Highway & Network Management

In the United States, the National Operations Centre of Excellence has officially launched a web site to provide the transportation sector with the latest knowledge and management tools. Practitioners, researchers and policymakers will find on the site the latest resources and have the opportunity to discuss topics related to systems management and operations. The centre launched its website at the Transportation Research Board annual meeting in Washington, D.C. in mid January. Click here to view the site

Norway’s Ministry of Transport and Communications wants to curb the construction of new roundabouts in the Scandinavian country. The ministry reportedly wrote to the Public Roads Administration (Statens vegvesen) in mid December, asking that new main roads have no roundabouts. Also, the ministry wants new roads to be located if possible built outside of large settlements to avoid the need for traffic calming measures, such as speed bumps. But the Public Roads Administration has pushed back, replying t

The EU plans to support studies on the development of electric vehicle (EV) traffic in Northern Europe. The EU's TEN-T Programme is providing €1 million for a study as well as a pilot on the deployment of EVs and the necessary charging infrastructure along major highways in southern Sweden, Denmark and northern Germany. The project will help boost long distance travel using EVs across borders. One of the major limiting factors to the wider use of EVs on European roads is lack of suitable charging stations.

Hungary is considering introducing a congestion charge scheme to capital Budapest at the end of 2016. The aim of the scheme is to cut congestion in the city, with traffic jams and delays frequent particularly in the historic centre. The scheme will also help generate revenue that will pay back EU funding worth some €565.2 million, which was used to pay for the construction of the M4 underground line in the city.

A new UK report suggests local authorities should think twice about automatically incorporating cycle lanes in road design. David Arminas reports Environmental and social arguments for getting more people onto bicycles are well known. The theory is the more people cycling, the less traffic congestion and less air pollution from cars. Well-defined cycle lanes can encourage people who might otherwise be too nervous to take to a bicycle. But just how effective are cycle lanes for increasing the safety of

Laser scanners and improved data collection and analysis software are making light of asset management surveying. David Arminas reports The age of the laser scanner is upon us, taking over from traditional manual methods of surveying, data collection and processing. These new technical developments are making it much easier to process and use the data captured and are providing highways engineers with powerful tools to record, map and visualise their assets. This is good news for highways authorities

The United Kingdom’s Highways Agency has awarded its first commercial contract to survey thousands of road lanes using sophisticated Doppler laser equipment. Fugro is driving the project forward, reports David Arminas The Highways Agency Traffic Speed Defelectometer vehicle looks like an ordinary flatbed truck delivering a similarly ordinary steel shipping container. But looks are deceiving. Inside the container is a sophisticated Doppler laser measuring system collecting pavement condition data of the U

The United Kingdom’s Highways Agency has awarded its first commercial contract to survey thousands of road lanes using sophisticated Doppler laser equipment. Fugro is driving the project forward, reports David Arminas The Highways Agency Traffic Speed Defelectometer vehicle looks like an ordinary flatbed truck delivering a similarly ordinary steel shipping container. But looks are deceiving. Inside the container is a sophisticated Doppler laser measuring system collecting pavement condition data of the U

John Thomas is introducing its PortaPole rapid response signal system, which forms part of the company’s proven ADDCO PTS-2000 range. Unlike traditional portable traffic signals designed for use in work zones, the PortaPole is designed specifically for use by municipalities during knockdowns, signal outages, emergencies and traffic reconfiguration for special events or construction projects.