Traffic on the local authority road network back at pre-pandemic levels
This week’s Transport Technology Forum Covid-19 Weekly Digest suggests traffic levels have returned to pre-pandemic baseline levels for the first time since the crisis started. The TTF has compared Department for Transport national data with figures collated from more than 100 local authority areas across England, and analysis from the last two weeks has found […]
Orwell Bridge variable speed innovation declared a success
A system which reduces the speed limit on the Orwell Bridge near Ipswich has meant the key route on the A14 has remained open in strong winds when in the past it would have had to be shut. The scheme involves new SWARCO-built electronic signs on the bridge displaying enforceable, changeable driver speed limits, mandating […]
Child hospitalised after e-scooter collision
A three year old boy has been seriously injured after being run over by a person on an e-scooter in the Feltham area of London. Police say they were called on 17 April to deal with a collision on the A244 High Street. The boy had been walking along the pavement with his grandmother when […]
More than 350 offences detected during operation targeting HGVs
Police in Suffolk have stopped almost 300 vehicles and detected over 350 offences, after targeting drivers of Heavy Goods Vehicles as part of an operation supported by Highways England. Operation Tramline saw police provided with an HGV tractor unit by Highways England, which allowed officers to carry out patrols across the strategic road network in […]
Q-Free sells parking division to concentrate on core business lines
Smart City mobility solutions company Q-Free has announced the sale of its parking division to the unit’s executive vice president, Dave Radford. Morten Andersson, Q-Free’s senior executive vice president of traffic management, says the sale will benefit all stakeholders. “At the company’s heart, Q-Free is an ATMS and tolling innovator and solution provider, and while […]
Leading consultant creates Britain’s oldest connected car
One of the world’s foremost experts in transport technology has demonstrated how any car can benefit from today’s connectivity by showing traffic information messages in a 1914 Model T Ford as part of the UK’s “Drive it Day” for Classic cars. White Willow Consulting founder Andy Graham fitted a mobile phone with an app developed […]
VW planning on-demand vehicle features
Carmaker Volkswagen is planning to include all features in all their cars, but use connected vehicle technology to charge drivers for the ones they use. Top Gear magazine has spoken to the German company which says it plans to have cars “crammed full of tech and features” which the user can turn on and off […]
Oxbotica and Navtech launch radar-based localisation system
Driverless vehicle developer Oxbotica and radar developer Navtech have launched what they say is the world’s first all-weather radar localisation solution for industrial autonomous vehicles, typically accurate to less than 10cm on any vehicle, in any environment. Combining Navtech’s patented FMCW radar sensor and Oxbotica’s autonomy software platform, Terran360 is an entirely new offering to […]
Driverless expert says vehicles must be designed with misuse in mind
One of the world’s leading experts in automated vehicles has told the latest Highways Voices podcast that developers must accept drivers may not use their vehicles correctly and put in the relevant safeguards to minimise risk. Listen here. Consultant Professor Nick Reed of Reed Mobility was referring to cases such as the driver who put […]
VW investigated over “April Fools Joke”
A press release which suggested the German carmaker Volkswagen would be renaming itself “Voltswagen” to reflect its electric vehicle aspirations is being investigated by financial regulators in America after the company’s share price rose on the announement. German newspaper Der Spielgel reports that the Securities and Exchange Commission is checking after the spoof release was […]