Highway & Network Management

More than 35 million electric vehicles (EV) will be on the world’s roads by 2022, according to a new report from Navigant Research. “With gasoline prices remaining high, acquiring an EV is becoming an economic decision for many consumers,” says Scott Shepard, research analyst with Navigant Research. “The initial purchase price premiums for EVs, compared to conventional gasoline and diesel-powered internal combustion engines, are substantial. Yet, operational cost savings due to reduced refuelling and maint

TrafficLand, the largest authorised aggregator of live traffic video in the United States, and global aerospace and defense firm Exelis, have teamed up to deliver “game-changing” real-time information to motorists about hyperlocal weather conditions. The Helios environmental intelligence platform uses proprietary algorithms that give users the ability to monitor current conditions and detect changes in visibility, precipitation and road surface conditions at a hyperlocal, or street scale. Helios can then i

Italy's motorway tolls have been increase by an average of 3.9% for 2014. The motorway stretches managed by Autostrade per l'Italia, covering 60% of the total motorway network in Italy, have seen their tolls rise by an average of 4.34%. And the average national rise does not reflect marked percentage increase differences in some parts of the country. Motorway tolls for the Asti-Cuneo, Messina-Catania, Autostrade Meridionali and Messina-Palermo stretches have seen no increase, and tolls for the Brescia-Pad

Egis Lagan Services now has a new contract in Ireland for the provision of operation, maintenance and renewals services on 330km of motorways in Ireland. Egis Lagan Services is a joint venture company between the French company Egis and Northern Irish infrastructure company Lagan. The company has a five year contract with the National Roads Authority the Motorway Maintenance and Renewal Contract (MMaRC) in the south of Ireland (Area C). The project is for the routine operation and maintenance of the road ne

EU plans for all new cars to be fitted with automated emergency call devices (eCall) moved a step closer today following a vote by the European Parliament's transport committee. The European Transport Safety Council (ETSC), representing safety campaigners and experts across the EU, welcomed the latest development. Antonio Avenoso, executive director of ETSC said, "After a serious car crash, every second counts. This system has the potential to save many lives because it will enable the emergency services

Honk Kong has topped an updated Arthur D. Little Urban Mobility Index assessing world cities’ mobility maturity and performance. The 84-city Index, contained in a new version of the ‘Future of Urban Mobility’ study produced by Arthur D. Little management consultants and the International Association of Public Transport (UITP), ranks Stockholm and Amsterdam second and third respectively, with Copenhagen and Vienna rounding off the top five. The Index reveals that most cities are still badly equipped to cop

Traffic police in Finland have been carrying out breath tests across the country in a bid to reduce the around “58 cases a day” of drink-driving detected on the nation’s highways. A recent breath test day operation was held in Mikkeli, southern Finland and filmed by TISPOL (the European Traffic Police Network). Speaking to the TISPOL film crew during the test day, Finland Traffic Police Chief Inspector Jarmo Puustinen said, “We are doing this because we have an average of 21,000 cases monthly where people

The Philippines is said by campaign group Red Advocates to lose US$2.36 billion (PHP 104 billion) each year due to road traffic congestion in the metro area of its capital, Manila. The nation’s government part says it plans to develop more transport infrastructure to resolve the costly congestion issue. Meanwhile, Red Advocates is urging motorists to drive responsibly on Philippines roads.

Public private partnerships (PPP) are being set up by the Indonesian Government to construct three toll road projects valued at US$783.3 million (IDR 9.40tn). Tender for the projects will be launched in 2014, with construction due to begin the following year. A 39km Manado-Bitung road in North Sulawesi; a 37.6km road in Malang-Pandaan in East Java; and 15.8km Medan-Binjai road in North Sumatra comprise the three toll road projects. The three projects are due for completion by the end of 2017. Also in Indon

The Detroit Downtown Development Authority (DDA) has awarded a traffic research deal for the city's I-375 corridor in the US. Traffic and planning consultant Parsons Brinckerhoff won the deal, worth nearly US$373,000. The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) and the DDA will decide whether to convert the corridor into a surface street to improve pedestrian access or to reconstruct it. The study will also include consultation with major downtown employers like Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and G