780 SolarLite road studs deployed on UK motorway accident black spot
An unlit stretch of the M42 motorway in the UK, identified as an accident black spot area due to the lack of street lighting linked to increased accident rates, has seen the installation of 780 Astucia SolarLite road studs. The studs, along the carriageway of the M42 from junctions 1 to 3a, give drivers up to 900 metres visibility of the road layout ahead, which is up to ten times greater than would be possible from traditional retro-reflective ‘cats eye’ road studs. In addition, the existing two metre whi
Submissions invited for the 2012 ITS video competition
Following the success of the 2011 ITS Video Competition held at the European ITS Congress in Lyon, France, submissions are now being invited for this year’s competition which will culminate at the ITS World Congress, being held in Vienna, Austria, from 22-26 October, 2012.
McCain upgrades Pomona’s traffic signal central management system
ITS, traffic control equipment and parking guidance solutions specialist McCain has completed a QuicNet Pro 2.0 central control software upgrade project with the city of Pomona in Los Angeles County, California. The company provided the upgrade in order to bring the majority of the city’s traffic signals online in a single, central location. The project included a QuicNet Pro software upgrade, an information exchange network (IEN) site server, and command data interface (CDI) at Pomona’s traffic management
App taps into world’s largest and most complex real time passenger info system
Transport for London’s (TfL) award winning Countdown System delivers bus real time information for every one of the 19,000 bus stops and 700 routes in London is claimed to be the largest and most technically complex real time passenger information system of its kind in the world. In 2009 Telent was awarded the contract by TfL to develop the Countdown software to deliver web and mobile content.
Good news for the ITS industry from new $105 billion US transportation reauthorisation bill
ITS America has applauded approval by the US House of Representatives and the US Senate of the conference report to HR 4348, (here’s the link Joseph: http://www.rules.house.gov/Media/file/PDF_112_2/LegislativeText/CRPT-112hrpt-HR4348ih.pdf ) a legislative package which includes the surface transportation reauthoriSation bill. The bill passed the House by a wide margin of 373 – 52, was subsequently approved by the Senate by a 74-19 vote, and the legislation has been signed by the President. The legislation w
Transport for Ireland launches NTA's journey planner service
Ireland's National Transport Authority (NTA) has launched a journey planner service via its public transport brand, Transport for Ireland. The service will inform users of the best public transport routes to take in Dublin. At end of June 2012, the website for Journey Planner was launched, along with an application (app) for Android-based smartphones, and an iPhone version will be launched shortly.
New report reveals growth in UK’s logistics ‘Golden Triangle’
A new report published today reveals growth in the UK’s logistics ‘Golden Triangle’ in Northamptonshire and outlines plans for continued development of the area which is one of the UK’s leading logistics and transport hubs. The report, which included interviews with 200 UK logistics and transport businesses, was commissioned by Northamptonshire Enterprise Partnership (NEP) to capture the current scale of the sector in the area, often referred to as the UK logistic industry’s ‘Golden Triangle’ due to the M1,
IDoT launches digital road safety campaign
Illinois Transportation Secretary Ann L. Schneider has kicked off a statewide digital message board campaign to help reduce roadway fatalities occurring this year. The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDoT) has started to rotate four key traffic safety messages daily starting, in conjunction with a social media and internet page presence. As of July 5, provisional crash data reports 479 fatalities have taken place on Illinois roadways this year, as compared to 418 during the same timeframe last year.
Road fatalities in Germany increase sharply, reversing a 20-year trend
According to Germany's Federal Statistics Office, Destatis, the number of people who died in road traffic accidents in Germany increased by 9.9 per cent to 4,009 in 2011 compared to 2010 - the first time in 20 years that the number of fatalities has risen. Paradoxically, the overall number of road traffic accidents registered by the police was down by 2.1 per cent (to 2.36 million in 2011) compared to 2010.
CS America deploys ORT lanes for Rhode Island Turnpike & Bridge Authority
CS America has successfully completed a fast track open road tolling (ORT) project which took just two and a half months to complete, from planning to lane opening, for Rhode Island Turnpike & Bridge Authority (RITBA). The lanes will help maintain traffic flow on this busy thoroughfare over Narragansett Bay, which is host to the 2012 America’s Cup World Series.
Common European language for V2V and V2I communication demonstrated
A European Commission-sponsored research project took a significant step towards vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) and vehicle to infrastructure (V2I) when it presented its results at the Dutch DITCM test site in Helmond last week. The event unveiled the Drive C2X reference system, demonstrating for the first time the ability to create a harmonised testing environment across Europe. The research project brings together car manufacturers, research institutes, authorities and information technology providers to provid
Avery Weigh-Tronix's aquisition of UK-based Central Weighing Ltd complete
Avery Weigh-Tronix, one of the world’s biggest suppliers of weighing equipment and solutions, has completed the takeover of UK-based weighing specialists Central Weighing. Peggi Trimble, general manager, industrial division for Avery-Weigh-Tronix (AWT), said the acquisition would give AWT the opportunity to expand its “global reach” and “bring added-value, innovative products to the market by leveraging existing distribution networks”.
TRW develops active seat belt presenter
TRW Automotive Holdings has developed a new, active seat belt technology which assists the driver to grasp the belt during the buckling up process. The system, known as TRW's active seat belt presenter, can help to support elderly or less mobile passengers, as well as act as a reminder to fasten the seat belt upon entering the vehicle.
Nova Bus wins major order in Quebec
Transit agencies in Quebec, Canada, are going to spend almost a half-billion dollars buying 509 diesel-electric hybrid buses from Nova Bus, a Volvo-owned company, with an option to buy another 679. The 509 new buses will cost $471 million and will be delivered between 2014 and 2016.
UK city to create rapid transit bus network
Procurement has begun on a US$305 million programme for a bus rapid transit (BRT) network in the Greater Bristol area of England, with construction anticipated to be underway by 2014. The network, which will connect commuter areas of North Somerset and South Gloucestershire, will offer a much improved public transport service to the Greater Bristol area. The three schemes that make up the BRT network are at different stages of design prior to build, providing a number of opportunities for contractors. West
All-electric MyCar launched
GreenTech Automotive (GTA), a US-based manufacturer of environmentally friendly, energy-efficient vehicles, has unveiled its revolutionary MyCar, a two-seat all-electric vehicle that produces zero emissions and provides a range of up to 115 miles (185kms). Former President Bill Clinton and former Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour attended the unveiling, which also celebrated GTA's relocation to the United States. GreenTech Automotive purchased Hong Kong-based EuAuto in 2010 and relocated the company's operatio
Royal HaskoningDHV to tackle traffic problems in Saudi Arabia
Project management, engineering and consultancy service provider Royal HaskoningDHV has been selected to tackle 30 major traffic bottlenecks in the Saudi Arabian capital Riyadh over the next two years. ArRiyadh Development Authority (ADA) awarded the US$1.84 million contract to DHV following a call for tenders.
Renault-Nissan wins 15,000 international vehicle contract with Danone
The Renault-Nissan Alliance will provide 15,000 vehicles in an exclusive fleet contract with the Paris-based nutritional food company Danone. The first-of-its-kind deal for the Alliance provides a full range of vehicles to Danone in 25 countries for at least five years.
Visteon terminates China deal but increases investment in Korea
Visteon Corporation and Huayu Automotive Systems Company have agreed to terminate the non-binding memorandum of understanding (MOU) with respect to a potential transaction that would have combined the majority of Visteon's global interiors business with Yanfeng Visteon Automotive Trim Systems. According to Don Stebbins, Visteon chairman, chief executive officer and president, “both parties worked hard to move the agreement forward, but there were a number of items that kept us from doing so.”
Telent opens centre of excellence
Telent, a specialist in ITS solutions including real time passenger information (RTPI) systems, urban traffic control (UTC) systems, as well as a wide range of traffic signal productS, has opened a new traffic R&D centre of excellence at its UK head office. This new centre brings together Telent’s ITS research and development teams with extensive laboratory and proving facilities and it will also provide full ‘hands on’ customer training.