Coalition to address deterioration in US transportation system
The American Crisis in Transportation Coalition (ACT) has been formed to expand national understanding of the serious deterioration of America’s transportation system, and to educate the public and Congress on the funding needed to save the system from continued decline.
Trimble CarCube for European heavy goods fleet
The Ziegler Group has selected the Trimble CarCube fleet management system for its fleet of 2,000 heavy goods vehicles across Europe. The system is a comprehensive fleet management solution that offers a suite of features designed to improve efficiency and communication between fleet operators and their drivers. These include driver identification; navigation capabilities; task planning and status reporting; trailer identification and verification; journey time assistance to comply with European Union regul
Intelligent vehicle insurance launches in the UK
Ctrack is launching a telematics solution for vehicle insurers in the UK to rate how, when, where and by whom a vehicle is driven. The company, a leading provider of vehicle tracking solutions in the UK, says that Ctrack Intelligent Insurance offers providers an alternative means of determining individual vehicle premiums, following a ruling by the European Court of Justice in March this year that prevents gender being taken into account as a risk factor.
Johnson Controls wants to dissolve battery JV with Saft
Johnson Controls has filed a lawsuit in the Delaware Chancery Court to dissolve the Johnson Controls-Saft joint venture which was formed in 2006 to develop and manufacture lithium-ion motive battery solutions.
Road safety - the challenge ahead
More than 1.3 million people die in road accidents each year. If nothing is done, this already chilling figure risks to rise to 1.9 million deaths per year. Around 90 per cent of road fatalities occur in emerging and developing countries. Here, the mixture of population growth and higher numbers of vehicles due to rising incomes are proving a deadly combination, as infrastructure and regulatory environment have difficulty keeping pace.
TransCore wins three ITS contracts from Nevada DOT
TransCore has won three separate contracts to provide ITS design, construction and integration services for the Nevada Department of Transportation. The projects include a 30-mile extension of the FAST traffic management system along I-15 from outside Las Vegas to the California border; a 15-mile expansion of the FAST traffic management system along I-515 on the eastern side of the Las Vegas metropolitan area; and a 10-mile segment of I-80 in Reno, Nevada, as part of a roadway reconstruction project.
UK town to use traffic lights to tackle speeding
Swindon in the UK is set to trial smart traffic lights which turn to red if approaching drivers are breaking the speed limit. Sensors will detect speeding vehicles and if they are above a preset limit then the signals ahead will turn to red. If congestion builds up then the traffic light phasing will change automatically to allow more traffic through the junction. ANPR systems will detect emergency vehicles and ensure they are not inhibited by the system.
Mobile payment terminal
iDynamoEMV, introduced by MagTek, is a secure EMV Chip + PIN mobile payment device that turns a smart phone or tablet into a secure mobile payment system.
Certified to the latest PCI PTS 3.1 specification, the device, which allows acceptance of credit or debit card payments anywhere, supports magnetic card reading and EMV Chip & PIN, with optional contactless card reading. It connects to Apple devices via the Apple connector and is supplied with a range of brackets to fit all Apples devices including iPod
New Traffic Data Collection and Comms Device
Smart Signal Technologies has launched what it claims is a remarkable new product that will save taxpayers millions of dollars annually as it improves traffic signal performance along the congested signalised arterial corridors. The product, a compact device with powerful data collection and communication features, permits the gathering of high resolution data for processing into actionable real-time information to measure and monitor signal and corridor performance.
Houston TranStar wins 'Best of Texas' award
Houston TranStar has been awarded "Most Innovative Use of Technology" by the Centre for Digital Government, a national research and advisory institute on information technology policies and best practices in state and local government, for its cutting-edge Bluetooth-based travel time information system. The new deployment, extending north more than 200 miles along the I-45 North corridor to Dallas, gives TranStar the capability to monitor and manage traffic conditions on this major evacuation route.
Flea3 GigE vision camera family expanded
Point Grey has added new 5- megapixel models to its Flea3 GigE Vision digital camera line. The new Flea3 FL3-GE-50S5 models are based on colour and monochrome versions of the popular Sony ICX655 CCD and are capable of streaming high quality 2448 x 2048 images at 8fps over Gigabit Ethernet. The Flea3 measures just 29 x 29 x30 mm in size and offers a variety of the industry’s most popular Sony CCDs, ranging from VGA to 5 MP. Like all Point Grey GigE cameras the Flea3 complies with version 1.2 of the GigE Visi
Why do consumers buy electric cars?
The International Transport Forum at the OECD, an intergovernmental organisation for the transport sector that comprises 52 countries, has announced the winner of its 2011 Young Researcher of the Year Award. The Award, which is open to researchers under 35 years of age and carries a prize of US$ 7,000, goes to Canadian national Dr. Jonn Axsen of the University of California at Davis, USA.
RTA analysis system contract
Capita Symonds’ innovations team has won a contract to supply its web based road traffic accident analysis system (CIRTAS) to the Traffic and Accident Data Unit (TADU) at Tyne and Wear Council in the UK. The contract covers the Tyne and Wear five partner districts - the metropolitan boroughs of South Tyneside, North Tyneside, City of Newcastle upon Tyne, Gateshead and the City of Sunderland.
Free mobile surveillance on Windows phone
MobiDeos, a specialist in mobile video surveillance and remote monitoring software, is mobilising its WebView fixed surveillance platform for Windows Phone users. Last summer, the company introduced WebView, as a truly open web-based platform for fixed surveillance and remote monitoring, for professionals and consumers. It uses the the same proven engine as the company’s popular MobileCamViewer mobile surveillance application to ensure reliable service and connectivity.
Samsung IP camera line grows
Samsung Techwin America, a leading supplier of advanced video surveillance solutions, has introduced an outdoor 3-megapixel network video surveillance camera with an IR range of 30 metres in total darkness. The SNO-7080R, complete with a 2.8X varifocal motorised zoom lens, can capture 16:9 full HD images at 1920 x 1080p with wide dynamic range (WDR) and features a dual H.264 and MPEG codec. It is IP66 environmentally rated for severe or varying weather conditions and can be powered via PoE and 24V The SNO-7
PTV wins first ITS contract in Russia
Russian company Tolltec is currently implementing ITS technology to optimise the high traffic volumes on the 115km-long St. Petersburg's ring motorway that stretches around the whole city. As part of this project, PTV software, including the company's TrafficCountManagement and VISSIM, is part of the ITS technology used for St. Petersburg's ring road.
Largest electric bus fleet in world nears
BYD, manufacturer of the first long-range (300+ km), all-electric bus has been selected as the sole eBus provider for the 2011 International Universiade Games which will be held in Shenzhen, China. The company will deliver over 300 eBus-12 units by this coming August. After the Universiade Games, they will be will be incorporated into Shenzhen’s city bus fleet, creating the largest all-electric bus fleet in the world.
Global ADAS market will approach $10 billion this year
Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) have been expensive add-on technical features for luxury vehicles for over 10 years, but during 2011, or perhaps more accurately Model Year 2012, features such as adaptive cruise control, lane departure warning, and low-speed collision mitigation will finally become available on higher-volume models such as the Ford Focus and Mercedes Benz C-Class.
Debating contactless toll charging by smartphone
Developments in the mass transit sector could provide indicators of potential for greater use of mobile consumer electronic devices for charging and tolling, according to Consult Hyperion’s Mike Burden. However, opinion among toll system suppliers is divided. Jason Barnes reports The combination of mass-market devices and their protocols, typified by smartphones featuring near field communication (NFC), points to some exciting cross-fertilisation possibilities in the charging and tolling sector, says Consul
Trimble wins US govt blanket purchase agreement for fleet management
Trimble has been awarded a Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA) by the US General Services Administration (GSA) Federal Acquisition Service for its fleet management solution. The BPA will be administered by GSA Fleet and gives fleet managers the option to implement Trimble's vehicle monitoring, maintenance, driver safety, and driver identification products and services.