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The Netherlands’ famous love of bicycles could be a problem when it comes to the deployment of autonomous vehicles there. And there might be other obstacles, finds Ben Spencer Of all the countries on the planet, the Netherlands is most ready to start deploying autonomous vehicles (AVs), according to a survey by KPMG earlier this year. On the face of it, this is good news: coming first out of 25 countries listed in the Autonomous Vehicles Readiness Index (AVRI) for the second consecutive year puts the Du

International ITS experts flocked to Russia for a new conference on the challenges of urban transit. Eugene Gerden reports from Moscow The Leaders in Urban Transportation Summit is a new international conference organised by the Moscow Department of Transport and Road Infrastructure Development. Dedicated to the latest developments in the field of ITS in the city of Moscow, it took place in the Moskva-Citi Business Center in April – and the intention is to make it an annual event. Senior transport o

Moscow summit urges transit change

Technology company Vitronic is to deploy 500 traffic control systems to the Kingdom of Morocco in a bid to improve safety in the region. Vitronic will work with its local partner Alomra Group International to install its Poliscan laser systems in 12 regions and their metropolises such as Casablanca, Rabat and Marrakesh. The technology is expected to provide speed enforcement and to monitor traffic light intersections. The company says it will supply its Compact City Housing solution throughout the countr

Co-operative traffic management needs to be more de-centralised rather than a ‘Big Brother of mobility’ approach that watches over our every movement. This is one of the key messages at Enabling interactive traffic management through public-private cooperation: examples from practical trials at this week's TS European Congress in Eindhoven, Netherlands. Pedro Barradas, policy officer at DG Move, the European Commission’s (EC) directorate-general for mobility and transport, said discussions were held on h

Cloud computing company Alibaba Cloud has partnered with Sena Traffic Systems to build smart traffic system in Malaysia which it claims could reduce travel time by 12%. Selina Yuan, president of Alibaba, says: "The smart traffic solution will constantly learn and adapt to changing traffic environments, making the traffic management system a smart learning platform and no longer just an analytic tool." Alibaba is to provide its cloud computing resources and City Brain, a solution which uses real-time c

Atkins has joined forces with electric aircraft company Vertical Aerospace in the UK city of Bristol to develop intercity air taxi services. The partners are aiming to develop a blueprint for urban air mobility, with Atkins designing the system and infrastructure around the air vehicle. Atkins says the blueprint will cover aviation infrastructure, passenger experience, operating models, intelligent mobility and cyber security. Philip Hoare, president of Atkins, says the development of a system i

Authors Oliver Gassmann, Jonas Böhm and Maximilian Palmié have published a book to aid stakeholders in the development of smart cities. The authors say Smart Cities: Introducing Digital Innovations to Cities explores how the smart city concept promises to solve urban issues such as mobility, pollution and inclusion. The book is expected to serve as road map and provide answers to the following questions: • What core elements constitute smart cities? • How can the digital shadow of city element

InDriver has launched its ride-hailing service in Johannesburg, South Africa, which allows the driver and rider to negotiate lower fares. A report by IT News Africa says drivers can use the InDriver app to accept or ignore offers as well as negotiate for a higher price. Rifqa Carr, InDriver spokesperson says: “Drivers have the freedom to choose whichever ride request they like, without any risk of being penalised. They’re also able to see the full fare, from point A to point B, and can then decide