News

More than 1,600 people took part in four days of transport research topic discussion at the TRA2012 conference in Athens, Greece. The event between 23rd-26th April included a special focus on infrastructure, with large numbers of FEHRL (Forum of European National Highway Research Laboratories) members taking part in different sessions.

The latest official figures on road safety in Europe are giving cause for concern, with data showing that casualty reduction has slowed. EU transport commissioner Siim Kallas recently announced disappointing progress in casualty reduction on Europe's roads. The joint European police association, TISPOL, has added that it is also concerned that improvements in cutting fatalities on Europe’s roads significantly slowed in 2011. The overall figure shows a reduction of just 2% in the total number of people kille

A key stage in improving the UK’s road safety has been achieved with the establishment of a new Road Safety Audit Certificate of Competency. The move sees the Chartered Institution of Highways & Transportation (CIHT) & the Society of Road Safety Auditors (SoRSA) are to award this Road Safety Audit Certificate of Competency on behalf of the Highways Agency (HA). EC Directives will require at least one member of a Road Safety Audit Team to hold a Certificate of Competency (CoC) when undertaking a Road Safety

Reconstruction of all Azerbaijan’s highways will cost at least US$38.2billion (AZN 30bn), according to the national ministry of transport. The overall length of highways across the country is 20,000km, with reconstruction works predicted to take up to 15 years.

EXIM Bank of China has approved in-principle an initial US$3.30billion loan (PGK 7bn) for infrastructure development in Papua New Guinea. Of the amount, PGK 1bn will be for a new four-lane highway connecting Lae to Nadzab, PGK 2bn for the highway from Gulf to Southern Highlands and PGK 4bn for rebuilding the Highlands Highway. The loan has a low interest rate of 2% for soft loan and 3.5% fir commercial loan.

Vinci has won a new US$1.13billion (€900million) contract in the UK for the maintenance of the Isle of Wight road network. The contract calls for an initial phase of work, then for the maintenance of the 821km road network including streets, roads, cycling paths and sidewalks.

A US$106 million loan deal to help fund a US$200million plus toll road development in Indonesia's Bali could be finalised before the end of June. The banks due to provide the loan are Bank Rakyat Indonesia (BRI), Bank Central Asia (BCA), Bank Negara Indonesia (BNI) and Bank Mandiri.

Councillors in South Yorkshire, England, have recommended approval of a proposed dual carriageway linking the M18 and Robin Hood Airport. The project is expected to create new jobs, spur local investment and release land for housing development. Planning permission has yet to be formally granted, although it is anticipated that construction will begin this summer. The project is funded by US$3million (£2mn) from the Sheffield City Region Local Enterprise Partnership and £18million from the Regional Growth F

Following the French government's scrapping of a proposed motorway beltway around Strasbourg, professional federations and elected officials at the Alsace chamber of commerce and industry have called for solutions to road access problems within the city. A Strasbourg-based working group is said to be being created to look at potential ways of improving access to the city. These are set to include strict speed regulations and special traffic times for the ring road, the relaunch of the Piémont des Vosges-Str

Increasing demand for passenger cars worldwide could boost pressure on consumers to consider electric vehicles. According to the World Bank, more cars could be built over the coming 20 years than in the entire auto industry’s 110-year history. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) predicts that between 2010 and 2050, passenger transport flow will grow by some 30% in developed countries. This increase will have a significant impact on traditional road networks and modes of transpo