Traffic technology continues to evolve at a rapid pace, with new developments influencing everything from vehicles to the infrastructure itself. Here are some recent news articles on traffic technology to keep you up-to-date on the latest trends and developments.
New Study Investigates Attitudes Concerning Public Transit
Attitudes about public transit do not vary much from coast to coast in the United States, according to a new study. The study, released by TransitCenter, is the first of its kind to analyze attitudes by metrics such as age, income, education, and ethnicity to provide a comprehensive look at mobility needs throughout the nation’s cities and metro areas.
MIT Develops Technology to Help Drivers Avoid Traffic Jams
Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have developed a system to direct drivers around potential traffic jams requiring no physical infrastructure such as toll booths. Using virtual tokens, cellphone tracking, and vehicle-to-vehicle wireless LANs, the system identifies conditions for traffic jams and reroutes drivers accordingly.
Michigan Wins ITS America Awards
The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) was recognized for two projects by the Intelligent Transportation Society of America (ITS America). MDOT won an award in the Best New Innovative Practice – Sustainability in Transportation category for its Automatic Vehicle Location (AVL) and Maintenance Decision Support System (MDSS) project. They were also a finalist for the Best New Innovative Practice – Partnership Deployment and won the Best Technical Paper award. Delcan Technologies, a Parsons company, assisted on both projects and is proud to be a part of the victory for MDOT.
US-Canada Border Crossings Improve with New Technology
Drivers crossing the border to Canada via Lynden and Sumas in Washington have new tools to help choose the most efficient border crossing. Fourteen internet-connected, traffic cameras were installed along the border routes by a contractor for the Washington State Department of Transportation. These cameras and a forthcoming electronic sign will provide drivers with estimated travel times for the various crossing routes.
Personal GPS Sales Fall As Navigation App Use Rises
A new report suggests the sale of personal navigation devices (PNDs) will steadily decline as drivers switch to using their phones and tablets as multi-functional navigation devices. The report, conducted by industry analyst Berg Insight, predicts that the sale of PNDs will drop to just 10 million units worldwide by 2019. Vehicles with factory-installed, in-dash navigation systems are also to blame for the drop, according to the report.
License-Plate Enabled Parking Program Launches in Pennsylvania
The Borough of State College in Pennsylvania has become the first city in the US to launch a License-Plate Enabled (LEP) parking infrastructure. The system allows parking tickets to be doled out digitally if it detects a car parked illegally. Patrons are warned via text message when their time is nearly up and are given the option to extend their parking limit by texting additional minutes to the meter.
New Street Lighting Technology Adapts to Traffic Flow
A UK-based company has improved its street lighting control system to be more economically efficient. The company, Telensa, upgraded its wireless street lighting system to include GPS capabilities for monitoring traffic flow as well as an option to adjust the light’s brightness according to traffic levels.
