News

Image Sensing Systems (ISS) has amended its agreement with its long-time partner, Econolite Control Products, to expand the exclusive North American manufacturing and distribution agreement to include the RTMS radar product line effective in 2012 after a short transition period.

Collection of motorway tolls in the Czech Republic will increase by 25 per cent to US$420 million in 2011, according to the Roads and Motorways Directorate (RSD). The average monthly collection is about $35.75 million.

Brazilian Construction company Odebrecht says it aims to use revenues generated from its new US road construction contract and further potential Stateside work to boost its global turnover. The company’s new US$45.8million contract involves the renovation of the Sam Houston Tollway between Route 59 and Route 288 in the southern area of Harris County, Texas. The US market currently accounts for 1% of Odebrecht's turnover in the construction sector but the firm is also keen to win other Texas contracts, a

Danish traffic experts are urging politicians in Copenhagen to opt for road pricing instead of the planned ring road. They point out that GPS-based road pricing is more cost efficient than a ring road, and can be introduced in just three to five years.

Civic leaders in the English city of Oxford are planning to apply for a traffic regulation standard that will enable it to enforce a Low Emission Zone within the city centre. It will mean buses and coaches must comply with Euro V standards for nitrogen oxide emissions before 1 January, 2014, although Euro IV vehicles will be permitted to operate until 31 December, 2015. Although a few low-frequency routes will be exempt, most bus and coach operators will have to replace vehicles or equip them with exh

Swedish company Edeva, which was hived off from Prodelox, has successfully tested a new traffic calming method in Linköping Sweden. The technology, called Actibump, monitors traffic approaching a dangerous junction and if cars are exceeding the speed limit a metal trough is activated in the road that cars then bounce over. The trough is six centimetres deep, which the developers say is deep enough for drivers to notice but does not cause any physical damage to either the car or its occupants.

South African National Roads Agency (Sanral) has received US$750.71million from the government for its Gauteng Freeway Improvement Project (GFIP). The cash injection will reduce toll fees for motorists after their introduction on highways on 30 April, 2012. The fees will be ZAR 550 per month for light vehicles and motorcycles. Light vehicles with fitted e-tags will pay ZAR 0.30 per km, while non-articulated trucks must pay ZAR 0.75 per km, motorcycles ZAR 0.20 per km and articulated trucks ZAR 1.51 per km.

A draft National ITS Industry Strategy developed through extensive industry and government stakeholder consultation has been released for public comment by ITS Australia. It encompasses road, rail, sea and air transport from 2012 to 2017. Its purpose is to improve the safety, economic and environmental performance of Australia's transport networks by capitalising on state of the art ITS technologies and integrating those technologies across the networks. ITS Australia CEO Susan Harris said the strategy f

US states are being urged by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) to ban drivers from using mobile phones and other electronic devices.

The Mineta Transportation Institute (transweb.sjsu.edu) has published a report that leverages literature review and case studies in the San Francisco Bay area and Portland OR to recommend ways to improve safety for bicycle commuters. Promoting Bicycle Commuter Safety includes chapters on risks, application of social psychology to bike safety, dimensions of effective practices, and more. The report also includes illustrative tables and photos. Principal investigator was Asbjorn Osland, Ph.D., with several ch

Parsons Brinckerhoff (PB) has been selected to design and supervise deployment of technology infrastructure for a US Department of Transportation (US DoT) pilot programme to study the potential of operating connected vehicles on the streets and highways of Ann Arbor, Michigan. Called the Connected Vehicle Safety Pilot Model Deployment project, the $15 million research effort is being undertaken by the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI) and its partners on behalf of the US DoT.

Redflex Traffic Systems in the US has announced its latest innovation, Student Guardian, designed to curb dangerous driving behaviours and enforce traffic laws on school bus routes. The safety camera system is installed on the front and rear driver’s side of a school bus. It monitors traffic while the stop arm of the bus is displayed, leaving the driver free to focus on students. Data supporting possible violations, including high-definition video and high-resolution images of licence plates and drivers, is

New research in Spain that explored solutions to reducing traffic noise suggests that the best option is to combine global measures, such as speed restrictions, and local measures, such as noise screens.