Highway & Network Management

CNSR, the French road safety council, could include in its recommendations to the Ministry of the Interior on 16 May 2014 lowering from 16 to 15 the age at which people can drive accompanied by a licensed driver. This could coincide with an increase from 3,000 to 4,000 the minimum number of kilometres one must drive before getting a permit, increasing young driver experience, says CNSR.

Mott MacDonald has been awarded a €4 million, two-year contract to provide technical assistance to the European Commission's (EC) Directorate-General for Enlargement. The consultancy will support the coordination of socio-economic development interventions initiated and implemented by the EC, international financing institutions and bilateral donors in Western Balkans beneficiary countries as part of their Western Balkans Investment Framework (WBIF) initiative.

The US$197.79 million (NZD 230 million) Haast-Hollyford toll road in New Zealand is expected to provide 1,500 construction jobs over four years, increase West Coast tourism and cut travel time between Haast and Milford Sound. Extra funding for the toll road has been made available. The toll fee will begin at $30.26 (NZD 35) per traveller and will generate $25.93 million (NZD 30 million) in the first year.

A new project providing a safe parking area on a major Danish highway is to receive EU co-funding. The European Union is providing just over €400,000 from the TEN-T Programme a project to build a safe and secure rest area on the E20 highway near the city of Kongsted. The project, which was selected for funding under the 2012 TEN-T Annual Call, will support the construction of a secure and safe rest area for cars and trucks on the route between Køge and Ringsted. The new rest area will consist of 64 parking

The UK-based IAM (Institute of Advanced Motorists) is calling on the British government to introduce a national strategy of driving health checks and better information for elderly drivers and their families. The call comes after a poll showing that 42% of the population are worried about an elderly relative driving, yet they are unlikely to do anything about it. The IAM and Vision Critical poll of 1,297 people shows that while concern about elderly drivers is evident, acting on our concerns is another

Switzerland saw its total number of road accident deaths fall by more than a fifth in 2013, compared to the previous year. In 2013, the country recorded 269 deaths, down by 70 or 21% on the previous year. The number of serious injuries fell by 2% or 73 to 4,129. The number of accidents resulting in injuries reached 17,473. Accidents involving bicycles and motorcycles declined sharply, as the poor weather led people to stay at home.

A new hitch-hiking function has been added to the speed-check warning application belonging to the Polish firm Yanosik. Potential hitch-hikers log into the new Yanosik Autostop function using Facebook, after which drivers are notified about them at the same time as receiving traffic and radar warnings. The Yanosik app is currently available free of charge on Google Play for Android system users.

The ‘Drug, Alcohol and Speed’ Commission at the influential Conseil National de la Sécurité Routière (CNSR) in France were expected to recommend during a meeting today a reduction from 90 to 80km/h for the maximum authorised speed limit on the country’s entire secondary road network.

The Spanish government may launch a state-owned motorway operator as part of a plan to solve the economic difficulties that nine operators are currently undergoing. As part of the plan, the operators' will see their debt to banks reduced from €3.6 billion. A further solution, which is also being considered by the government, is to dissolve financially challenged operators in an orderly fashion. At present, the operators and the government are in negotiation over a possible solution.

The number of hours spent stuck in traffic jams on Swiss motorways almost doubled between 2008 and 2012, according to Credit Suisse. The bank also noted traffic jam concerns in Swiss cities, with Zurich ranked worst for jams, followed by Geneva and Lausanne. Credit Suisse says congestion zones or tolls such as those in London, Stockholm and Singapore are needed in cities like Zurich and Geneva.