Advanced HOT lanes project
Georgia’s State Road and Tollway Authority (SRTA) has selected ETC Corporation (ETC) as the tolling systems integrator for the implementation and maintenance of High Occupancy Toll (HOT) lanes on selected portions of Interstate 85 in north metropolitan Atlanta.
Battery powered bicycle detection
Sensys Networks has introduced MicroRadar which the company claims is the first battery powered bicycle detector. Due for release in mid 2012, the device accurately detects bicycles and differentiates between bicycles and vehicles, enabling traffic managers to meet the demands of detecting cyclists while maintaining intersection efficiency.
Mass transit video surveillance onboard
Genetec has announced the availability of Omnicast, its IP video surveillance system, for onboard mass transit applications.
New Gridsmart generation
Aldis has launched two new generations of its GridSmart product that employ new threedimensional omni-directional tracking technology for vehicle detection on intersections. In addition to a new look and more intuitive navigation, GridSmart 3.0 features a client/server architecture, SCATS-compatible system configuration, visual indicators for vehicle presence and light state, a software based pan-tilt-zoom of the entire intersection, as well as a customisable four panel live viewing capability.
Cross border enforcement a logical step
The logic supporting a cross-border enforcement Directive for the European Union (EU) is both detailed and compelling. The White Paper on European transport policy published in 2001 included the ambitious objective of reducing by 50 per cent by 2010 the number of people killed on the roads of the EU. But since 2005 the reduction in the number of road deaths has been slowing down: overall, the period from 2001 until 2009 saw the number of fatalities decrease by 36 per cent. According to Community indicators,
Elite parking machine
Market driven requirements are behind the launch of the Elite version of the Aura, part of Metric Group's range of pay and display parking and payment machines.
Mikoh for Thailand EVR system contract
Mikoh Corporation has been awarded an exclusive five-year partnership contract, with a five-year option, to implement a national EVR (Electronic Vehicle Registration) system in Thailand, the second-largest ASEAN economy.
Tolling without infrastructure
TransCore has launched ROVR (real-time onboard vehicle reporting), a compact GPS device with GSM communications that allows infrastructure-free tolling and includes an optional driver safety monitoring feature. The company says the system is ideal for HOT lanes or greenfield tolling environments, both domestically and internationally, and can also easily facilitate mileage based user fee data.
Masternaut tracking on 1,000 vehicles
Romec, one of the UK's largest facilities management companies, has improved the safety of its mobile workers after equipping 1,000 service vehicles with Masternaut satellite tracking.
Road design as a primary aid to speed enforcement?
Letty Aarts, senior researcher, SWOV institute for road safety research, the Netherlands, discusses how road design can act as a primary aid to speed enforcement
Traffic light retrofit
Transport for Buckinghamshire (TfB), part of Buckinghamshire County Council in the UK, has awarded a contract to leading traffic signal supplier Peek to replace all of its traditional tungsten halogen traffic lights with low-energy LED alternatives.
WIM system award
International Road Dynamics (IRD) has been awarded a contract, valued at over US$1 million, for a high-speed Weigh-In-Motion (WIM) system by New Brunswick Department of Transportation in Canada.
In-vehicle systems as enforcement enablers?
From an enforcement perspective at least, Toyota's recent recalls over problems with accelerator pedal assemblies had a positive outcome in that for the first time a major motor manufacturer outside of the US acknowledged publicly what many have known or suspected for quite a while: that the capability exists within certain car companies to extract data from a vehicle onboard unit which can be used to help ascertain, if not prove outright, just what was happening in the vital seconds up to an accident or cr
Bus service data, better journey planning, better information
Chris Gibbard and Paul Drummond of Transport Direct on developments in Great Britain in the electronic transfer of bus service data. Great Britain has a dynamic bus market which permits a bus operator to initiate or alter commercial routes by giving a minimum of eight weeks' notice to a registrar (the Traffic Commissioner). A Local Transport Authority (LTA) neither specifies nor determines such services. In addition to commercial bus routes, an LTA will tender and contract for the operation of those additio
France extends speed enforcement network
Sagem Sécurité (Safran group) has signed a contract with the French Ministry of Ecology, Energy, Sustainable Development and the Sea, to install additional automated speed control radars over a period of four years.
Road safety systems on show at ITS World Congress
A vast array of new products and systems for aiding road safety were displayed at the ITS World Congress in October. David Crawford assesses a selection of safety initiatives exhibited in Orlando. Vital roles for ITS applications in road traffic safety emerge clearly from a new report from the US Transportation Safety Advancement Group. The report has been carried out for the Next Generation 911 What's Next Forum, which is preparing the way for future development of the US national 911 emergency single call
SmartMobility for Bay of Cadiz
Telvent's SmartMobility Light Rail Solution will be deployed for the new metropolitan light rail system in Spain's Bay of Cadiz. The new light rail system, which will have a total of 22 stations along its 24km route, is expected to go into operation by 2011.
Mounting benefits of dynamic tolling project
Wisconsin's four-year HOT lanes pilot project, launched in May 2008, cost US$18.8 million to construct. Halfway into the project, which uses variably priced, or dynamic, tolling to improve highway efficiency, the benefits are mounting. The problem was obvious, and frustrating, to anyone who ever sat in bumper-to-bumper traffic on State Route 167 and watched a lone car whiz by every 20 seconds or so in the carpool lane. But for planners at the Washington State Department of Transportation, the conundrum was
The Swedish Transport Administration
The Swedish Government has established a new authority, the Swedish Transport Administration, which has become the national authority with responsibility for long-term planning of the transport system for road, rail, maritime and air traffic.
Major intelligent road stud deployment
More than 21,000 Astucia SolarLite F series embedded intelligent road studs with built-in solar-powered light-emitting diodes are being deployed on two of the busiest sections of the A2 trunk route near the port of Dover, in Kent, England.