3/23/2016, WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Transportation's (USDOT) Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) today announced $60 million in grants to fund cutting-edge transportation improvement technologies that will improve safety, efficiency, system performance, and infrastructure return on investment.

“This program will take technological innovation to a new level and help to make the entire transportation network more reliable for commuters, businesses, and freight shippers,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx. “An efficient transportation system is the foundation of a strong economy.”

The new program—Advanced Transportation and Congestion Management Technologies Deployment Program (ATCMTD)—is aimed at addressing the concerns outlined in

Beyond Traffic, the USDOT report issued last year that examines the challenges facing America's transportation infrastructure over the next three decades, such as a rapidly growing population and increasing traffic. Gridlock nationwide is expected to increase unless changes are made soon.

“Innovative technologies offer exciting solutions that can help meet the challenges outlined in Beyond Traffic and can improve safety and efficiency of transportation across the nation,” said Federal Highway Administrator Gregory Nadeau. “This new program will help harness and support these technologies and push the boundaries of what is possible for the future of transportation in our country.”

Read the rest of the story here: http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/pressroom/fhwa1616.cfm

LA Times -- Within walking distance of Tesla Motors' Palo Alto headquarters and across the street from Hewlett-Packard, Ford Motor Co. has set up a new Silicon Valley outpost.

With a team of 100 reporting to a former Apple engineer, the Detroit giant is researching how humans experience machines, running autonomous-vehicle driving simulations and testing software that examines how bicycles and cars interact.

Ford's Western hub, opened in January, is just one sign of California's emergence as the global center for the future of personal mobility. Other automotive powerhouses with Silicon Valley offices include Toyota, Honda, Hyundai, Volkswagen, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan and automotive suppliers Continental, Delphi and Denso. 

Read the rest of the story here: http://www.latimes.com/business/autos/laautoshow/la-fi-hy-california-auto-industry-20151118-story.html

4/7/2016, Euractiv -- The European Commission is pushing local authorities to digitise cities and make them more efficient—one radical plan bubbling up could minimise the number of cars on city streets.

The EU executive has funded research projects and set up a working group to pin down strategies that will help boost so-called smart cities in Europe, a term used to describe the move towards digital city infrastructure.

The Commission is especially encouraging cities to use technology to make energy and transport services more efficient.

A project slated to start later this year in Finland could create an app that would help Helsinki residents to map out routes using multiple modes of transport, including walking, public transport, taxis and bicycle and car sharing programmes. The app will also sell flat-rate subscriptions so that people can travel in the city with whatever combination of transport means they choose—and only pay once.

Sampo Hietanen, CEO of the MaaS app, or mobility as a service, calls the idea a kind of Netflix for transport and says it “could give a true alternative to owning a car”.

Hietanen wants the app to eventually work in cities across Europe so people can use it when they travel. The next cities he’s eyeing to get on the app include Manchester, Berlin, Antwerp and Ghent.

Legislation set to go into effect next year to slash roaming charges for mobile phone users within the EU could help the app draw users as it expands.

“I think that was one of the best decisions the EU ever did. So now you can start planning new types of services,” Hietanen said of the roaming regulation.

Read the rest of the story here: http://www.euractiv.com/section/innovation-industry/news/netflix-like-city-transport-app-could-mean-people-buy-less-cars/