News

TomTom has announced the availability of its latest map and enhancement product portfolio, delivering new coverage and features. With the addition of 400,000 kilometres across the globe, the company claims its navigable map database is the first to reach 35.2 million kilometres of roads, covering 104 countries and a record 3.4 billion people worldwide.

For the third consecutive year, the number of deer-vehicle collisions in the US has dropped. And the downturn is accelerating. The percentage decline over the last year is nearly three times as large as during the previous two years combined. Using its claims data, leading US auto insurer State Farm, estimates 1.09 million collisions between deer and vehicles occurred in the US between 1 July, 2010 and 30 June, 2011.

EbpSource, a provider of high volume e-billing and payment solutions, worldwide has announced its involvement in helping the Canadian Tolling Company International (407 ETR) to go live with a dynamic new customer self-service portal. 407 ETR manages Toronto's 407 Highway, a 108 km barrier-free toll highway that uses video cameras and vehicle-mounted transponders to record an average of 380,000 workday trips which are then processed and billed to customers.

Technology features that use sensors to watch around the vehicle have become common on luxury vehicles in recent years, but now availability is spreading to the mainstream higher-volume segments such as the Ford Focus and Mercedes B-Class. Camera image analysis continues to get more powerful and radar sensors are getting cheaper, with Lidar and ultrasonics still in the mix.

In Nepal a 159m long suspension bridge spanning the Trishuli River has collapsed, killing two and injuring 17 while five people are posted as missing. Meanwhile in neighbouring India, an old wooden bridge spanning the Rangit River has collapsed killing 32, injuring 70 and leaving 35 missing. A significant portion of those killed, injured or missing are Nepali speaking tea workers.

Colombia's Transport Ministry has announced that the contract for the second La Linea tunnel will be put out to tender before the end of 2011. The contract will be one of a number of infrastructure projects worth a total of US$2.41 billion, which will be put out to tender soon. Most of the contracts planned for tendering are for road projects. Colombia has been investing heavily in upgrading its infrastructure in a bid to develop the country's economy by boosting its transport connections.

Austrian traffic systems manufacturer Swarco Group expects to record a turnover growth of double digits to €465 million (US$643.96 million) in 2011, after a turnover of €409.7 million in 2010.

Transport Ministers from 53 countries have agreed a ‘common declaration’ to improve global transport connectivity. The formal declaration text, in which ministers agree that the “seamless transport is a powerful and ambitious strategic vision for the future of transport systems”, was approved at the Annual Summit of the International Transport Forum (ITF) in Leipzig, Germany. The declaration also states that seamless transport “drives the development of better mobility and sustainable economic growth”, an

Professor José Manuel Viegas has been chosen as Secretary-General-elect of the International Transport Forum. Ministers from the 53 member countries of the Forum agreed to appoint Viegas, an intergovernmental organisation within the OECD family that acts as a global transport policy think tank, during their Annual Summit in Leipzig, Germany. Viegas, from Portugal, is expected to take up office this summer, taking over from Michael Kloth of Germany, who led the Forum as acting secretary-General since Novem

Swedish-based firm Volvo Construction Equipment (Volvo CE) reports stronger-than-expected increases in demand from customers in Europe and North America. The firm says that this performance has helped boost third quarter sales. Steady sales in many markets having a positive impact on financial performance. Net sales in the three months of July-September rose by 18% to US$2.28 billion, compared with $1.94 billion in the same period last year and when adjusted for currency movements, net sales increased by 27

The authorities in Honduras have excluded a number of contractors from taking part in the construction of the central highway project. The firms in question do not meet technical and financial requirements set by the World Bank, which is supplying funding for the projects.

TransCore has been selected by the city of San Jose - the capital of Silicon Valley - in California to implement adaptive traffic control technology at approximately 50 intersections in seven areas of the city. Each of the junctions is challenged with varying traffic congestion resulting from commutes to freeway interchanges, travel to regional shopping malls, and trips to local business and commercial districts.

While two-wheeled transport remains the primary means of transport for millions of people in China and other parts of Asia Pacific, most consumers in North America and Europe have remained committed to their passenger cars. Now, however, high petroleum costs, improved customer perception, and government incentives are all contributing to a growing demand for motorcycles and scooters - including those powered by electricity.

Cemex has revealed significant progress in key indicators related to sustainable construction. “We are proud to have reached an alternative fuels substitution rate of close to 25% in our cement operations in 2011, on track to achieve a rate of 35% by 2015,” said Lorenzo Zambrano, chief executive of Cemex. In 2011, Cemex’s rate of alternative-fuel use rose to 24.7% of total fuel mix, a sizable improvement from its rate of 20.3% in 2010. In addition, the company achieved a 22.7% reduction on CO2 net emissions