One of the main problems that local authorities of large cities have to face is the regulation of urban mobility. They need to provide the means to allow for the efficient movement of people and distribution of goods. However, the provisioning of transportation services needs to take into account general global objectives, like reducing emissions and having more healthy living environments, which may not always be aligned with individual interests. Urban mobility is usually provided through a transport infrastructure that includes all the elements that support mobility. On many occasions, the capacity of the elements of this infrastructure is lower than the actual demand and thus different transportation activities compete for their use. In this paper, we argue that scarce transport infrastructure elements should be assigned dynamically and in a prioritised manner to transport activities that have a higher utility from the point of view of society; for example, activities that produce less pollution and provide more value to society. In this paper, we define a general model for prioritizing the use of a particular type of transportation infrastructure element called time-unlimited elements, whose usage time is unknown a priori, and illustrate its dynamics through two use cases: vehicle-specific dynamic access restriction in city centres (i) based on the usage levels of available parking spaces and (ii) to assure sustained admissible air quality levels in the city centre. We carry out several experiments using the SUMO traffic simulation tool to evaluate our proposal.

In the spring of 2021, just months before Congress passed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act--heralded by the Biden administration as the largest-ever federal investment in public transit, bridge repair, and clean energy--I found myself playing a lot of Mass Effect Legendary Edition. This was a happy coincidence, because never in my life had the nation been so embroiled in wonky debates about infrastructure priorities and spending. And as it turns out, Mass Effect was the perfect 100-hour video game for that particular moment in history: It's absolutely obsessed with transportation technologies and their social, cultural, and political implications. Despite its revolutionary capacity, we often conceptualize transportation in mundane, frustrating terms: long commutes and congested highways, spotty bus service and increasingly crowded sidewalks littered with e-scooters. That's what makes fiction centered around these questions so important--especially when it comes to thinking through the big investments we want to make in infrastructure, what we hope to accomplish, and the challenges we should anticipate.

It's no secret that the world is facing a climate crisis. Carbon emissions continue to climb yearly, and the earth is becoming warmer. If we don't take action soon, things could get even worse. Natural disasters will become more common and more destructive. The effects of climate change could become even more widespread across the globe.

Now imagine a city without private cars. A city where transportation is emissions-free, largely self-driving and connected to the internet. A city where cars, as well as taxis, buses, trains and bicycles, are shared. Instead of parked cars and concrete, city streets might be filled with mini parks, markets and more. A look at how innovation and technology are transforming the way we live, work and play.

Autonomous vehicles are one of the key pillars of smart city projects. The mobility concept of smart cities is changing the dynamic between private and public actors in these projects. The new German draft bill on autonomous driving demonstrates just how closely autonomous driving and the mobility concept of smart cities are intertwined. The common denominator of all the definitions of'smart cities' is that technology and data are used to fundamentally affect the lives of the inhabitants. Thus, the large amount of collected data is essentially made centrally available to organise the city's infrastructure and services.

Velodyne is the first lidar technology company to become part of this influential group. ITS America members are at the forefront of driving progress in autonomous vehicles and smart city solutions to help save lives, improve mobility and promote sustainability. Velodyne's lidar sensors can be used in a variety of Intelligent Transportation Systems to measure and monitor conditions in areas such as pedestrian safety, vehicle traffic and parking space management, and more. They can collect reliable, detailed traffic data about road users, including vehicles, pedestrians and bicyclists, while preserving anonymity. Velodyne's lidar sensors do not identify individuals' facial characteristics, a growing requirement for civic applications.

Robots are critical for expanding humanity off-planet. They help not just with exploring distant parts of the universe, but also with advancing our economic activity into Earth orbit. We spoke with Gordon Roesler, who formerly led DARPA's Robotic Servicing of Geosynchronous Satellites program. We asked for his thoughts on the potentials and difficulties facing space robotics, as well as how individuals can involve themselves in this exciting field. What are some of the most important ways that space robotics can make space more accessible, and which of these ways are most feasible?

The rise of driverless cars and autonomous vehicles has led many to believe that the end of public transportation is nigh. From improving driving conditions to safer roads, the innovative technology promises to revolutionize how people move in modern cities. But even though driverless cars may offer relief for many of the problems plaguing individuals in cities, they will not resolve the biggest rising issue in urban transportation: gridlock. The issue of city congestion goes well beyond who's behind the wheel, whether man or machine. Having more cars on the road, even if they are autonomous, will generally lead to higher congestion.

The applications of the Internet of Things (IoT) have been growing dramatically in recent a few years. According to IDC, the transportation sector will be among the first to see a significant growth from the IoT, and the global IoT market in the transportation sector is expected to reach $195 billion by 2020. The smart IoT is dramatically accelerating the pace of innovation and transforming the way of operations in transportation and infrastructure. The ubiquitous deployment of smart, connected sensors and things, combined with artificial intelligence (AI) and big data analytics, can enable us to gather insightful knowledge, make real-time and even predictive computing to help us reaching better decisions and developing better plans to improve the safety, efficiency, and reliability of smart transportation. Here we take a look at some important applications of the IoT in intelligent transportation systems and smart cities.

In May, a Tesla TSLA 0.39 % "autopilot" enthusiast in Florida became the first known fatality in a self-driving car. But this was no ordinary accident. The car performed exactly as designed, and the (non)driver's failure to take any corrective action could reasonably have been foreseen by the manufacturer. This unwelcome yet widely anticipated milestone may set back progress on what promises to be one of the most valuable technologies of the 21st century. In its rush to get hot new products into consumers' hands, Tesla--along with many other car manufacturers--has pursued a flawed vision of the future, one in which tomorrow's technology is simply layered on top of today's.