Crossrail employing 140 drivers – more than a year before it opens
It’s emerged that 140 train drivers are receiving salaries of more than £60,000 per year to drive trains on London’s new Crossrail line, despite it not opening for another year. Financial paper City AM says the drivers’ union ASLEF has confirmed that they’re getting £62,533 a year, with a two per cent pay rise due […]
Canadian public transport network hit by cyber attack
The transit system in the Canadian city of Vancouver has been hit by a ransomware attack, causing major problems across its network. In a statement, TransLink CEO Kevin Desmond confirmed, “We are now in a position to confirm that TransLink was the target of a ransomware attack on some of our IT infrastructure. This attack […]
Comment – the non-contact alternatives to pedestrian push buttons
By Mark Pleydell, ARTSM The Covid-19 pandemic has led to the emergence of a raft of technology solutions that avoid the need for pedestrians to press the button at pedestrian crossings. While these may go some way towards reducing the number of surfaces and infection opportunities a pedestrian encounters during a journey, they introduce a […]
TomTom offers road safety warning system
Location technology company TomTom has collaborated with the European Commission-backed Data for Road Safety initiative to develop a ready-to-deploy system to warn drivers about dangerous driving conditions. The Dutch firm says by using connected car technologies, vehicles can detect and warn occupants about dangerous road conditions – for example, when roads are slippery and that […]
HE uses virtual reality for training
Highways England is testing a virtual reality solution for training its staff, using sensor-equipped headsets to give staff an exposure to “real world” motorway scenarios. The installation by specialist companies Old Barn Audio, Martin Audio and Magic Beans at a warehouse in Derbyshire (pictured) creates what they call an immersive environment with stereoscopic 3D headsets […]
Humber Bridge bans cash payments
The operators of the Humber Bridge have announced they won’t be accepting cash payments again. They stopped taking cash in June saying it’d help protect staff from contracting Covid and say that since then drivers have “embraced” cashless payments and that applications for the HumberTAG free flow solution have “rocketed”. In a statement the operators […]
HE planning Brexit contingency test
Highways England is to test the contingency plans it’s drawn up to cope with any cross-channel disruption in Kent after the UK leaves the EU at the end of the month. From Friday 11 December, along with the Kent Resilience Forum, Highways England will carry out a live test to mobilise a moveable barrier system […]
Driver triggers 32 speed cameras in one trip
Police in the West Midlands have tweeted how they have stopped a BMW driver after he set off 32 speed cameras on one journey, potentially landing himself with nearly 100 penalty points. Central Motorway Police Group say he was caught doing 83 in a 60 mph roadworks limit on the M6. They say there was […]
Government commits to millions more for Crossrail
The Government’s going to pay another £825 million towards the completion of the over-running Crossrail project in London. Reuters reports that the grant will address the shortfall in Crossrail’s funding. This money is on top of the £2.15 billion it paid in 2018. Crossrail, known as the Elizabeth Line, will run east-west from Shenfield and […]
Kapsch teams up with Ford on tolling
The mobility technology company Kapsch is working with Ford on the motor manufacturer’s new Marketplace feature by providing access to tolling services. Via its Germany subsidiary tolltickets, vehicle owners to subscribe and pre-pay for a wide variety of tolling solutions. Kapsch says benefits include savings on standard tariffs, ease of transit across the various countries […]