M25 driver caught ignoring red ‘X’ sign loses court battle
A driver has been ordered to pay nearly £1,000 in fines and costs after losing a court battle to overturn a fixed penalty notice for driving under a red X on the M25 in 2018. SaferHighways.co.uk reports they were among nearly 300 drivers who were spotted travelling in closed lanes while Police dealt with a […]
Japanese use motorway toilets to monitor driver fatigue
A motorway service station in Japan is offering drivers the chance to check their tiredness levels while using the toilet. A Japan Today article tells how its reporter Masanuki Sunakoma tried out the technology at Kanagawa Prefecture’s Ebina Service Area, 45 minutes from Tokyo. “Stepping inside the stall, he took a seat and saw a digital […]
Two dead in “driverless” Tesla crash
Two men are dead after a Tesla crashed into a tree in Texas while nobody was in the driving seat. TV Station KPRC in Houston says that Police believe “no one was driving” the fully-electric 2019 Tesla when the accident happened. The report says there was a person in the passenger seat of the front […]
Ocado takes £10m stake in Oxbotica
Grocery delivery business Ocado is investing £10 million in a commercial partnership with Oxford-based driverless vehicle technology company Oxbotica. The companies will collaborate on hardware and software interfaces for autonomous vehicles, which they say will enhance and integrate Oxbotica’s autonomy software platform into a variety of vehicles. The use cases range from vehicles that operate […]
ITS (UK) launches new education campaign around transport technology
The UK’s Intelligent Transport Systems trade association, ITS (UK) is drawing up a series of case studies, fact sheets and blog posts explaining the benefits of using technology to deliver safer, greener and more efficient mobility. The campaign follows a series of criticisms of some aspects of technology use, often around smart motorways, which it […]
Lib Dem mayoral candidate plans pay-as-you-drive charging
The Liberal Democrat candidate for London Mayor is promising to introduce a new charging scheme to reduce road use in London, and also to scrap the Silvertown Tunnel project. In her manifesto launched ahead of next month’s election, Luisa Porritt (pictured) says she will replace London’s “arbitrary system of multiple road use charges” with a […]
New rail prices means three day commutes more costly than full season tickets
The new pricing regime for commuters who plan to work part of their week in the office and partly at home isn’t necessarily going to save them money. A different sort of season ticket arrangement has been mooted since companies had to embrace home working when the Coronavirus restrictions hit, with the idea that regular […]
Hyundai launches Transportation-as-a-Service division
Hyundai Motor Group is setting up a new Transportation-as-a-Service Division to build strategies and all aspects of global mobility services including planning, development and operations. It says the new organisation will “streamline the Group’s existing mobility services, then introduce new service models based on user data to enhance the competitiveness of its global mobility business”. […]
Shapps under pressure to act on Hammersmith closure
The Transport Secretary is under pressure from MPs in London to fund the reopening of Hammersmith Bridge, as he is being told the two-year closure had become an “international embarrassment”. The Evening Standard reports that London MPs have demanded Grant Shapps honours a pledge he made last September to “take control” of the project and reopen […]
Fibre sensing trial aims to improve air quality in Staffordshire
A new trial is testing the concept of using fibre optic sensing to detect vehicle movements using standard telecom fibres that run next to the roadside. Staffordshire County Council is working with Amey and Fotech to try the technology as part of the Department for Transport-funded £22.9m Association of Directors of Environment, Economy, Planning & Transport […]