Highway & Network Management

Lighting columns and other roadside structures such as overhead gantries play an essential role in road safety, by improving night time visibility or giving information to drivers. However old generation units themselves pose a potential hazard as they can be impacted by vehicles departing the roadway and potentially with fatal results in the event of a high speed crash. This is why newer passively safe columns have been developed, which are designed to collapse in a controlled fashion when impacted, reduci

Lighting columns and other roadside structures such as overhead gantries play an essential role in road safety, by improving night time visibility or giving information to drivers. However old generation units themselves pose a potential hazard as they can be impacted by vehicles departing the roadway and potentially with fatal results in the event of a high speed crash. This is why newer passively safe columns have been developed, which are designed to collapse in a controlled fashion when impacted, reduci

Data from the UK’s Department for Transport (DfT) shows that motor vehicle traffic has increased, for the tenth quarter in succession. Motor vehicle traffic in Great Britain increased by 2.2% in the year ending September 2015 from the previous year. The provisional figure of 505.76 billion vehicle km is the highest rolling annual total ever and 0.6% higher than the pre-recessional peak in the year ending September 2007. The upward trend in traffic volumes is likely to reflect growth in the UK economy, wi

A national UK survey by the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) has shown that although most drivers support speed cameras, people in London and north-east are less enthusiastic. The survey polled 1,000 drivers of all age groups across Britain and asked “It is now common for the authorities to use speed cameras at the side of the road to identify vehicles involved in speeding offences. How acceptable do you think this is?” The national average is 79% but only 69% of Londoners said it was acceptable, do

The world’s best road infrastructure project can also have the world’s worst traffic noise problem. But where to start defeating this noise pollution? Road traffic noise is one of the most obvious aspects affecting the quality of life in urban areas. To combat this, local, national and international authorities have developed initiatives to avoid, prevent or reduce exposure to noise. One of these initiatives – Life DYNAMAP – is underway by a group of researchers in Germany, Spain and Italy. The project is f

French technology group Lacroix has recently made two strategic acquisitions. The acquisition of Spanish company DSTA gives Lacroix added presence in the variable message signs, traffic signals and public transport information panels sector. SOGEXI, a French supplier of junction and protection devices for lighting and remote management solutions for street lighting maintenance, is also now part of the Lacroix Group. The purchase expands Lacroix’s business in the traffic management and public transp

The electronic highway signage system and field devices for New York’s George Washington Bridge are to undergo a major overhaul in a US$65.1 million project. Bridge owner Port Authority of New York has approved the project to replace the intelligent transportation system which includes the upgrade and replacement of 11 variable message signs and the installation of seven new ones.

Contractors are now installing variable message signs from Australian manufacturer A.D. Engineering International along parts of the Gateway WA Perth Airport and Freight Access project in Western Australia state. Fifteen more of the signs will be installed before the end of the year and will display two-colour text and four-colour pictures as required. Gateway WA is the largest infrastructure project ever undertaken by the client, the government agency Main Roads WA.

Intelligent traffic systems supplier Siemens has acquired UK traffic enforcement organisation, Zenco Systems The announcement follows a number of joint technology projects between the two companies within the UK, including deployments in Manchester and London. Zenco Systems was founded in 2006 to provide local authorities with the ability to use CCTV video evidence to enforce traffic contraventions. Following the first digital enforcement trials in the London Borough of Camden in 1996, the ZenGrab