Highway & Network Management

Christopher Chope OBE MP, chairman of the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Highway Maintenance, has called for UK local authority asset management plans to be made mandatory as part of urgent action to prevent local roads from falling into further disrepair. Chope made his anti-road deterioration rallying call during a reception to launch an APPG published report on local road condition.

Councils paid €3million (£2.5million) in compensation to motorists for pothole damage in 2012/13, according to breakdown services provider Britannia Rescue. Lincolnshire County Council paid out some €422,696 (£359,000) in compensation. The number of compensation claims submitted to councils soared by 79% year-on-year to 32,600 last year. Britannia said 9% of motorists had suffered from pothole damage. The average repair bill was €164.84 (£140). Britannia said there could be up to 200,000 potholes on r

The transportation of fruits and vegetables in open trucks in Kenya has been banned by the country’s health ministry The move is effective immediately, and county health officers have been ordered by the Ministry to monitor the transporters in order to make sure that they follow the law. Food carried in these trucks are said to be exposed to contamination with microbial chemical hazards including heavy metals and bacteria.

In Sweden, the right wing majority governing the county of Stockholm is proposing to raise the current congestion charge and also introduce a congestion charge for traffic on Essingeleden from 1 January 2016. The increased annual tax income of €56.81 million (SEK500 million) will be invested in the extension of the metro system. Ulla Hamilton, vice mayor of traffic, said that the increased population growth in Stockholm has prompted her Moderate Party to promote added congestion charges.

The International Transport Forum (ITF) has published a new report on how better regulated Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) can improve funding and delivery of transport infrastructure. The ITF highlights how PPPs have become an important tool for governments to attract private finance for infrastructure investments. In the face of tight budgets, PPPs are seen as a means to maintain transport investment and limit public spending at the same time.

UK road safety charity IAM (Institute of Advanced Motorists) is calling on the Conservative party to take its “once in a generation” opportunity to refresh how people, especially young people, learn to drive by publishing its much promised Green Paper on new drivers as soon as possible. Road crashes are the biggest killer of young people in the Britain today. In 2011, 412 people died in incidents involving young drivers. It is four months since the Government revealed its plans to publish a Green Paper,

Themed ‘Improving Road Safety – Solutions that Work’, the recent TISPOL (European Traffic Police Network) Conference 2013 in Manchester refocused efforts to improve road safety across Europe, while outlining future initiatives to drive down road accident levels even further.

The electronic road toll payment market in São Paulo, Brazil, is said to have seen growth in recent months following the break of the state monopoly. The state's road toll payment regulatory body, Artesp, is close to approving Move Mais, which has attracted the interest of several groups seeking a partnership.

The Czech road and motorway management company RSD has given permission to construction firms to begin road building projects worth over €966 million (CZK 25 billion). The projects originate from the years 2008 to 2010, when expensive contracts were signed after only two subjects having taken part in tenders. The top three most expensive projects include the R49 road between Hulin and Frystak worth €302.26 million (CZK 7.8 billion), the motorway section D11 Osicky-Hradec Kralove worth €144.15 million (CZ