News

Los Angeles is the world’s most congested city, according to new research based on the Tomtom Congestion Index. The city was found to have a congestion level of 33% in the first quarter of 2012. In the Index’s top ten city table, Vancouver in Canada came in second with a 30% congestion level, followed by Miami at 26%. Seattle, San Francisco and Tampa reported congestion levels of 25% each, while Washington and Houston came in seventh and eighth place with congestion levels of 24% and 23% respectively.

In La Paz, Bolivia, work is underway to create a new four-lane highway between Oruro to the capital La Paz. The 210km stretch of road, high up in the Andes, is of great political importance with President Evo Morales determined to see completion before the next elections in 18 months’ time.

Major road projects in Scotland will improve the country’s transport connections. Plans are now in hand to fast-track the project to convert the A9 to dual carriageway status along its entire length. The road is a major transport artery to the north of Scotland, connecting the Central Belt in the south with the northern city of Inverness, providing the main gateway to the north of the country. The plans call for the upgrading of the A9 to dual carriageway status between Perth and Inverness. Work on the 5km

Recent increases in road fatalities should be a wake-up call for the UK Government to step up and provide stronger leadership on road safety, say members of parliament in a report examining the Government's Strategic Framework for Road Safety.

Plans are in hand in Finland’s second largest city Tampere for a new road tunnel to boost transport connections. An agreement has been made between a consortium headed by contractor Lemminkäinen, the City of Tampere and Finnish Transport Agency. The alliance agreement is for the first stage of the VT12 Tampere tunnel project, which is expcted to cost in the region of €185 million. The consortium comprises Lemminkäinen, A-Insinöörit Suunnittelu and Saanio & Riekkola. The project will be divided into developm

Dutch road deaths have nearly halved in the last 15 years, according to new figures by the country’s central statistics bureau CBS. There were 661 road deaths in the Netherlands in 2011, down 47% from 1,251 in 1996. For passenger cars over the same period there was a 73.5% decrease in road fatalities, from 609 to 221.

Ashtrom Group will plan and construct a variety of new transport infrastructure in Israel after securing a US$189.92million (ILS750mn) contract from the Israel National Roads Company. As well as implementing the construction of the southbound section of Road 20 in Herzliya, Ashtrom will build a railway interchange connecting the coastal line with the Sharon line, build the Maapilim Interchange linking Herzliya Pituah and Kfar Shmaryahu, complete the Seven Stars Interchange, expand the Herzliya train station

Two major transport infrastructure projects in Vietnam with a combined value of more than US$2billion are a step closer to completion. A tender to appoint a contractor for the US$1.47billion Danang-Quang Ngai highway development has been published by Vietnam Expressway Corp (VEC).

Fiat Industrial (FI) has been given a US$439.9million (€350mn) loan from the European Investment Bank (EIB) to support its research and development work for its industrial, commercial and agricultural vehicles. Powertrain technologies, new emission standard components, and innovative vehicle architecture with a focus on safety are among the areas of current FI R&D.

The 12th Developments in Pavement Assessment (DIPA) conference organised by Fugro Aperio was taking place today in Birmingham, central England. DIPA is Britain’s only highways event dedicated to pavement assessment, covering the latest policy, best practice and survey technology developments. Speakers include pavement experts from local government, consultancy and research, and the data collection sector.

The UK's Department for Transport has unveiled new guidance that will make it easier for 40mph (64km/h) speed limits to be imposed on quiet rural roads. These roads currently have a typical speed limit of 60mph but the Government is keen to change this in a bid to reduce road casualties. The latest figures from the government show that there were 1,901 road deaths in 2011, a three per cent increase on 2010. In 2010, 68 per cent of road deaths occurred on rural roads, of which almost 50 per cent had a speed

In October 2012, an electric car rental service will be unveiled by Seoul City in South Korea to promote eco-friendly transportation. A total of 200 electric cars will be provided by the city for the car sharing service programme that will be unveiled in collaboration with two firms, with a target to ease traffic congestion, cut air pollution and save energy. The two companies that will join the programme are Korea Car Sharing and LG CNS, under a deal sealed with the city.