Highway & Network Management

Felix Scheuter, of Haenni Instruments, on effective highway weight enforcement

September 26, 2013

Felix Scheuter, managing director at Haenni Instruments, the renowned Switzerland-based mobile scales manufacturer, gives World Highways his views on how best to ensure effective highway weight enforcement The main danger for any road is its gradual destruction by overloaded heavy goods vehicles (HGVs). The more frequently such vehicles use a highway, the faster it is destroyed. Mobile patrol teams using mobile weighing scales are a highly effective way to enforce weight limits aimed at protecting ro

Opinions strong on VMS application

September 26, 2013

The captains of the motorway squad of Issoire and Clermont l’Hérault said the signs are very legible and understandable but they would have preferred the signs to be mounted on gantries. The law forces also pointed out that the signs are situated on the plains, so the relationship with the traffic conditions in mountains is difficult to make and a reminder near the difficulties would be preferable. Local drivers rely on the signs and change their travel plans and routes accordingly while non-locals ask

Aximum’s multi-faceted global traffic control appeal

September 26, 2013

Aximum, part of the Colas Group, is a French firm with a major global presence in traffic management, road safety equipment, road markings and vertical signs markets, has been highly active across its core business areas. The company says it has significantly expanded its presence in traffic management in the Middle East in recent years thanks to innovative solutions and quality products. Aximum has a lot of references in Oman, Dubai and Abu Dhabi. In Abu Dhabi, the largest state in the United Arab Emira

Hertfordshire’s impressive Integrated Transport Control Centre

September 26, 2013

The road network of the southern English county of Hertfordshire, near London, is one of the busiest in the country, with an estimated 4.5 million journeys being made on the network every day. Combine this with the 7,783 reported incidents on Hertfordshire’s roads in 2012 and it’s easy to see how the network becomes congested. This is where the Hertfordshire Integrated Transport Control Centre (ITCC) comes in. From this facility in Hertford, officers from Hertfordshire County Council and their highways c

Traffic control solution manufacturers win key project works

September 26, 2013

Traffic control system manufacturers have recently supplied some of their cutting-edge technology to major projects in Europe. Meanwhile, in southern Asia, another leading firm in the sector is helping reduce chronic traffic congestion in Indonesia’s capital, Jakarta. Guy Woodford reports Solutions supplied by Siemens Mobility & Logistics (M&L) are helping the Rijkswaterstaat improve traffic conditions at the Coentunnel in Amsterdam, one of the most heavily used traffic arteries in the Netherlands, used

Go-ahead given for Sydney’s US$10.92bn Westconnex motorway

September 19, 2013

New South Wales Premier Barry O'Farrell has given the go-ahead for the US$10.92 billion (AUD 11.5 billion) Westconnex motorway project in Sydney, Australia. A total of $1.4 billion (AUD 1.5 billion) has been pledged by Prime Minister Tony Abbott over four years, while $1.68 billion (AUD 1.8 billion) has been committed by the state government. The private sector will channel the remaining fund through tolls. A toll for using the 33km motorway will be reportedly capped at $7.21 (AUD 7.70). With its constru

Plan for India government to fund ADKIC project

September 19, 2013

India’s Inter Ministerial Group (IMG) has proposed that the country’s central government allocate more than €668 million (INR 56.1 billion) for the Amritsar-Delhi-Kolkata Industrial Corridor (ADKIC). The 15-year funding would develop an Integrated Manufacturing Cluster in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Jharkhand, Haryana, West Bengal, Bihar and Uttarakhand where the 150km-200km corridor passes. The ADKIC’s 20-city spread will be aligned to the Eastern Development Freight Corridor (EDFC) and will use the Public P

Dutch government to invest €2.8bn in roads in 2014

September 19, 2013

The Dutch government is to invest €2.8 billion to lay 149km of new roads in 2014, according to minister for transport Melanie Schultz. A further €300 million is to be invested in the usability of roads. This will focus on ways of spreading traffic out on key highways and testing technology for potential use in traffic information and rush hour avoidance projects.

Dutch electric car sales double in past year

September 18, 2013

The sale of electric cars in the Netherlands nearly doubled from 579 cars in August 2012 to 1,120 cars in August 2013, according to the Dutch vehicle registration authority VWE.

IAM wants tougher penalties for texting drivers

September 17, 2013

Drivers convicted of causing death by dangerous driving should be given stronger and more consistent penalties, according to UK road safety charity the IAM (Institute of Advanced Motorists). An IAM analysis of eleven recent prosecutions involving mobile and smartphone use revealed that the average sentence for causing death by dangerous driving is four-and-a-half years in prison and a disqualification from driving for seven years. In all of the cases analysed, the convicted drivers were found to have lost