Belgium takes a leap of faith into green street parking

For the Belgian town of Ghent, population of 600,000, the idea was simple: create a car-free street during the summer months and let the community decide what to do with the space. For a period of two months, 25 streets have been transformed into a perfect playground for kids.  The crux of the idea is:  […]

The future of driverless cars – how soon will they be here?

    The South Australian Government have joined the driverless car movement with a recent commitment to “pass laws to allow driverless cars on the road within a decade”, according to the ABC.  The SA Government hopes to “foster technological innovation and revive Australia’s manufacturing industry” with this initiative. Consequently, the first trials for driverless […]

Urban mobility goes electric in Copenhagen

  As reported in Inside EVs, a new initiative between leading business groups and providers of public transport has seen urban mobility jump to the forefront in Copenhagen. In a joint initiative between Arriva (Denmark’s provider of public transport), DriveNow (European car sharing operator) and BMW, means the people of Copenhagen can now enjoy urban […]

Infrastructure the key to Dutch cycling success

In the majority of western countries, car culture has grown at the expense of cycling, according to Streetsblog.   But not in Holland.   The Dutch chose to develop infrastructure that supported and enhanced the safety and convenience of riding a bike.  According to  A view from the cycle path, contributor David Hembrow, “Dutch people are empowered to […]

Traffic Flow and Technology

If you think your next road trip is in your own hands, think again.   Behind the scenes of traffic flow there may be a number of technologies controlling your journey.  From road, to air to even the waterways, your path from A to B may be subject to change in real time.  Today we look […]

Driverless Cars – Google’s vision for road safety

The Globe and Mail (Vancouver) reports on a recent TED Talk regarding Google’s driverless car program.  The man behind this program, Chris Urmson (Google’s Director of Self-Driving Cars) declares the technology designed to remove humans from the driver’s seat will be available within the next five years. Urmson remarks, “we’ve made some pretty exciting progress and at […]

Chinese High Speed Rail Set for Success

While China and Australia vastly different culturally, physically, and economically, a recent article in the Financial Review highlights something we have in common — both countries have a rail network that is required to cover an enormous amount of ground.  According to this article, the contrast between our countries’ transport systems on long-distance journeys is […]

The hidden cost of parking

Have you ever budgeted for the privilege of a car parking space in your apartment block?  Probably not, because this cost is usually well hidden into the price of housing, land, construction, and maintenance.  Over time this can certainly add up to a large proportion of your rental cheque or purchase price. According to Reinventing […]

BMW unveils “predictive parking”

Take the frustration out of finding that elusive parking spot with BMW’s new “predictive parking” feature (iPark), unveiled during the recent Detroit car show.  According to Fortune in the US, “drivers waste an average of 55 hours a year looking for parking, costing consumers and local economies nearly $600 million in wasted time and fuel”.  Not […]

Your ride into the future

According to EcoBusiness.com, personal electric mobility devices (PMEDs) are an emerging breed of transportation in Asia.  Singapore’s Marina Bay financial district has been trialling the use of “Airwheels” to help drive a shift to more sustainable urban transport. By 2030, Asia will account for almost half of all the vehicles in the world.  PMED’s may […]

Wayfinder signs encourage sustainable mobility

Wayfinder signs encourage sustainable mobility

In several towns and cities in the UK, wayfinder signs aimed at making it easier for pedestrians to navigate and explore are being installed.  The new look signage encourages sustainable mobility by helping residents and tourists to navigate their way around town centres and to local landmarks on foot. The Wayfinder system consists of six-foot […]

London: Cycling now considered mass transport

Transport for London’s new Cycling Design Standards Policy begins with the words “Cycling is now mass transport and must be treated as such”.  Councils in London boroughs are now requiring developers to integrate this approach into their development plans. A recent example is the 250 City Road project which was required to include ample parking […]

Smart mobility can make cities sustainable

Image:  www.cleanmpg.com According to the World Resources Institute and World Bank, 2015 presents a great opportunity to work towards making cities more sustainable.  Helping put cities on the right path   will require investment in sustainable, low-carbon urban transport systems, infrastructure and technology. “We can either continue to build car-orientated cities that lock in these unsustainable […]

Toyota working with the World Business Council for Sustainable Mobility

Photo credit:  Volvo Traditionally achieving sustainable mobility in city centres has been the purview of town and urban planners in the employ of local, state and federal governments.  However, citizens around the world are becoming more concerned with the environment and mobility.  As citizens and governments become more focused on the achievement of sustainable mobility, […]

2014 Australia and New Zealand Green Building Market Report

Photo Credit:  Sourceable.net The 2014 Green Building market report for Australia and New Zealand has just been released.  Between March and May 2014, 133 developers, architects, builders and subcontractors in Australia and 110 in New Zealand provided feedback on their views and experiences with green building. Findings include: In Australia:  90% of respondents have been […]

Rise of the elevator car park

The evolution and adoption of the automobile as an everyday necessity is one of the most impacting of the 20th Century.  In 1886 the ‘modern car’ was developed by Karl Benz and only 22 years later in 1908 the first Model T became available to the mass population. Move ahead only 20 years and the […]

Honda’s new safety technology protects pedestrians

Honda has announced a new driver-assist technology which has the capacity to avoid collisions with pedestrians.  The new “Honda Sensing” will be available on the Legend in Japan later this year, as reported by Hybrid Cars.  The system utilises a millimetre-wave radar in the front grille and a camera mounted inside the windscreen to forecast […]

Mercedes self-driving Future Truck

Self-driving cars have been in the news for some time, but Mercedes Benz has just taken it up a notch with concept designs for an autonomous truck (semi) that aims to revolutionise the transport industry, reports Wired.  The focus is on safety and addressing the cause of many trucking accidents by putting computers in control. […]

World’s first 3D printed car

At the International Manufacturing Technology Show 2014 in Chicago last week, Local Motors has unveiled the first 3D printed car, reports SBS.  Manufactured in just 44 hours, the “Strati” (Italian for layers) is set to challenge the traditional methods of car manufacturing.  The mechanical components – battery, wiring, suspension – are sourced from a variety […]

QR Codes help locate travellers’ cars at US airport

  Indianapolis International Airport is using Quick Response (QR) Code technology to help travellers locate their parked carswhich can be challenging in large lots, especially for infrequent travellers.  As reported on the QR Code Press, QR Codes have now been added to shelters throughout the Economy lot (8,000 spaces), and also on pillars on upper […]

Innovative car park with roof-top sports ground

The latest addition to our list of “Alternative uses for a Car Park” will now include “sporting field”.  The University of Colorado in Colorado Springs has recently completed a new car park which doubles as a sports venue, as reported in The Gazette.  With its ribbon-cutting ceremony this month, the USD $23M project will simultaneously […]

SA trials Bluetooth traffic monitoring system

Adelaide is trialling a new system of traffic monitoring that picks up data from Bluetooth receivers in passing cars, and provides real-time traffic advisories to help drivers avoid congested areas. The new technology has been developed by the SA Department of Planning, Transport & Infrastructure (DPTI), as reported in The Advertiser.  The Adelaide trial involves approximately […]

NZ trials new pedestrian crossing technology

It’s one of those things that makes you wonder….”why didn’t anyone think of that before?”  As reported in the Otago Times, Invercargill is the first in the world to trial a new technology for pedestrian crossings.  Simple as it sounds, it allows the would-be-crosser to press the button and then activate a longer crossing cycle, […]

A brief history of the much-maligned parking meter

Parking meter technology has changed considerably in the last 10 years, but not much in the 70 years before that!  In case you were wondering (and even if you weren’t), here’s a brief visual history of the parking meter, as told by JNL Parking in the US. The parking meter was first conceived in 1932 […]

MonkeyParking App shut down in US

Beware: not all apps that come to market actually serve the common good, and some might even be illegal.  Italian-based MonkeyParking found this out the hard way when it was told last week to “cease and desist” operations in San Francisco or face a lawsuit. MonkeyParking is (was) an app that allows drivers to auction […]

Auto-pilot app for driving in traffic jams

A recently announced app developed by Scania and Volkswagen Group Research purportedly will make you more productive while spending time in traffic jams. In terms of road safety, it is hard to imagine that encouraging (more) people to use devices while driving would be a good thing.  Nevertheless, the app has won a prestigious award, the 2014 HMi (Human […]

Dusseldorf airport employs smart valet robot

In a new twist on automatic garaging, Düsseldorf Airport is now offering travellers the latest in valet parking technology, as reported by the Washington Post.  A self-driving robotic forklift, named Ray, manages the task with ease, utilising laser navigation and mapping software to gently deliver your car to its parking spot.  The agile forklift technology […]

Google Now finds your parked car

Losing sight of one’s car happens all the time, and not just to the memory-impaired!   As reported in The Verge, Smartphone users can easily avoid the problem thanks to a recently added feature in the Google Now suite.  The latest update takes the popular map app one step further, producing a “parking card” to remind […]

Executive Cycle Suit sans Lycra

For cyclists, the home to office commute will now be even more efficient, with the latest business suit technology available from the US.  Using Australian 135 Performance wool (breathable, moisture and odour resistant, and a little bit stretchy), San Francisco-based company Parker Dusseau has designed the “Commuter Suit”.  It is designed to move like cyclists […]

Slime mold models Tokyo rail network

Researchers in Japan and the UK have modelled the complex Tokyo rail network with remarkable accuracy by enlisting the services of the humble slime mold. The single cell, brainless yellow mold, Physarum polycephalum is able to build highly efficient networks of nutrient channeling tubes between food sources.  The researchers created a food network of oat […]


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