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Bee afraid, bee very afraid
July 30, 2012
A simple truck accident caused alarm for other road users in Canada recently. The truck toppled as it negotiated a highway ramp in St Leonard, New Brunswick and it was carrying boxes containing some 330 crates of bees, which escaped following the accident. Fortunately it was raining at the time and as bees are not keen on wet weather, most of the escapees opted to cluster around the stricken vehicle. The bees had been used to pollinate a crop of blueberries and having found their thrill on blueberry hill, w
Emergency driver
July 30, 2012
In Japan a firefighter has been dismissed, having driven fire engines and other emergency vehicles without a license. The man had been working as a firefighter for over 20 years in Takaoka City before a routine check uncovered the fact that he had no license. At first the man tried to pass off his father's driving license as his own, but when he seemed reluctant to show it to his superiors they insisted on examining it more closely and it was quickly realised that the photograph was of his father. Although
Half a protest
July 30, 2012
A British man cut his own car in half as a protest after being fined for having it parked illegally on the road, despite the fact that it was in his own driveway at the time. One wheel of the vehicle had been protruding onto the pavement (sidewalk) by a mere 50mm and the car had been registered by its owner as being off-road, without the annual license duty being paid. However when the man returned from work he discovered that it had been clamped and was told by the authorities that it would be towed away.
Wedding on wheels
July 30, 2012
In Sweden drive-in weddings are now on the agenda. The Church of Sweden held drive-in weddings at a car rally in Vasteras in central Sweden, with some 36 couples taking up the offer. In all 10 priests officiated and the wedding ceremonies included a procession of 1950s and 1960s cars, a gospel choir and a priest singing Elvis songs, to add to the Las Vegas style.
Unveiled on two wheels
July 30, 2012
A string of naked cycling protests have been held in Europe. Cyclists in the Spanish capital Madrid, the UK capital London and UK city Brighton took advantage of warm weather to ride their bicycle in the nude, protesting about the lack of facilities and poor safety standards. Police did not make arrests for nudity, although this would normally be illegal. No accidents were reported, which no doubt came as a relief for the event organisers and participants. The effect of gravel rash on unprotected skin is no
Powerful white light
July 24, 2012
Extreme CCTV says that its Aegis UFLED White Light Illuminator features Black Diamond technology, which allows night-time colour reproduction for critical surveillance applications. Unlike standard lighting fixtures that distort colour images, this system features corrected LEDs to deliver accurate surveillance images at night according to the firm. A built-in low-voltage power circuit enables easy installation, while 26-45W operation makes for an energy efficient installation. The system also features Cons
GuidSIGN version 5.0 offers faster sign design
July 24, 2012
Software specialist Transoft Solutions says that the latest version of the efficient sign design software, GuidSIGN version 5.0. A is both easy to use and versatile. The package can deliver cutter-ready signs designed to standard in minutes according to the firm. The product comes with new features, functions, and added libraries that give traffic engineers efficient, time-saving, productivity-enhancing sign-designing capabilities says Transoft. A key feature is the new QuicDesign template system that suppl
'Innovative' speed enforcement solution
July 24, 2012
An innovative next-generation solution from VITRONIC enables police forces to provide fixed and mobile speed enforcement from a single solution. The 'dual-use' housing system consists of LIDAR (laser-based) technology which captures speeding vehicles on up to three lanes in a single direction. The first of VITRONIC's pioneering system solutions has been sold to the Lithuanian Roads Administration. Consisting of a standard mobile PoliScanspeed enforcement system and a protective housing, both mobile and stat
Brigade recorder offers security
July 23, 2012
Following an appeal from the UK Freight Transport Association (FTA) for drivers to be more aware of the safety and security of their vehicles, Brigade Electronics has introduced a new mobile digital recorder offering a low-cost solution. After the theft of several high value loads, external affairs director at the FTA, Geoff Dossetter, said: "Drivers should exercise good judgement and adopt security measures not only to protect the security of their load, but also to ensure their personal safety." Brigade's
Mapping effectively with vehicle-based imaging
July 23, 2012
Yotta is offering an innovative vehicle-based imaging service that will provide accurate high-resolution panoramic street-level views of highway features. The vehicle is equipped with a 60 megapixel panoramic camera developed by Yotta and uses Applanix satellite positioning technology to log the exact location of each image. The vehicle cam improves street-level mapping operations with accurate 3D images of buildings and other highway features, such as signs, trees, barriers and fences. Called Y360, the veh
'Classic' paving option
July 23, 2012
UK firm Marshalls is offering a radically new concrete paving solution. This has a weathered appearance and is aimed at duties where new looking concrete would be inappropriate. Arbury was created to blend into environments where sensitivity to heritage and tradition is paramount and features radical press technology that allows the firm to deliver high quality paving with long-lasting performance. The riven surface and irregular fettled edges give each flag an aged appearance, while a range of colours is o
Patching efficiently
July 23, 2012
A sophisticated pothole repair machine is to benefit from the latest satellite tracking technology from Masternaut Three X. The DP Road Patcher is part of a fleet of plant and vehicles operated by DP Cold Planing, one of the UK's leading specialist highway maintenance companies. DP Cold Planing is now using the Masternaut Three X web-based vehicle tracking solution to improve the management of its large fleet of Mercedes, Scania, JCB and Wirtgen vehicles and plant. This will make the DP Road Patcher even mo
Two-wheeled tolls
July 23, 2012
An Australian inventor has developed the Tollrider Magnetic system as a solution for mounting electronic toll tags on motorcycles. Designed by Michael Egan, the concept means there is no need for a motorcyclist to stop to pay tolls on highways with free-flow technology. Egan entered into a joint agreement with John Sample Automotive (JSA) to develop this patented idea and after 12 months of testing, the concept is now accepted by Australian motoring bodies such as the RTA which had called for a solution for
Cat paver helps ''safeguard Venice''
July 23, 2012
For centuries Venetians had given in to the Adriatic Sea, learning to celebrate its unique challenges rather than trying to hold back its tides, but that is changing. Built on an archipelago of 118 islands, with over 150 canals and over 400 bridges connecting the islands, visitors and residents to the old lagoon city travel only by water or on foot: it is considered Europe's largest car-free urban area. So the sight of a state-of-the-art Caterpillar AP655D asphalt paver is unusual, but it is assisting in a
Stable site
July 23, 2012
A Wirtgen soil stabilisation machine has been treating a 100,000m2 site in Staffordshire for an advanced logistics centre, a project including access roads and parking areas. The WR2500S recycler is being used to prepare the way for the vast Blue Planet complex in Chatterley Valley, Newcastle-under-Lyme. Throughout the preliminary groundworks the Wirtgen machine, purchased by Barton Plant of Kettering, Northamptonshire, has placed between 6-7,000m2/day of lime/cement stabilised earth on the project, for mai