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Governor Tom Corbett has announced the award of US$8.4 million in grants for 106 transportation projects paid with fines collected from red light enforcement cameras in the city of Philadelphia.

Axion International, which claims to produce the world’s strongest recycled composite plastic industrial building products and railroad crossties (sleepers), has announced the successful completion of its first project with ONCF, the national railway of Morocco. The project provided Axion’s patented recycled plastic composite sleepers for the North African nation.

The eSafety initiative, which brings together the European Commission, public authorities, industry and other stakeholders in a drive to accelerate the development, deployment and use of intelligent vehicle safety systems, is holding its fifth edition of the eSafety Awards which will be presented on 24 October, 2011, at the next eSafety Forum Plenary meeting in Brussels, Belgium.

A UK-based group has set up an Internet-based petition to tackle the safety issue of drivers being dazzled by lights from other vehicles. The organisation, Lightmare, is the combination of two road sector groups that have campaigned against the improper use of vehicle lights in daytime and against the particular hazard posed by high intensity xenon lighting. The issue is a key one as there is a move towards all EC nations requiring the use of daytime running lights on vehicles. At present only a few Europea

Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) will launch a new cooperative research project focusing on safe, reliable, cost-effective energy storage systems for electric and hybrid-electric vehicle applications. The Energy Storage System Evaluation and Safety (EssEs) consortium is intended to help vehicle manufacturers and battery suppliers develop pre-competitive, detailed cell-level test data on electrochemical storage systems and perform research to advance testing methodologies to evaluate batteries. The four-y

For more than 150 years, spark plugs have powered internal combustion engines. Automakers are now one step closer to being able to replace this long-standing technology with laser igniters, which will enable cleaner, more efficient, and more economical vehicles.

The French firm Systra has won an 18-month contract for civil engineering studies for the first metro line in Panama. The contract was signed with Consorcio Linea Uno, a joint venture formed by the Brazilian engineering company Odebrecht and the Spanish engineering company FCC, which won the international call to tender for the design and construction. Systra will be in charge of the civil engineering of the two overland sections of the 13.7km automatic line as well as detailed studies for the depot and wor

Having been an early pioneer in the M2M market in automotive, security and smart metering industries, Telenor Connexion developed an advanced M2M dedicated platform in 2009. This platform and managed M2M solutions were subsequently chosen by companies such as Omron, Nissan, TomTom, and Qualcomm for their embedded connectivity solutions. Telenor Connexion has announced the next step in the company's evolution - a strategic deal with Ericsson where Ericsson acquires the advanced M2M platform in order to allow

Siemens Energy has been commissioned to provide electric vehicle (EV) charging stations to support Loudoun County, Virginia's new commuter park and ride facility in Scott Jenkins Memorial Park. Located 30 minutes outside of Washington, D.C., Loudoun County's initiative with Siemens represents one of the first EV infrastructure deployment projects in the area.

Leading car sharing network, Zipcar, along with Mayor Kevin Johnson and the city of Sacramento Department of Transportation, have announced Zipcar's expansion into the Californian city, with the launch of 10 vehicles, all of which will have reserved on-street parking spots throughout the city, and will be available in pods of two at five locations. The programme is available to local residents, visitors, and government employees, as well as to employees of local businesses through the company's 'Zipcar for

"South Korea's Seoul city will shortly install GPS devices in short-haul public buses. A total of US$1.84 million will be spent on the installation of the Bus Management System in 1,366 village buses, while some of the money will be used to upgrade the CCTV system. When the system goes live in November, 2011, smartphone applications can be used to track buses via users' handsets. The locations of the buses can be transmitted to a central bus control centre via the GPS technology. Users can also use the Int

GreenRoad, a specialist in driver safety and fuel efficiency, says it has signed more than ten bus and coach customers following its presence at Eurobus 2010 five months ago with insurance partner Belmont International. As a result, GreenRoad will be used in an additional 2,100 UK buses and coaches with the total number now using the system standing at over 19,000.

The city of Stockholm is inviting submissions of solutions for its “Intelligent Transport Solutions” challenge by 28th February. Kista Science City is seeking solutions that are innovative, customer-oriented traveller services to support shifts in mobility patterns, away from cars toward public transport, biking and walking. The winner will be invited to pilot the solution in the city, with full support by all local stakeholders to evaluate the solution before a full-scale roll-out.

Dr Peter Sweatman, Director of the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI) and the new chairman of ITS America, has no doubt where safety stands in the ITS world What do you hope to achieve in your term as chairman of ITS America? I really want to advance the agenda of safe and sustainable transportation because ITS really is the only weapon that can advance that. We have been working on connected vehicles for safety for a number of years, putting all of the right elements in place,

“To encourage wider deployment of green technologies, including innovations that our members have on display at the Washington Auto Show this week, the government should not pick winners and losers but let the marketplace decide,” said Global Automakers’ president and CEO Michael J. Stanton, whose association represents 15 international automobile manufacturers.

San Francisco Bay Area had fewer greenhouse gas emissions and less congestion in 2010 due to City CarShare's (CCS) service. According to results third-party studies and 2010 CCS data, City CarShare members saved US$82 million (over the cost of car ownership) and contributed to a greener environment by reducing 60 million pounds of CO2 emissions last year. Additionally, City CarShare, a Bay Area nonprofit, stated it continued to achieve financial sustainability in 2010, ensuring the 10-year old organisation

So what is needed to reach the ITS industry’s vision for the future of transportation? Here, Randy Hanson, executive vice president and chief operating officer of IRD charts a course. The theme of the 2012 Annual Meeting is ‘a future we can afford’. How can ITS technology create a future that transport agencies can afford?The primary direction in which ITS technology must continue to evolve is in support of the ubiquitous and real time distribution of data, information and recommendations to all road users

The Dutch energy utility Essent, a wholly owned subsidiary of RWE AG, has been asked by Amsterdam City Council to install at least 125 charging stations for electric vehicles, but the delivery may be extended up to 750 charging points.

The fatality rate from road accidents in India continues to be of major concern to the country’s Government, highway authorities and safety campaigners. A report from India’s National Crime Records Bureau has highlighted the scale of the problem. Called “Accidental Deaths in India", this official report reveals that reported road accidents caused on average 56 injuries/hour and 14 deaths/hour during 2009. The fatal accident rate also increased from the previous year according to the report, which says that

The US Department of Transportation's Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA) has announced the ITS Video Challenge, a new national competition showcasing innovative ways that local communities use smart transportation technology to improve safety, mobility and the environment.