United Kingdom
Transport for London, London councils and MPS are stepping up efforts to achieve Vision Zero
Traffic Technology Today 17.11.2021
Transport for London (TfL), in partnership with London Councils and the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS), has published a progress report highlighting the scale of the Vision Zero problem in London and a commitment to take new tougher measures to prevent deaths and serious injuries on London's roads by 2041.
London has made huge strides in reducing road deaths since launching its first Vision Zero action plan in 2018. The world's first Direct Vision standard in London, which requires reducing blind spots for truck drivers, is now being applied on all London roads, and the TfL bus safety standard requires the use of the latest safety technologies and designs for all new buses. More than 1,600 buses, or about 18%, passing through London, now also have an Intelligent Speed Assistance system, which limits the speed of the bus on the road on which it moves. TfL aims to accelerate the introduction of new vehicles into the fleet by retrofitting another 3,000 buses over the next two years. In cooperation with the city municipalities, 260 km of safer and better cycling routes were built, 43 dangerous intersections and 322 streets leading to schools were upgraded.The report also noted that the number of deaths and serious injuries in London is declining faster than the national average, reaching 52% in 2020 compared to the government's baseline for 2005-2009.
TfL says it will also continue to work with city municipalities to expand the high-quality bicycle network, working towards the mayor's goal that the bicycle network will reach a third of all residents of London by 2025.Work will also continue on the "Safe Intersections" program, which applies to 73 dangerous intersections in London. At the moment, work has been completed at 43 intersections.
https://www.intelligenttransport.com/transport-news/130708/tfl-efforts-vision-zero/
United Kingdom, Malaysia
West Midlands, UK, signs Memorandum of Understanding with Malaysia to support transport innovation
Traffic Technology Today 19.11.2021
The West Midlands Joint Authority (WMCA) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Malaysian government authority on cooperation in transport innovation and smart city development over the next three years.
The Memorandum of Understanding with the Iskandar Regional Development Authority (IRDA) will provide WMCA with an opportunity to share knowledge, ideas and lessons learned in the field of urban and transport planning, as well as to promote mutual recognition of international design standards for inclusive transport.The virtual signing of the Memorandum of understanding took place at the Regional Transport Coordination Center (RTCC) "Transport for the West Midlands" (TfWM).
TfWM, which is part of WMCA, launched RTCC in January 2020 to combine real-time information across all modes of transport on a single platform, working with existing control centers across the West Midlands.Over time, the initiative, which was promoted by the Global Future Cities Program in Malaysia, will aim to help RTCC improve coordination between public transport and road networks, as well as manage traffic and eliminate traffic jams in real time.
After visiting RTCC and signing a Memorandum of Understanding, the Malaysian delegates got acquainted with the transport system of the city of Birmingham.
Germany
FlixMobility will build Europe's first long-distance hydrogen bus
Traffic Technology Today 12.11.2021
FlixMobility announced that, together with its partners Freudenberg Fuel Cell e-Power Systems and ZF Friedrichshafen AG, it has launched a research project HyFleet, which will focus on the development of a high-performance fuel cell system for long-distance buses. to realize eco-friendly mobility without carbon dioxide emissions.After the development of this technology, FlixMobility plans to test and launch fuel cell buses for intercity transportation in Europe by 2024 as part of efforts to establish new standards. The non-governmental climate organization atmosfair participates as an associate partner, and the European bus manufacturer will also join the project in the future.
The project consortium has received an official confirmation of the "UIA" (non-binding letter of intent) from the Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure of Germany.
Andre Schwamlein, Founder and CEO of FlixMobility, said: "We are proud to participate in the HyFleet project to develop Europe's first fuel cell intercity bus until 2024, together with Freudenberg and ZF. Fuel cell energy technology is part of the clean mobility revolution and gives bus manufacturers the opportunity to shape the future of sustainable mobility. It is good to see that the German government is aware of the need to accelerate the decarbonization of the transport sector and is ready to support public transport in this area. " Thanks to the modern fleet and high capacity of FlixMobility, long-distance buses are already one of the most environmentally friendly vehicles. In July 2021, FlixMobility successfully launched biogas-powered buses, electric buses in France and Germany, and long-distance buses equipped with solar panels. Now the company wants to take another step forward in the field of sustainable mobility.On average, each bus ride over a distance of 400 km reduces CO2 emissions by 6.6 kg per passenger by switching from private cars to public transport. However, there is still no practical solution for fully carbon-neutral operation of a fleet of long-distance buses on a regular basis. That is why FlixMobility, Freudenberg Fuel Cell e-Power Systems and ZF Friedrichshafen AG have jointly developed a revolutionary mobile solution.
While hydrogen buses are already operating on intercity routes, solutions for hydrogen buses for long-distance travel are still lacking due to the high requirements for intercity flights: the FlixBus bus travels a total of about 200,000 km per year, with distances up to 1,000 km per day and, as a rule,, only with short stops. Depending on the number of drivers involved in the trip, by law the bus will have to take a break after four and a half hours of driving, which is achieved after about 450 km. For this reason, preference is given to diesel buses, since they can travel at least 500 km without refueling. Hydrogen can provide the required travel distance, and the refueling time will be as short as refueling diesel buses. Thus, diesel buses in the FlixBus fleet may be replaced by fuel cell buses in the future.https://www.intelligenttransport.com/transport-news/130540/flixmobility-hydrogen-long-distance-bus/
Canada
Metrolinx unveils new autonomous electric shuttle in Whitby
Intelligent Transport Magazine 12.11.2021
The new WAVE shuttle from Metrolinx will be the first project in Canada where an autonomous shuttle and intelligent infrastructure are fully integrated into the existing public transport system.
In the summer of 2021, Metrolinx teamed up with several agencies to begin testing an autonomous vehicle (AV), which will have to work as part of Whitby GO. After several weeks of successful mapping and testing, on November 8, 2021, the WAVE (Whitby Autonomous Vehicle Electric) shuttle is ready to meet passengers on board.The electric vehicle will travel along a six-kilometer route that starts and ends at Whitby GO Station, passing through residential, entertainment and industrial areas in the south of Whitby.
In the next phase of the pilot project, the WAVE shuttle will complement existing Durham Region Transit (DRT) services.
Since safety is a key priority, the WAVE shuttle will operate at a speed of no more than 20 km/h (offline) and will always have a trained security officer on board who can take control if necessary.
Transportation will also be facilitated by an intelligent transport infrastructure that will monitor traffic conditions and ensure the safety of cyclists and pedestrians.At the moment, the shuttle will carry only four people at a time and will operate on weekdays from 08:30 to 15:30 during off-peak hours and on weekends from 07:00 to 19:00.
The WAVE shuttle will pick up and drop off passengers at designated stops along the route without charging a fee.
The project is the result of cooperation between Metrolinx, Durham Region Transit, SmartCone, AutoGuardian, the city of Whitby, and other partners.
In the coming months, Metrolinx will work with all involved partners to evaluate the results and customer service experience with this intelligent technology, as well as what benefits it can gain from integration into a broader transportation network in the future.
Sweden
Transdev will launch more than 300 non-fossil fuel buses in Stockholm in 2022
Traffic Technology Today 17.11.2021
More than 300 new non-fossil fuel buses will start operating in the northern suburbs of Stockholm when Transdev launches bus services in two new traffic zones in August and November 2022. The order also includes about 40 new double-decker buses that will connect the two zones with Stockholm Technical University.
The new buses run on RME, biofuels made from rapeseed oil, are adapted to accessibility and offer greater comfort for passengers, with USB connectors on each seat and free Wi-Fi. Buses manufactured by Volvo and MAN will be delivered on a permanent basis during 2022.
https://www.intelligenttransport.com/transport-news/130744/transdev-fossil-free-buses-stockholm/