Highway & Network Management

London Merton Borough Council retrofits VLED SUPRAX 8488 modules

January 24, 2017

Venture Lighting Europe reports that the London Borough of Merton is the latest to use the company’s advanced VLED Westminster Retrofit Street Light engine Merton has around 3,000 of the Westminster light engines that use the latest technology, SUPRAX glass optic. The VLED module has been retrofitted to the council’s existing street lighting lanterns as part of a borough-wide upgrade to LED lighting from its previous SON lamps. Installed by Kier Street Lighting Services, this initiative was delivered

Finland reverses its plan to impose user-pay roads

January 24, 2017

The Finnish government has axed controversial plans to privatise the operation of a large number of major roads and turn them into user-pay infrastructure. But transport Minister Anne Berner also announced that the government would now keep a tax on new car sales. The tax was going to be scrapped as part of the move to make road users pay tolls. Berner had recently announced that the government would put the operation of major highways under a new stand-alone agency that would engage the private secto

Safer with 3i Innovation’s lighting for Mount Victoria Tunnel

January 6, 2017

In New Zealand, 3i Innovation's on-road markers and Tunnel Guidance markers are providing emergency evacuation lighting for the refurbished iconic Mount Victoria tunnel in the capital city Wellington.

Biral showcases meteorological equipment at UK highways show

January 6, 2017

Meteorological specialist Biral recently exhibited its range of advanced weather and visibility sensors at the Highways Management Show in Coventry, UK Biral, set up in 1975, works with companies and organisations across all industries, including road and transportation, to deliver solutions to monitor visibility and local weather conditions as part of smart road systems and intelligent transport networks. Biral said that its VPF and SWS Visibility and Present Weather Sensors ranges are particularly benefic

Istanbul’s new tunnel connection opens

December 22, 2016

Istanbul’s new Eurasia Tunnel has been opened for traffic, connecting the Asian and European side of the Bosporus strait. The new link will help reduce congestion in Istanbul and should cut travel times to just 15 minutes for drivers using the link. The tunnel runs from Kazlıçeşme on the European side to Göztepe on the Asian side of the Bosporus strait. The new route is 14.5km long, with a 5.4km tunnel stretch lying up to 106m below the Bosporus Strait and features two decks for vehicles and it is expect

Philips CityTouch brings street lighting into focus

December 20, 2016

As far as 99% of any city’s population is concerned, street lights are just, well, there. But big changes are taking place, as explained by lighting systems provider Philips Lighting. Street lighting has been with us for more than a century. With the exception of the early 20th century switchover from gas to electricity and the recent most important invention of LEDs, there have been few obvious changes.

Mumbai traffic growth to expand fast

December 7, 2016

Mumbai will suffer gridlock in the future unless key measures are taken. That is the conclusion of a new report from the International Transport Forum (ITF). The city could see traffic growth of up to 3000% by 2050 compared with vehicle use for 2015. Meanwhile this massive growth in vehicle traffic could also result in a huge jump in vehicle emissions, with CO2 emissions growing 706% over the same period, according to the report. The ITF produced the report on Mumbai’s traffic issues through the Organisa

UK’s roads most congested in Europe

November 30, 2016

The results of a European traffic study should surprise few UK drivers. According to the research by Inrix, the UK has Europe’s most congested roads. The study evaluated traffic densities in 123 major cities across Europe and revealed 20,375 areas in the UK where traffic congestion is a problem. By comparison Germany had less than half as many areas where traffic is a problem. This is in spite of the fact that Germany has a significantly higher population than the UK. According to the study, a spot where

Atkins wins US deal to cut congestion

November 30, 2016

Consultancy firm Atkins has won a major contract in the US to support highway operations and reduce congestion nationwide. The deal will see Atkins working with the US Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA) Office of Operations to reduce congestion and improve mobility across the country’s highway network. The US$132 million multiple-award contract is intended to help improve the safety and efficiency of the US transportation system by accelerating the deployment and integration of innovative technologies.

Fugro uses Traffic Speed Deflectometer scans for Highways England

November 14, 2016

Fugro has started scanning structural pavement condition data from lane 2 using Highways England’s Traffic Speed Deflectometer (TSD). This is the first time for such scanning as part of the routine network-wide survey of England’s strategic roads, according to Fugro. The global asset integrity specialist has been carrying out Traffic Speed Structural Surveys (TRASS) since autumn 2014 under a 3-year contract (TRASS 3) - Highways England’s largest ever outsourced contract for pavement structural condit