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Vitronic Machine Vision Middle East and its Qatar partner Itqan Holding have announced an order for 26 PoliScan systems, 16 of which will be employed for speed enforcement, while ten will operate as combined solutions for speed and red light enforcement. The Doha airport’s operating company Qatar Civil Aviation Authority is Vitronic’s end customer in Qatar and the new systems will be used primarily for enforcement on the Airport Road, built last year.

International car sharing network Zipcar has announced it is the lead investor in a US$13.7 million Series A round of funding for Wheelz, which claims to be the first peer-to-peer (P2P) car sharing company targeting college campus communities. “Based on our analysis and primary research, we believe P2P could expand the total addressable market for car sharing,” said Zipcar chairman and CEO Scott Griffith, who added he believes Wheelz has the right leadership, technology and business model to succeed in the

Innovative vehicle and infrastructure technology being developed in the European Intersafe-2 research project is targeting known issues of road safety at intersections, with the aim of improving safety at intersections by up to 80 per cent. Four systems giving assistance to drivers for right turns, left turns, intersections and addressing give way situations could make major reductions in accidents. Sensor technology installed in vehicles and at intersections relay messages and help boost safety. Finnish re

Dubai Metro has won another Guinness World Record for having the longest driverless Metro network in the world with a combined length of 74.695km, covering both Green and Red Lines. Meanwhile, Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) is planning to extend Dubai Metro’s Green Line to cover Academic City, International City and Lagoons within the next five years. According to the CEO of the Rail Agency at RTA, Adnan Al Hammadi, a community consisting 30,000 students will benefit from the proposed extension

The Kenyan Government is planning to invest US$4.82 billion in a major multi-modal infrastructure project to reduce Nairobi’s traffic congestion. The Nairobi Metropolitan Mass Rapid Transport System (MRTS) will include a new rail transport network, and a public road of 167km linking the city with key neighbouring towns and municipalities. The MRTS project will be managed by Nairobi Metropolitan Transport Authority and the government plans to finance the project through a private public partnership (PPP). Ke

Bosch Security Systems has introduced Dinion capture for consistent, high-quality images of vehicle license plates at speeds up to 225 kilometers (140 miles) per hour. Using advanced optics, the company claims it obtains clear, legible plate images up to nearly 30 metres away even in dark conditions, enabling accurate vehicle identification. Available models include analogue versions or IP imagers that feature ONVIF conformance for seamless integration with customers’ existing surveillance infrastructures.

Hi-Tech Solutions (HTS), a specialist in the optical character recognition and computer vision systems market, has sold 120 licence plate recognition (LPR) systems for integration into an automatic parking system in Hong Kong. The systems were sold to HTS’s partner Access Control Systems (ACS), and will be integrated into the entire parking solution it is providing to Imperial Parking of Hong Kong, one of the leading parking operators who operate hundreds of car parks in Hong Kong. By using the vehicle lice

Belden has launched from its Hirschmann product range an industry-grade IP65 WLAN client called BAT-C. This basic and inexpensive client can be cost-effectively deployed in any WLAN installation where there is no need for high-end clients. Supporting the new IEEE 802.11n transmission standard, the BAT-C has a data rate of up to 150 Mbps. Fast roaming ensures an uninterrupted connection while switching from one radio cell to another.

TowerLight has launched the TL Security Tower, a versatile mobile security system designed to accommodate CCTV cameras, Wi Fi systems, surveillance monitoring, infra-red detectors, evidence quality video equipment and public address loudspeakers. The unit is entirely self-contained with power provided from a series of batteries combined with a built-in generator and an extended fuel tank for continuous operation. The hydraulically operated galvanised mast is wind tested to 110km/h wind stability and extends

South African National Roads Agency (Sanral) has received a bailout of over US$770 million from the government for its Gauteng Freeway Improvement Project (GFIP). The cash injection is a bailout for the electronic toll system which cost an estimated US$2.66 billion, much of it which still has to be paid for. The cash injection will enable tolls to pay for over 25 per cent of the cost of the project and enable the planned toll charges, due to be introduced on highways on 30 April, 2012 to be reduced by 25 pe

The UQM Technologies’powerphase Select 145 electric propulsion system has been selected by eV engineering to power its proof-of-concept fleet of Australian-built eV commodore electric vehicles (eV). The project is converting a fleet of locally manufactured Holden commodore passenger cars to proof-of-concept fully-electric vehicles by june 2012, to demonstrate the technical viability and attractiveness to customers of a full-size electric car if successful, technologies used in the project could be considere

Arcontia Technology, a Swedish producer of contactless smart card readers and terminals, has announced the launch of the new CAS2340 dual interface smart card reader for applications using contact and contactless technology. The dual interface reader is designed to be fitted on the backside of Casio IT-800 handheld computers, making it an ideal solution for accessing a number of multi-applications using a single device. The new smart card reader is compliant with ISO/IEC 14443 A/B and ISO/IEC 7816 for con

A new vehicle routeing initiative has arisen to help improve emergency response and relief following natural disasters in Japan. David Crawford reports Japan’s national ITS group ITS Japan and the country’s leading automotives have agreed on a new combined approach to the organisation of traffic management and emergency response in the wake of major natural disasters. A new, robust traffic information platform using probe data obtained from vehicles to support traffic flow will build on the shared experienc

Road markings are among the most cost-effective solutions to make roads safer. A recent study carried out for the American Glass Bead Manufacturer’s Association quantifies by just how much Despite only making up 23% of the US mileage, fatalities on America’s rural two-lane highways made up 57% of all traffic fatalities in 2009 — resulting in more than $77Bn in losses for that year alone. Moreover, a rural motorist is 2.7 times more likely to be involved in a fatal crash per mile travelled than their urban

Malaysia’s Economic Transformation Programme aims to transform Kuala Lumpur into one of the world’s most liveable cities. Mohd Nur Kamal, CEO of SPAD, Malaysia’s Land Transport Commission, explains how a world class multi-modal transport system will be key to reaching that goal Superficially, Kuala Lumpur, or KL as it is commonly known, is the model of a vibrant, modern, cosmopolitan city to equal any in the world. The Petronas Twin Towers, an iconic global symbol of Malaysia, are surrounded by stunningly

Spie has signed a 15-year Public Private Partnership (PPP) agreement with the municipality of Maurepas outside Paris, for street lighting and traffic lights. It covers financing, construction and/or renovation, power management and maintenance. The contract aims to modernise 90 per cent of the town's lighting network, with lighting levels adjusted to match residents' movements and needs. It is estimated that electricity usage in Maurepas will be reduced by some 30 per cent.

Vicon Industries, a leading designer and producer of network video management systems, has announced that FVR Security will serve as the company’s representative within the countries of Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay and Chile. Headquartered in Sao Paolo, Brazil, FVR Security has more than ten years of expertise providing physical and video security management solutions through the use of information technology. The firm is a silver partner of Motorola Solutions, making the addition of Vicon’s cameras

Johnson Controls has announced the results of a survey of some 2,800 young people in Germany, Great Britain, China, and the US, to find out what ‘digital natives’ expect from the car of the future. Approximately 2800 young people were surveyed in Germany, Great Britain, China and the United States. Their key desire: to stay connected to the digital world while driving, too.

The development of effective, evidence-based road safety policies is at the heart of an initiative unveiled by the International Transport Forum at the OECD, the World Bank, the Ministries of Interior of Spain and Argentina, and the Ministry of Health of Mexico in Bogotá, Colombia. A memorandum of understanding to establish a new database covering road safety data for the 20 countries participating in the Ibero-American Road Safety Observatory (OISEVI) was signed during the 3rd Ibero-American Road Safety Co

By 2015, all new cars must be fitted with eCall devices to alert the rescue services automatically to road crashes through the public 112 emergency call system, say Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) in a resolution adopted jointly by the Internal Market and Transport Committees yesterday. This system would speed up the arrival of the emergency services, saving lives and reducing injuries, adds the non-binding resolution.