System, close to 60 per cent of all European long-distance light commercial vehicles return empty to base. The company has developed its pan-European Express-online platform to provide a real time online matching service between vehicle journeys and the demand for express freight deliveries across thirty European countries. Via the website, haulage companies provide details of journeys to be made by empty vehicles, while freight forwarders provide information on the po

UK Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin has confirmed a £1.2 billion order for more state of-the art trains to transform rail travel on one of Britain’s busiest intercity routes. The 270 carriages will be manufactured in Britain by Hitachi Rail Europe as part of the government’s overall £5.8 billion Intercity Express Programme (IEP). The trains will operate on the East Coast Main Line from 2019 and will deliver significant benefits to passengers, including boosting capacity by 18 per cent, improving trai

Oklahoma Turnpike (OTA) is in discussion with Kansas Turnpike and North Texas Tollway (NTTA) on the viability of electronic interoperability between the three companies. It is close to agreement with North Texas Tollway and billing of each other’s customers should be in operation by the spring or summer of 2014. Discussions with the Kansas Turnpike are a little further behind and interoperability is likely to happen by the second half of 2014. Director of operations at the OTA, David Machamer, says much o

London’s Southwark Council, with help from highway technology and survey company Yotta DCL is developing a comprehensive capital investment programme for network repairs and maintenance. Southwark will use Horizons, Yotta DCL’s web-based visualised asset management platform to target work schemes more precisely, resulting in better return on investment and improving its network. Southwark weights its network according to priorities to users. Using Horizons, the Council can identify and map the roads and pat

The Dartford-Thurrock River Crossing’s proposed free-flow payment system is set to be introduced from next year, UK Roads Minister Stephen Hammond has announced. The technology will provide flexibility for drivers travelling over or under the River Thames while also ensuring a steady traffic flow, reducing congestion. Motorists will be able to pay via telephone, text message, online and through retail outlets, instead of stopping at the crossing’s barriers. "The Dartford Crossing is vital to the local and

The Norwegian Public Road Administration has extended its contract with Q-Free to operate the country’s central tolling system. The contract was due to expire in November 2014, but has been extended for a minimum of 7.5 months. The extension has a minimum value of approximately US$5.6 million. The CSNorway contract was initially signed in 2007 and included the development of the system and conversion of all existing systems into one common central system. Around forty different concessions are running on th

Centracs MMS, Econolite’s new automated field asset and management system for the intelligent transportation systems (ITS) industry, is a simple-to-use Geographic Information System (GIS)-based proactive ITS asset management and maintenance management tool. It enables Departments of Transport, Metropolitan Planning Organisations and signal maintenance organisations to track assets in real-time and through the entire life cycle. Offering both workstation and mobile device interfaces, it supports preventativ