A sense of innocence
A British man was arrested by police for a series of driving offences, despite the fact that he is registered blind. The man was told by a friend that the local police had a warrant for his arrest over driving offences. When he contacted police he explained that as he is blind, he cannot drive but he was ordered to attend court nonetheless to protest his innocence. Although it was clear that someone else had given police the man's name and address when arrested, police were unable to see this logic and insi
UK transport a priority for new IME president
The UK's Institution of Mechanical Engineers' new president, Professor Roderick Smith, has outlined his priorities for the year as helping to solve the engineering challenges for UK transport, environment and energy.
Skid resistance
A driver in Switzerland found his vehicle coming to an abrupt halt when all four wheels fell off at the same time. The vehicle was travelling at speed along a highway when the incident happened but fortunately the driver, passengers and other road users were injured.
Chinese firm in Bosnia?
A Chinese contractor has been holding high level talks with the authorities in Bosnian autonomous entity Republika Srpska over road projects.
Partnership for Australian link
Work will commence shortly on a major project to improve the Great Eastern Highway in Western Australia (WA).
Cycling in chains?
In France an unusual cycle race has been held, for prisoners. Some 200 felons have been allowed out of the prison walls to race bicycles around the country, while under close watch from prison guards. This 2,300km race is no easy saunter around the park however, starting in the historic city of Lille, passing through 17 towns along the way and finishing in capital Paris. The aim of this unusual project is to help the men reintegrate into society by fostering values such as effort, teamwork and self-esteem,
Nissan moves to speed up EV charging infrastructure
Nissan has teamed up with leading European utility and electrical vehicle (EV) supply equipment companies to speed development of cheaper, smaller, quick chargers for electric vehicle batteries, and accelerate the installation of publicly-available Quick Charge (QC) points across Europe.
Philippines ready to invite PPP tenders
In the Philippines, Eleazar E Ricote, director of the Public-Private Partnership Center, said that bids would be invited for several PPP projects in the coming few months.
Bridge of sighs
A frustrated commuter in the Chinese city of Guangzhou pushed a man off a bridge in an attempt to reduce a traffic delay. A man had been standing on the bridge and threatening to commit suicide, which held up traffic for five hours. Angered by the traffic delays and the huge congestion that had arisen, the commuter jostled his way past a police cordon and shoved the would-be suicide off the bridge. Luckily, police had placed an air cushion underneath and although the man fell 8m, he survived the incident wi
London regeneration projects recognised
Salisbury Row was praised as an excellent initiative after the notorious rat run has been transformed into a greener, safer community, having a huge impact on residents' quality of life.
Honesty proves its own reward
A bemused cab driver in Argentina is the recipient of numerous donations, following an act of honesty by the man. The driver had taken two old people a short distance in the town of La Plata and after he dropped them off, realised they had left a bag inside his vehicle.
Australian project in hand
Plans are now well in hand for Australia's new Hill M2 highway in Sydney.
Goals result in crashes?
Drivers listening to football matches drive erratically and are more likely to cause accidents, according to new research. The study, carried out by scientists at the UK's University of Leicester for an insurance company suggests that the pace of the game, goal scoring and penalty decisions can affect the ability and concentration of a football supporter sitting behind the wheel of a car.
Asphalt and bitumen - testing for performance
The stresses placed on modern asphalt and bitumen means that specialist equipment is essential to make sure performance specifications are met. As road traffic increases at a rapid pace and road safety becomes a priority issue, asphalt is put under increasingly higher stresses. For example, road surfaces are subject to compression, flexural tensions and tangential stresses: internal friction, depending on the aggregates, and the cohesion, guaranteed by bitumen's composition, are the two main properties whic
Transport plan for Melbourne
Australian city Melbourne could benefit from revitalised transport links over the next three decades if proposals are put into action.
Japanese input to Uganda/Philippines
Japanese funding is helping pay for a key bridge replacement project in Uganda and road development in the Philippines.
Increased use of recycled asphalt pavement
Increasing material costs mean that the US highway sector is looking to increase the use of recycled asphalt pavement (RAP). At the recent World of Asphalt conference and exhibition in Orlando, Florida, two presentations explained the latest developments.
ARTBA makes awards
A series of highway and bridge projects across the US have been recognised for their contributions to environmental protection and mitigation.
High performance pavers build high performance track
Work on the new Formula 1 racing circuit in Abu Dhabi is progressing at high speed. Over 6,000 construction personnel are working in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to complete the new high-speed circuit and its infrastructure. German contractor Bickhardt-Bau is carrying out the paving work, using a fleet of new Vögele pavers and Hamm compaction rollers.
Morocco investing in transport
Morocco continues to invest in improving its transport network, which is seen as providing a major boost to the country's growing economy.