News

Engine manufacturer DEUTZ is reconfiguring its organisational structures to deal with the effects of the global recession. Having launched its comprehensive MOVE action programme last year to secure its future and profitability, it now plans to take further steps to realign its structures. Following the reduction of the company's management board from four to three in March, the organisational level immediately below the board is being significantly streamlined. In future, 17 executives at this level will r

The tender process for the new €2.35 billion Forth Bridge is starting, with Transport Scotland expected to award the contract early in 2010. The project is due for completion in 2016, while the companies expected to bid for the project include Balfour Beatty, Laing O'Rourke, Morgan Est and Vinci. Calls are still being made by some for the government to reinstate the original plan, which called for a wider bridge but would have cost more than twice as much.

Bosnia and Croatia are looking to discuss a new highway construction project to link the two countries. The Adriatic-Ionic section of the Corridor VC motorway looks likely to pass through Bosnia. The plan is to build a total of 110km of roads, out of the planned 336km on the Corridor VC, by 2012.

Organisers say that despite the economic crisis the proportion of international exhibitors at CTT Moscow remained steady. The annual Russian construction machinery trade fair, organised by IMAG (the international arm of the Messe München Group which organises Bauma) in cooperation with Media Globe, attracted 580 exhibitors, and while this was less than in 2008, the international proportion among them remained steady with 170 companies from Western Europe taking part, including 70 German companies.

The average sentence for causing death by dangerous driving in the UK is just four years – 62 per cent shorter than for manslaughter, according to road safety charity the IAM (Institute of Advanced Motorists). While the average sentence length of manslaughter is 6.6 years, those sentenced to prison for causing death by careless or inconsiderate driving are given an average sentence of 1.3 years. Causing death by careless driving when under the influence of drink or drugs has an average sentence of 4.3 years

Media Globe and the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) have agreed to hold an expanded construction equipment exhibition in Russia beginning in 2010 at the Construction Equipment & Technologies (CTT) Exhibition in Moscow. AEM will join forces with CTT owner and organiser Media Globe by establishing a ConExpo Russia exhibit area in the CTT Exhibition (June 1-5) but it will not hold its separate ConExpo Russia exhibition, which was scheduled for September 2010. The agreement combines the resources o

Cemex has achieved record time integration of its new global IT system based on Germany-based SAP’s business management software. The new SAP system, replacing the previous JD Edwards software platform, is said by the leading Mexican headquartered materials firm to be the best technology available to handle an “increasingly complex operating environment”. The company believe it will lead to a faster and better response to customers’ requirements and expectations.

IRF supports international conference to raise awareness on key safety issues affecting countries worldwide The Argentine Road Association will hold its 15th Argentine Congress on Safety and Transportation from 14-18 September, 2009 in Mar del Plata, Argentina. This congress will provide a forum for international speakers and participants to exchange ideas and experiences from their respective countries on pertinent road safety and transportation issues of the day. The five-day congress, which will be cond

A major highway project is planned for Russia’s Krasnodar Region, part of a series of road works for the area. The state-owned firm Avtodor intends to invest US$767.45 million on developing the M4 Don highway in the Krasnodar Region by 2014. Toll roads will extend for some 766km out of the 1,564km of road development works planned for the Krasnodar Region.

According to the European Union Directive 2002/49/EC relating to the assessment and management of environmental noise (END), the Member States of the European Union have committed to abide by a strict timetable of milestones and deliverables, all aimed at reducing current levels of noise and improving the life of Europe's citizens. As part of this overall strategy, European leaders were required to submit national noise action plans by 18 January of this year, targeting major roads and all agglomerations wi

Vehicle GPS provider TomTom is revealing details of a study into traffic congestion it had carried out across Europe. This quarterly Congestion Index involves studies of 31 major European cities with populations of over 800,000. According to the study, Poland’s capital Warsaw suffers the worst traffic congestion of any European city. For the UK, the Leeds-Bradford are has come out as the most congested area. Drivers in the Yorkshire conurbation spend an average 86hours/year stuck in traffic jams according t

A partnership between AirSage and Citilabs has announced Cube Cloud, which is claimed to be the world’s first cloud-based traffic analytics solution. Using AirSage’s cell phone signal analysis data, Cube Cloud combines the convenience of an online solution with accurate population movement data to deliver efficient transportation analysis and modelling.

IRF's Washington Programme Centre provides an update on some latest developments in the 2010 Budget plan There has been further recent action from both Congress and the White House on budget plans that will guide the Transportation Reauthorization Bill for the next six years. On 7 May, President Obama proposed large increases for rail and highways in his 2010 Budget plan, including the largest amount of funding that any President has sought for Amtrak, or for the development of high-speed rail in the Unite