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Dutch Minister of Infrastructure and Environment Melanie Schultz van Haegen wants all building contractors to use LED lights in the construction and renovation of tunnels in the Netherlands. The Minister said she will include this as a functional condition in contracts. Schultz van Haegen has stressed how LED lights consume less energy while emitting more light, making them a better option for lighting in tunnels.

Italian state-controlled road group ANAS has drawn a series of tenders worth over €120 million combined to improve road safety for extraordinary maintenance works on tunnels, bridges and viaducts on 25,000 kilometres of motorway and road network nationwide. The tenders involve 13 regions, including: €35.1 million for works in Basilicata; €29.3 million for Tuscany; €14.4 million for Marche; €11.6 million for Lazio; €8 million for Emilia-Romagna; €5.2 million for Campania; €4 million for Piedmont; €3.8 mi

The Chinese city of Kunming has increased spending on transport by 28.86% to almost US$1.8 billion (CNY 10.99 billion) in the first half of 2013, compared to the same period of 2012. According to the Kunming Traffic Transport Bureau, who disclosed the investment rise, the total included $1.71 billion (CNY 10.59 billion) spent on airport facilities, urban rail transports and key city and provincial projects, and $8.66 million (CNY 53.42 million) on rural roads.

Plans are moving forward for the construction of a new highway tunnel under the River Elbe in Germany. The 6.5km tunnel will form part of the A20 autobahn linking Bad Segeberg and Bremerhaven. The tunnel will be constructed Glückstadt and Drochtersen and a section of the A26 autobahn that connects with the busy port city of Hamburg. The project is expected to cost some €2 billion to construct. Bids are already being submitted, including an offer by French firm Vinci using the PPP model and intended to share

A major programme of infrastructure investment is planned for Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa. The five year plan will see some US$8.17 billion being spent over the next five year period. Road construction has been identified as a top priority by the Ethiopian Government. Investment in roads will increase by 76% over the $1.64 billion spent in the previous five year period.

Agreements are being reached that will see Pan-European enforcement of driving regulations. Drivers will now face being penalised for any offences committed in other European countries. The change is due on 7th November 2013. After this date EU Member States will commence the cross border exchange of data relating to road traffic offences. For this scheme to work, eight offences have been listed in the data exchange programme. These are; speeding, not using a seatbelt, red light running, drink driving, driv

The Republic of Congo government wants to create 3,000km of tarmac roads in the country by 2015, compared to the present 1,675km, to aid the mobility of people and goods in the country and encourage trade growth. If the goal is reached, it will increase national tarmac coverage from 9.5% to 16%. The Republic of the Congo has a national road network of 17,300km, including 9,522km of rural roads, 2,333km of regional roads, and 5,445km of national roads. The country implemented a national transport plan in 201

Speed radars in France reportedly recorded just over 2.82 million speeding motorists between 1 July and 15 August 2013, as opposed to just over 3.49 million during the same period of 2012. Fixed radars caught an average of 20 offenders a day in the summer of 2013, down from 27 in 2012. On-board radars caught 15 offenders per day, down from 19 in 2012. The number of radars went from 3,105 to 3,262 in one year. A decrease in speeds on roads (which also lowered mortality by 5.7% in July 2013) and in increas