ITS Report™. The one-stop-shop for your ITS NEWS.
ITS REPORT Issue 5
July 1 - July 15, 2007
Dear Reader:
We hope you enjoy this most recent edition of ITS Report.
1) IBM ISRAEL TEAM TURNS CORNER ON FUTURISTIC SMART CARS
"Oleg Goldshmidt and Dan Chevion envision a day when cars are so smart, they'll be able to communicate directly with intersection lights and with each other. And that day may not be far off, as for the last year, the Israeli engineers have led a research initiative by the IBM Haifa Research Lab into equipping cars with technologies that can help reduce traffic congestion and prevent accidents."Israel 21C, July 1, 2007. Read more
2) THE ENGADGET INTERVIEW: JOCELYN VIGREUX, PRESIDENT OF TOMTOM USA
"GPS is becoming ever more prevalent in our lives -- the cost of a handheld unit has plummeted in recent years, more and more cellphones are coming with GPS built-in, and millions and millions of new cars ship with integrated nav units. So it seemed like a good time to sit down with Jocelyn Vigreux, the president of TomTom USA. He chatted with us about the company's recently-introduced MapShare feature, the new TomTom GO 720, and whether or not standalone GPS devices have a future."Engadget, July 2, 2007. Read more
3) CONSIDER LAX AS TAKEOFF POINT FOR CONGESTION PRICING
"The board of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority now wants to develop plans for toll roads in Los Angeles County over the next three years. Is there any place in Los Angeles County where congestion pricing would be easy to implement? What about Los Angeles International Airport? The idea is this: Because there is only one way in and out of the central terminal area at LAX, it would be possible to construct toll booths to charge private vehicles entering the main airport route that leads to the terminals."Los Angeles Times, July 2, 2007. Read more
4) 'SMART' TRAFFIC BOXES COULD HELP MONITOR ROADS, SAVE MONEY
"Ohio State University engineers are working to make the traffic control boxes that stand beside major freeways smarter. They've developed new software that helps the computerized boxes locate road incidents -- such as traffic back-ups or accidents -- and notify transportation authorities at lower cost, especially in rural areas."Physorg.com, July 3, 2007. Read more
5) EXPERTS: HIGHWAY FUTURE IS IN TOLL REVENUES
"Tolls, not taxes, are the best way to finance the nation's highway system, according to the Reason Foundation, a Los Angeles-based public policy think tank that has long studied transportation issues. In a study released earlier this year, the foundation determined that $53 million collected in state and federal fuel taxes each year provide less than half of the nation's road funding needs."South Bend Tribune, July 8, 2007. Read more
6) MOBILE TECH HELPING BANGALORE BEAT ITS NOTORIOUS TRAFFIC JAMS
"Early in June, an ambitious Bangalore traffic improvement project called B-Trac, a multi-pronged strategy by the police to improve the traffic situation in the city by 2010, got under way. The Rs350 crore project includes a data centre that holds information on vehicles in the city and traffic offences, as well as cameras placed across the city to capture traffic movement. Around 280 traffic sub-inspectors have been given Blackberry mobile email devices with printers to issue fines and collect payments for traffic offences. One of the more interesting features of the project also offers citizens real-time traffic updates that estimate the travel time between destinations."LiveMint.com, July 9, 2007. Read more
7) TRAFFICGAUGE(R) INTRODUCES SUITE OF TRAFFIC MAP WIDGETS GIVING COMMUTERS ACCESS TO CURRENT FREEWAY CONDITIONS
"TrafficGauge, the company that launched the first 'mobile traffic map' in the U.S., has announced a new way it is helping to make navigating freeway traffic easier. TrafficGauge has made its superior traffic information accessible for free with a simple computer download of any one of four widgets. Downloads include: Windows Vista(TM) Gadget, Mac Dashboard Widget, Google(TM) Homepage Gadget and Yahoo! Widget."TMC net, July 9, 2007. Read more
8) CHINA'S MOBILE NAVIGATION MARKET TO GROW MORE THAN 10-FOLD BY 2011
"Because of strong demand for navigation services from Chinese consumers, manufacturers in the nation are developing handsets supporting the Global Positioning System (GPS). Meanwhile, wireless service operators see navigation as a key value-added service that can help offset their declining Average Revenue Per User (ARPU)."EMS now, July 9, 2007. Read more
9) ROADS OF THE FUTURE WILL BE HOT-WIRED
"A driver in the not-too-distant future may get almost instant updates on road conditions, nearby traffic delays, construction projects and approaching weather systems. What sounds like a scene from 'Knight Rider', where a computerized talking car anticipates the driver's needs, is more fact than fiction."Quincy Herald-Whig, July 10, 2007. Read more
10) NEW YORK CENTRAL AREA TOLL PLAN STOPPED IN STATE ASSEMBLY
"The New York City central area toll (CAT) has been blocked by the state assembly. The plan released by Mayor Michael Bloomberg Apr 22 gained the support of the state governor Eliot Spitzer (Dem), most business and local groups, most of the media, and USDOT."Toll Roads News, July 11, 2007. Read more
Sincerely,
ITS Report