News

UK road safety charity IAM (Institute of Advanced Motorists) is calling on the Conservative party to take its “once in a generation” opportunity to refresh how people, especially young people, learn to drive by publishing its much promised Green Paper on new drivers as soon as possible. Road crashes are the biggest killer of young people in the Britain today. In 2011, 412 people died in incidents involving young drivers. It is four months since the Government revealed its plans to publish a Green Paper,

The Colombian government's recently unveiled infrastructure programme for highway construction over the next 10 years is tipped to raise demand for surety products owing to government contracts requiring surety insurance to protect public resources. Higher demand of these types of P&C insurance coverage will help insurers absorb their fixed costs, thereby improving underwriting results and reducing insurers' reliance on investment yields to sustain their profitability, Moody's has claimed in a report.

American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA) president and CEO Pete Ruane has highlighted issues for transport caused by the impact of the US Government shutdown. “Improving the efficiency of the environmental review and approval process was one of the signature achievements of the 2012 surface transportation law—MAP-21. Achieving this goal was a clear priority for members of Congress from both parties and chambers. “Major highway and bridge projects can take between nine and 19 years to

Dressta, the LiuGong subsidiary, is striving to increase its dealership reach in key emerging markets such as Central and South America as it aims for higher machine sales. Speaking at a recent Dressta construction machine manufacturing press event at the company’s LiuGong-owned manufacturing plant and headquarters in Stalowa Wola, southern Poland, Dressta CEO Leslaw Holysz said, “We have no [dealership] presence in Mexico and Latin America, except for Panama. Panama is a very good country for us and we

Themed ‘Improving Road Safety – Solutions that Work’, the recent TISPOL (European Traffic Police Network) Conference 2013 in Manchester refocused efforts to improve road safety across Europe, while outlining future initiatives to drive down road accident levels even further.

Tajikistan and Kazakhstan are both investing in transport infrastructure, with an array of new projects planned. In Tajikistan the Ministry of Finance is budgeting a healthy US$1.6 billion for transportation projects in the period from 2013-2014. These include construction and reconstruction of roads, highway and railway bridges, and tunnels. Further details will be available in due course as to the roads and highways being built. Meanwhile a loan from the Asian Development Bank to Kazakhstan will help

A new road link has been constructed that connects the German municipalities of Weil am Rhein and Lörrach. The road has taken seven years to construct and includes a 347m long tunnel. Located in the South West of Germany, the road actually passes through Switzerland and has cost around €100 million to construct.

In Morocco the tender process is opening for studies into the Beni Mellal-Marrakesh-Safi highway as well as a by-pass east of Marrakesh. The Moroccan Government opened the tender and is aiming to have the highway ready for traffic by 2020. The authorities are considering three possible options for the highway. One is to connect Béni Mellal and Marrakesh with the highway and to have a road network between Marrakesh and Safi. Another option is for a highway from Beni Mellal to Safi. The third would see the co

The electronic road toll payment market in São Paulo, Brazil, is said to have seen growth in recent months following the break of the state monopoly. The state's road toll payment regulatory body, Artesp, is close to approving Move Mais, which has attracted the interest of several groups seeking a partnership.

Philippine National Construction Corp (PNCC) wants tollway operator Metro Pacific Tollway Corp (MPTC) to be its joint venture partner on a new US$532.41 million (PHP 22.95 billion) road project. PNCC is looking to build a 13km connector road between North Luzon and South Luzon expressways in the Philippines, and is said to be involved in discussions with MPTC.

Contracts for two major road projects in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) worth a combined US$2.01 billion (AED 7.40 billion) have been awarded. The contracts have been granted to Al Jaber Transport and General Contracting, Ghantoot Transport and General Contracting, Al Geemi & Partners Contracting Company, Bin Hafeez General Contracting Establishment, Delma Engineering, Larsen and Toubro, Abu Dhabi Salini Construction and Tristar for Engineering. One of the road projects will connect Dubai with Abu Dhabi,

In Brazil the tender process is opening for the BR-060 highway. The BR-060 highway will be a substantial project as this is a 1,176km route connecting Brasilia with Goiania. The deal also includes the BR-153 and BR-262. Some 45% of the route with be dualled. Other highway tenders being opened shortly will be for the BR-163 and BR-040.

Nissan has exhibited an even more sophisticated version of its Leaf electric vehicle. This autonomous concept vehicle is equipped with five cameras as well as five laser scanners, which help it negotiate its route. The technology package provides a continuous flow of data for the vehicle’s computer to analyse and process, allowing it to guide it through various driving scenarios. The vehicle is able to find its way through an urban environment and also park itself.