News

South African National Roads Agency (Sanral) has received US$750.71million from the government for its Gauteng Freeway Improvement Project (GFIP). The cash injection will reduce toll fees for motorists after their introduction on highways on 30 April, 2012. The fees will be ZAR 550 per month for light vehicles and motorcycles. Light vehicles with fitted e-tags will pay ZAR 0.30 per km, while non-articulated trucks must pay ZAR 0.75 per km, motorcycles ZAR 0.20 per km and articulated trucks ZAR 1.51 per km.

US states are being urged by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) to ban drivers from using mobile phones and other electronic devices.

The Mineta Transportation Institute (transweb.sjsu.edu) has published a report that leverages literature review and case studies in the San Francisco Bay area and Portland OR to recommend ways to improve safety for bicycle commuters. Promoting Bicycle Commuter Safety includes chapters on risks, application of social psychology to bike safety, dimensions of effective practices, and more. The report also includes illustrative tables and photos. Principal investigator was Asbjorn Osland, Ph.D., with several ch

Parsons Brinckerhoff (PB) has been selected to design and supervise deployment of technology infrastructure for a US Department of Transportation (US DoT) pilot programme to study the potential of operating connected vehicles on the streets and highways of Ann Arbor, Michigan. Called the Connected Vehicle Safety Pilot Model Deployment project, the $15 million research effort is being undertaken by the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI) and its partners on behalf of the US DoT.

Redflex Traffic Systems in the US has announced its latest innovation, Student Guardian, designed to curb dangerous driving behaviours and enforce traffic laws on school bus routes. The safety camera system is installed on the front and rear driver’s side of a school bus. It monitors traffic while the stop arm of the bus is displayed, leaving the driver free to focus on students. Data supporting possible violations, including high-definition video and high-resolution images of licence plates and drivers, is

New research in Spain that explored solutions to reducing traffic noise suggests that the best option is to combine global measures, such as speed restrictions, and local measures, such as noise screens.

The American Road & Transportation Builders Association Transportation Development Foundation (ARTBA-TDF) is launching a new awards programme to recognise innovations in transportation. The aim is to highlight developments that further improve the US infrastructure network for those who pay for it, use it and rely on it. The TransOvation Awards honour innovative transportation infrastructure-related products, services, technologies and techniques introduced over the past five years that provide a high retur

The bauma China event planned for November 2012 is now setting a new exhibitor record. Over 1,900 companies have already applied to exhibit at the International Trade Fair for Construction Machinery, Building Material Machines, Construction Vehicles and Equipment. This surpasses the 1,892 exhibitors who took part in the last bauma China. The event is to be held between November 27 and 30, 2012 at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre (SNIEC). Demand for space on the open-air site far currently exceeds

Great Wall Motor has become the first Chinese carmaker to open an assembly plant in Europe as it aims to lift sales in the region and, according to a company statement, is also a symbolic event for Chinese auto brands to challenge the high-end market car in the EU. The assembly plant, inaugurated this week in Bulgaria, has a production capacity of 50,000 cars and the Voleex C10 will be the first assembled model, followed by the Wingle 5, Voleex C20R, and Haval.

Dynalectric Los Angeles, a subsidiary of Emcor Group, has been awarded a contract for the Coliseum/Florence region for the automated traffic surveillance and control (ATSAC) project for the city of Los Angeles.

The Philippine Department of Public Works and Highways aims to restore roads of up to 31,230km during the 2012 financial year.

According to figures from Dutch automotive association and tourism group ANWB, traffic congestion, which is measured by the length of jams multiplied by the length of time of the jam, decreased 27 per cent in the Netherlands in 2011, compared to the averarage across the last five years.

The Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) has called on the British government to include measures to boost road and rail network investment in next month’s budget. ICE says the budget, set to be unveiled on 21 March, 2012, needs to encourage pension funds to invest in UK infrastructure projects. The government plans to establish an investment vehicle to pool pension fund assets for new projects under the National Infrastructure Plan. The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) estimates that upgrading the U

Italian consortium Nogara Mare is reportedly the favoured bidder in the contract worth around US$2.52billion for the construction and management of the new Nogara-Mare Adriatico motorway in Italy. The motorway will be over 100km long and link the Autobrennero with coastal areas. Nogara Mare was created by Confederazione delle Autostrade, the company promoting the project, with 23% of its ownership belonging to the Italian group Astaldi.