Google Maps provide turn-by-turn notifications for driving directions and now, the addition will make the app send a push notification when the user is approaching their stop.

This feature will especially help Android users when they use public transit.

Log into Google Maps on Android smartphone, enter destination, select directions for transit and tap on the route you want to take to use the new feature.

The concept, however, is not completely new.

Transit—a public transit app and mapping service based in Canada has a “Go” feature that takes the user through every step of a bus or subway ride.

IANS

Picture courtesy: Alamay Image

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In the video, a working mom books a flight through her Uber app and goes to a “skyport” on the roof of a nearby building. After her order code is scanned in her cell phone, she gets into an Uber flying taxi, a plane-helicopter hybrid aircraft with fixed wings and tilt prop-rotors.

The flying taxi takes the woman back to another “roof airport”, where an Uber vehicle taxi is waiting for her. She returns home to her children without suffering any stress from daily commute.

The company predicted that a one-and-a-half hour car journey from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) to the Lakers’ home court Staples Centre could take less than 30 minutes using a combination of flying cars and regular cars.

Moreover, Holden said it would actually be cheaper to fly with Uber than your own car.

Los Angeles, the second-largest US metropolitan area, is the third city announced to be working with Uber on the programme after Dallas-Fort Worth and Dubai.

“Los Angeles is one of the most congested cities in the world today,” said Holden,

“They essentially have no mass transit infrastructure. This type of approach allows us to very inexpensively deploy a mass transit method that actually doesn’t make traffic worse.”

Holden also said that Uber has signed a Space Act Agreement with NASA to create a brand-new air traffic control system to manage these low-flying, possibly autonomous aircraft.

IANS

Picture source: Alamy

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“We want to focus on the trip experience itself and make sure riders enjoy the journey. Technology is helping us personalise every ride, making the experience fun and delightful. With this integration, our riders can now Snap along the way and share their Uber moments with friends,” Apurva Dalal, Head of Engineering at Uber India, said in a statement.

After updating the app, an existing Snapchat user on an Uber ride will see a ‘Snap Card’ in the Uber feed. Riders can select the type of filter they want to unlock, take a selfie and then swipe right. They can even use Uber filters with another Snap lens for double the fun.

The Snapchat integration will available for riders on both Android and iOS in India.

IANS

Picture source: Alamy Image

Picture used for illustrative purposes alone

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Col Ali Saeed Al Alkeem, director of traffic and patrols department with RAK police, said all the four mishaps took place on the Shaikh Mohammed bin Salem road early in the morning because of the too much foggy weather.

“The first of these involved the collision of five vehicles in which four passengers were injuries. One received serious injuries while two sustained moderate wounds and the fourth was slightly injured.”

The second accident also happened on the same arterial road where four vehicles rammed into each other leading to the injury of a passenger, he added. “The third 11-vehicle pile-up, the biggest collision in the day, occurred on the same road, but luckily no one was injured.”

The fourth and final pile-up involved six vehicles, Col Al Alkeem said. “Also no one was injured in this accident.”

Urging, he said all motorists need to make sure that the front shield and all the car windows are clean before heading to any place. “The lights and signals must also be clean and working properly to avoid any hassles.”

Keeping a safety space, reducing the speed limit, and observing lane rule are so critical at all times, particularly during foggy weather, Col Al Alkeem underlined. “Poor take-over is one of the main reasons behind so many accidents.”

Indicating, he said all the vehicle lights must be on during the early hours. “Drivers would better head to the nearest police station in case of minor accidents that mostly end in no injuries.

Using the hazard light must only be used in case of an emergency or an accident, as these lights will confuse the drivers, and delay them for no reason, he affirmed. “Using hazard lights give the motorists no chance to indicate where exactly they are going to change their lane.”

It is also highly recommended for all motorists to check the weather condition via so many means of communication before taking the road, he advised. “This helps cub traffic accidents and casualties as well.”

Major General Ali Abdullah bin Alwan Al Nuaimi, Commander-in-Chief of the RAK Police, has ordered more than 30 traffic patrols to be deployed across the internal and highways of the emirate during the morning peak hour to ease and ensure traffic flow. “Drivers need to be more cautious during the dense foggy weather because of the low visibility.”

ahmedshaaban@khaleejtimes.com

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This accident adds up to the list of more than 110 fatalities this year alone. Why are the roads in the UAE so unsafe, one may ponder, when clearly the country has excellent infrastructure and the government has made significant investments in terms of the quality of roads and technology implemented? The answer, appallingly enough, is the sheer carelessness and casual behaviour of the residents when they get behind the wheel. According to the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) global status report on road safety 2015, the UAE witnessed 10.9 road deaths per 100,000 population.

The statistics are worryingly high, and point at the urgent need to crack down on distracted driving. The near-term solutions could be to introduce refresher tests and courses for all drivers, and tighten laws further to discourage speeding and swerving, which are the top causes of road accidents in the UAE. In the longer term introducing autonomous driving vehicles might be the right thing. It’ll remove distracted humans from the driving equation completely and make roads safer. But for now, there is no hidden magic bullet for creating immediate awareness and tackling road safety. The government is doing its best to introduce new technology, improve infrastructure and levy heftier penalties for offenders to improve conditions on the roads. The UAE’s aims to reduce road deaths to three for each 100,000 people by 2021, and achieve zero fatalities on the road by 2030 is commendable. But until people who behind the wheel realise that they are as much responsible for other people’s lives as they are for themselves, it is hard to see any change. The government’s vision can only be achieved if everyone works together.

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“This is part of RTA’s innovation,” Khaled Al Awadhi, RTA’s director of Automated Collection System, told Khaleej Times. “Drone deployment will begin second quarter of 2017 to monitor the streets and send back the information to the RTA control centre.”

Live traffic feed will be sent to the RTA but the public will not yet gain access to this at the initial stage of the project, according to Al Awadhi. The RTA, however, will use push notifications (via apps and social media) to inform the public of road hotspots.  Drones will also be used to inform the motorists of available parking spaces.

Al Awadhi explained that the RTA will divide Dubai into different fly zones for the remotely-piloted unmanned aircraft.

“The number of drones to be deployed has not been decided yet but basically the idea is to monitor major roads like Shaikh Zayed Road, 24/7,” Al Awadhi noted.

“By deploying the drones, we can immediately see if there is any accident on the road and we can immediately dispatch an ambulance if needed. We are basically using the drones for quick intervention to ensure public safety,” he added.

The drones will also be used to survey the condition of the roads and conduct structural analysis of RTA buildings, metro and tram stations, and other RTA infrastructure. The drones can conduct complete digital scanning and render 3D images.

But the drones will not be used to report on traffic and road violations as this is under the purview of the police, according to Al Awadhi.

Meanwhile, Dr. Eesa Bastaki, president and CEO of University of Dubai, suggested during the RTA Innovation Week forum on robotics to use drones to dissipate thick fogs, which cause major road mishaps.

“Drones can be used to dispense saline solutions and the thick fog will evaporate,” Bastaki said.

“Drones can also be used to change traffic light bulbs and they can take pictures of accident sites and send initial information to ambulances,” the university president added.

To ensure public safety, Al Awadhi said they are working with civil aviation authorities to register and regulate the drones. They are also studying the final specifications of each drone and the total cost of the project has not yet been revealed.

Al Alwadhi said the RTA will showcase its drones on Wednesday at Burj Park in Downtown Dubai. A prototype will be deployed to do analytics of the Dubai Water Canal and the information will be beamed live at the park.

angel@khaleejtimes.com

Tasks drones can undertake include clearing fog, changing traffic lights

Dr. Eesa Bastaki, president and CEO of University of Dubai, at the RTA Innovation Week forum on robotics, suggested using drones to dissipate thick fogs which cause major road mishaps.

“Drones can be used to dispense saline solutions and the thick fog will evaporate,” Bastaki said. “Drones can also be used to change traffic light bulbs and take pictures of accident sites.”

To ensure public safety, Al Awadhi said they are working with civil aviation authorities to register and regulate drones. They are also studying each drone’s final specifications; total cost of the project has not yet been revealed.

Al Alwadhi said the RTA will showcase its drones on Wednesday at Burj Park in Downtown Dubai. A prototype will be deployed to do analytics of the Dubai Water Canal and the information will be beamed live at the park.

angel@khaleejtimes.com

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With the aim of saving customers’ time and easing queues over services, the app will soon partner with Google Maps to show the traffic flow to nearby centres.

“The navigational system will calculate travel time to a specific centre to help users choose the closest and fastest centre,” said Mohammad Abdullah Al Zaffein, director of the IT Department at the municipality. However, no time frame was mentioned for the launch.

Since it was launched around a month ago, Green Ticket app has 800 users, among which 300 used it to ease transactions. The app, available for iOS and Android, provides information of services offered at four municipality centres, showing the queue flow in each. It allows users to book a token for a specific appointment and get in line directly, thus reducing the waiting time.

Al Zaffein added that the department will soon conduct a survey to measure general feedback and update the app accordingly.

He added that the app provides digital tokens to any centre that offers a municipality service, including four centres in Al Twar, Al Manara, Al Karama and Hatta.

Nol System in public parks

Al Zaffein told Khaleej Times that the civic body is looking to share services offered by other government organisations. “A smart government is an integrated one. We encourage using services that already exists with other entities instead of re-investing money and time in providing new services,” said Al Zaffein.

“Residents nowadays look at services instead of facilities. By 2021, we aim that customers finish all their transactions in one stop.”

As part of Dubai Smart City strategy, the municipality is currently working with Roads and Transport (RTA) to introduce Nol payment for public parks and the rest of the municipality facilities.

Soon, Dubai residents will use the same payment system for public transport modes including metro, buses, taxis, parking payments and public parks, including Safari Park set to open mid 2016.

Al Zaffein said: “Having one card for all services in Dubai is convenient and serves the plan of developing a smart city.”

The municipality also cooperates with the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) through which residents can pay their housing and drainage fees.

Recently, the department announced converting 351 electronic services to 204 smart services ?and mobile apps. While 73 services have been implemented last year, another 28 smart services will be worked on this year for agriculture, food safety, the central laboratory and public parks. Al Zaffein said by 2018, the municipality will complete all its operations within the smart government programme.

sherouk@khaleejtimes.com

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