Products

French paving contractor Révillon is now using a new Cat AP300 wheeled asphalt paver, which replaces one of its two older Bitelli BB730 units. The firm took delivery of a field follow unit of the AP300, the model Caterpillar has developed to replace the BB730. Supplied by French Cat dealer Bergerat-Monnoyeur, the AP300 has met Révillon's expectations in terms of performance and is said to offer benefits over the earlier BB730. The new machine is aimed at the 6-8tonne, 1.7m paving width but is said to offer

The Singapore Grand Prix at the end of September was a race to remember for many reasons. Formula One's first night race saw excitement on the track, and it was a test for the high-performance surface containing Shell premium grade bitumen binder Cariphalte Racetrack. The inaugural Singapore Grand Prix was staged on a new street circuit and is open to regular motorists. Work on the track started in April 2008 and was completed in just two months. Because the road circuit is used for everyday traffic, the ne

One of Dubai's leading concrete suppliers, Bushager Readymix, is improving efficiency using sophisticated GPS-based tracking technology on its concrete mixer truck and concrete pump fleet. The firm has automated management of its 90 concrete mixing trucks and 20 concrete pumps and is the sophisticated Skyline GPS advanced tracking and security package, which was supplied by UK firm Enigma Vehicle Systems. The Skyline system is said to provide major cost savings as it improves fleet scheduling, reduces admin

UK road maintenance contractor Jet Plant has now added another milling machine to its fleet, a Wirtgen W100F model. This is the 50th Wirtgen mill the firm has purchased in its 19 years of trading and the company currently runs 23 of these machines in its fleet, alongside its tipper trucks and road sweepers. The company also recently acquired milling specialist Tetlaw, based in Newton Abbot, Devon, extending the company's operations to cover the whole of the UK, making it a major player in the country. The f

Mexican construction giant Ingeniero Civiles Associados is using five Fintec track-mounted mobile crushers to aid in the construction of a key highway project to link Queretaro with Irapuato in the centre of the country. The project forms a key part of an infrastructure upgrading programme that will cost in the region of US$72 million and bring faster transport connections to the central part of Mexico. The road will help boost the economy in the State of Guanajuato by improving transport links to Mexico's

A campaign by the editor of a women's magazine resulted in road signs being altered in the US city of Atlanta, Georgia. Following this move, over 50 'Men at Work' or 'Men Working' warnings will be repainted at a cost of US$22/sign. The city says that all future signs it buys will be gender neutral. Over half of the Atlanta Public Works department's employees are women, and some had complained about the signs in the past.

Police in the Chinese city of Shanghai are using naming and shaming tactics to try and prevent pedestrians, moped riders and cyclists from breaking traffic rules. The police are filming and photographing key intersections and will publish photos and videos of jaywalkers in newspapers and on a special TV channel set up for the purpose. However some human rights lawyers have criticised the scheme, saying that public humiliation is too great a punishment for the offence.

In the Australian city of Melbourne, an 18- year-old man was critically injured when he was hit by a four wheel drive vehicle. The man had been dared by his friends to stand on a freeway, wearing only his underwear for protection. The vehicle was written off in the incident although its occupants were unhurt. Local police criticised the man for his "utter stupidity" and said it was lucky that no-one was killed.

Holidaymakers to Spain are realising to their cost that driving a vehicle while not carrying their license risks a fine from the police if caught. Meanwhile in France, drivers can be fined by police for not carrying a reflective jacket or a hazard warning triangle in their vehicles. Exactly how these measures are expected to tackle factors that provide a major source of road accidents in both countries, such as driving under the influence of alcohol or overtaking dangerously, remains to be seen.

Police in the US and the UK are being forced to tackle motoring expenses due to rising fuel costs. In various US states, police are being told to turn off engines and air-conditioning when vehicles are at rest and that patrols should open windows and park under trees to stay cool on warm days. In some states, drivers stopped for speeding will also have to pay a fuel surcharge on top of their fine, to cover the cost of the fuel used in their pursuit. Meanwhile in the UK, the Devon and Cornwall police force i

In the UK, a new speed record has been achieved with a Honda Formula 1 car clocking an eye-watering speed of 1,600km/h (1,000mph). However, this was a scale speed and was achieved using the popular Scalextric slot car racing set. For the record attempt a 60m stretch of track was used and this beat the previous scale speed record of 1,115km/h (697mph). The Scalextric cars are 1:32 scale so in fact, the slot car was travelling at a real 50km/h, itself no mean achievement.

A man in Leeds has been described by the authorities as the UK city's most stupid criminal, after posting 80 videos on the Internet involving a range of vehicle-related offences. One of the video clips showed the man recording the speed of a vehicle in which he was a passenger. It hit speeds of over 224km/h (140mph), double the maximum allowable speed limit on the UK's fastest roads. The man also recorded clips of the car in which he was a passenger when racing other vehicles, driving away from a petrol fil

A booming construction market in Russia has prompted thieves to target construction equipment rather than up-market car brands such as Mercedes as was the case in the past. The Moscow police have had to undergo training to learn about construction equipment, to deal with this new crime wave. Asphalt pavers, cranes and dump trucks all number amongst the machines taken, with equipment even being stolen in broad daylight on occasion.

Riegl says that its innovative laser scanners allow accurate 3D mapping from the air or on-road. The system uses high-speed laser pulses to capture millimetre accurate measurements at ranges of up to 500m. The scanners offer online full-waveform analysis, digital processing and high data capture rates, according to the firm. With scanning rates up to 100 scans/second and pulse repetition rates up to 200 Hz the range is said to offer multiple, unlimited target capability. A range of additional options includ