Features

The International Road Federation's (IRF) conference in Portuguese capital Lisbon was a major success, attracting 1,500 industry professionals from all over the world

GTZ highlights a pioneering scheme illustrating the potential of Bus Rapid Transit systems as a viable approach to alleviate the traffic and social problems faced by large cities worldwide

The World Bank Global Road Safety Facility and IRF work together to reduce the toll of road deaths and serious injuries in low and middle-income countries

The sector for machine guidance systems is growing fast as contractors become more and more aware of the benefits of using this technology. Increased speed, working accuracy and cost effectiveness are key benefits of this technology, with just three firms, Trimble, Topcon and the Hexagon Group, dominating the market. The Hexagon Group is perhaps the newest entrant to the sector, having acquired Leica Geosystems and Scanlaser in recent years. John Fraser is sales and marketing manager at Scanlaser, and expla

Innovative uses are being made of GPS technology, Mike Woof reports. US firms Creighton Manning Engineering and Delaney Construction have made a novel use of GPS technology in a project for the Route 85 Slingerlands bypass extension in the US.

IRF is now accepting entries for the 2010 edition of its annual awards competition, the Global Road Achievement Awards (GRAA). The deadline for submission of projects is 31 May, 2010. IRF began this prestigious annual programme as a means to publicise the benefits the road industry makes to global economies and the positive impact road development has on societies around the world. Since the launch of the competition in 2000, more than 70 projects from two dozen countries have been recognised for their cont

Advanced weigh-in-motion (WIM) systems can offer a quick payback time

International Road Community Rises to the Challenge of Safe, Smart and Sustainable Mobility. Songs are like roads - highways to the heart - opening new vistas, new challenges and new opportunities." Singer, Mafalda Arnault's words during a splendidly moving opening ceremony were an apt introduction to the spirit and achievements of what proved a highly successful 16th IRF World Meeting in Lisbon. A capacity audience clapping in unison to the soulful sounds of Fado was symbolic of an industry showing it can

Following a government decision, a new model for the management and financing of the road infrastructures sector was defined in 2007 and is now being implemented. The national road agency (Estradas de Portugal or EP, EPE) was transformed into a state-owned public company, Estradas de Portugal, SA (EP, SA), and a new body, the Institute for Road Infrastructures (InIR), was created with public functions of regulation and supervision of road infrastructures.