News

From 15 March 2013, French traffic police in 13 départements will be using new-generation radar speed cameras. The cameras will be fitted to unmarked vehicles in a bid to catch rogue drivers breaking the speed limit. Said to be designed to pass among vehicles unnoticed, they will photograph the offending vehicles on the move and without attracting attention with a flash. The new radars are set to be phased in to replace the old ones at a rate of 100 per year, reaching 300 vehicles by 2016. Road safety body

A new flyover and express bus routes are among revisions to a new traffic development plan for Hanoi City, Vietnam set to cost US$462.52 million (VND9.66tn). The revised plan has been put forward by The People's Committee of Hanoi City.

Road construction investment in Poland is expected to fall again in 2013 to US$ 6.33 billion (PLN 20bn), owing to contractual disputes in the sector, according to a study by market research firm PMR. This year’s predicted fall comes after investment plummeted 19% in 2012, the PRM study states. However, the road construction share of total construction activity has increased since Poland became a part of the European Union - reaching a 28% peak in 2011, and a 22% share last year. Last year, bankruptcies of a

A large tunnel project is being planned for Malaysia’s Penang State. This project has been awarded to a joint venture, Consortium Zenith, formed by Chinese and Malaysian partners. The 6.5km Gurney Drive-Bagan Ajam undersea tunnel will form the centrepiece of the project. However the work will also include the construction of a 12km road connecting Tanjung Bungah with Teluk Bahang, the 4.6km Lebuhraya Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu-Bandar Baru Air Itam bypass and the 4.2km Gurney Drive-Lebuhraya Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu byp

Two senior U.S. construction equipment industry figures have called for action on priority policies to create manufacturing jobs and expand the American economy. Speaking during the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) ‘state of the industry policy update’ press conference, 2013 AEM chair and Caterpillar Group president Stu Levenick and AEM president Dennis Slater said the Association’s agenda in dealings with Government was focussed on improving transport and transport infrastructure, energy infras

A US$75,632 (£50,000) pint of beer was being unveiled in London, England today as part of the Government’s latest THINK! campaign highlighting the impact of a drink-drive conviction. The Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) has calculated the personal financial cost of drink-driving for the first time, pricing it between $30,253 (£20,000) and $75,632. The calculation reflects the fines, legal costs, rise in insurance premiums and possible job losses faced by those who are convicted. The pricy pint, housed

The organisers of Intertraffic India 2013 expect substantial growth both in exhibitors and attendees over the previous event, held in 2011. Intertraffic India was launched in 2011 with 85 exhibitors, of which 60% were international firms and the show attracted 3,000 visitors. But with strong growth in India’s infrastructure sector, higher exhibitor and attendee levels are predicted for 2013. The event will be further boosted by its link with the IRF through its Regional Conference, which is being run in par

Preliminary data from the German Federal Statistics Office, Destatis, shows a drop in road fatalities during 2012 compared with the previous year. According to the statistics, there was a 10.1% drop in road related deaths in 2012 compared to 2011. In 2012, 3,606 people were killed on Germany’s roads. In addition the number of injuries from road crashes also dropped by 2.1% in 2012 compared to 2011, falling to some 384,100. But the overall number of accidents registered by German police rose by 0.6% to aroun

The American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA) Foundation’s Lanford Family Highway Worker Memorial Scholarship Programme is to receive a major financial contribution from the 3M Traffic Safety and Security Division. This programme provides post-high school financial assistance to the children of highway workers who have been killed or permanently disabled in the line of duty. The scholarship programme was originally launched in October 1999 through a gift from the families of past ARTBA cha

Algeria has revealed plans to continue its heavy investment in infrastructure expansion during 2013. The Ministry of Public Works is planning to launch 13 major projects during 2013. Meanwhile, 30 airport and 57 port projects have already been completed and another 200 projects are undergoing consideration. Of the 13 projects set to be launched, two are for new expressways to link the highlands to the East-West motorway. The expressways will stretch 4,000km, with work on the first 2,000km to commence during

The Federation of European Motorcycling Associations (FEMA) is challenging moves within Europe to make regular motorcycle safety inspections compulsory. The European Commission and Parliament are working on unified Road Worthiness Testing (RWT) that would affect all road users, including 40 powered millions two-wheelers. However this is in spite of the fact that every objective study carried out so far underlines such a measure would have next to no benefit for road safety. It also is continuing despite a q

SMEC is now commencing its operations on a US$2.25 million (A$2.2 million) detailed design and construction supervision contract in Tanzania. The project is for rural roads in the Morogoro, Iringa and Ruvuma Regions of Tanzania and was awarded by the Ministry of Finance. This project forms part of the national Improvement of Rural Roads in Tanzania Program. The programme aims to eliminate bottlenecks identified in the 2006 Local Governments Roads Inventory and Condition Survey. The survey identified areas o

SMEC is now working on two key projects in Australia. The company has been awarded the contract administration services contract for the Horse Park Drive extension in Canberra by the Australian Capital Territory Government. It has also won the intersection upgrade project in New South Wales. The project in Canberra involves construction of the final section of Horse Park Drive from Burrumarra Avenue to Mirrabei Drive in the Gungahlin area. On completion, the road will connect the new residential areas of Ja

Construction work is underway on the Central-Wan Chai Bypass in Hong Kong, a major project that will help tackle chronic traffic congestion. The Central-Wan Chai Bypass and Island Eastern Corridor Link is a section of the east-west route that runs along the north shore of Hong Kong Island. The project will help reduce traffic congestion along the Gloucester Road - Harcourt Road - Connaught Road Central corridor. The project is costing some US$3.62 billion (HK$28.1 billion) and the 4.5km long dual three-lane