Waymo expands self-driving lorry project
Google’s driverless vehicle division Waymo is opening a new depot in Dallas, Texas to try out a fleet of autonomous 18-wheeler HGVs. The company’s told Forbes Magazine that it will hire local truckers to assist with evaluations on the highway. Forbes adds that the mapping of roads in Texas and New Mexico with high-definition cameras […]
Traffic cop gets last laugh with Red X-ignoring driver
A motorway policeman has taken to Twitter to tell of his stories on patrol on the M62, including how a driver got his comeuppance for ignoring a red X on the motorway. PC Martin Willis, who goes under the Twitter name Motorway Martin was attending a breakdown on the motorway and had placed his car […]
Ford and Bosch trialling self-driving parking
A new trial to test self-parking technology for connected cars is getting underway in the American city of Detroit. Ford Motor Company has teamed up with technology firm Bosch and commercial property provider Bedrock to test whether vehicles can drive and park themselves. They say this is America’s first infrastructure-based solution for automated valet parking. […]
HE explains A14 junction traffic signal outage
Highways England has taken to Facebook to explain to people in Cambridgeshire why traffic lights are currently off on a busy junction on the A14, after some drivers complained about “near misses” on the roundabout. The post gives an update on the work at the Milton Interchange which links the A14 with the A10 north […]
Driverless vehicles could end the need for traffic police
A senior academic in America has written a paper arguing that the introduction of driverless vehicles onto the world’s roads could mean there is no more need for human enforcement. Clifford Winston, a Senior Fellow at Searle Freedom Trust argues that autonomous vehicles could virtually eliminate the need to use police resources to enforce traffic […]
American universities open centre focussing on driverless navigation safety
America’s Department of Transportation has awarded nearly US$2 million (£1.5 million) towards a research consortium investigating and developing solutions to autonomous vehicle safety and security challenges. The consortium researchers led by Ohio State University working with experts from the University of California, Irvine will establish a new Tier 1 University Transportation Center focussing on the […]
TTF says no morning peak – yet
Latest traffic data from a range of local authorities across England continues to show no return towards a morning peak. The Transport Technology Forum analysis of data for week beginning 17 August suggests morning traffic levels are still well below pre-lockdown volumes, but middle-of-the day traffic is almost back to what it was. Researchers expect […]
Public sector transport experts line up to speak at JCT online Symposium 2020
Experts from the Department for Transport, Highways England and Transport for London have signed up to speak at this year’s JCT Traffic Signals Symposium. The popular event will be held online on 22 and 23 September because a physical event is impossible under current government restrictions. Places are free to delegates thanks to the support […]
TOPAS seeks opinions on interoperability protocol
The group responsible for overseeing traffic open products and specifications is seeking input from the traffic signals user community on how specifications could best support traffic control and network operation services. TOPAS says the widespread uptake of CCTV and diverse other sensing technologies and IoT devices has increased the quantity and diversity of traffic data available to users. […]
Glasgow gets £4m grant to expand social distancing initiatives
The city of Glasgow’s been granted £4 million extra to spend on changing its transport network to leave more space for people to move about. This latest development takes the total amount awarded to the council for Spaces for People initiatives to £7.5 million. It’ll be used to speed up expansion of temporary travel infrastructure […]