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The European Motorcyclists' Forum at the INTERMOT fair in Cologne on October 3rd attracted a diverse audience ranging from motorcyclists and politicians to representatives of road authorities and the motorcycle industry. Organised by the Federation of European Motorcyclists Associations (FEMA), the event is a platform for discussion on safety, mobility and the future of two-wheel transport in Europe.

The Gulf region has bridge and road projects valued at US$ 121.3 billion in the planning stage or already ongoing. In Bahrain, there is $ 2 billion worth of road and bridge projects underway in various phases, and another $ 8 billion in Oman. In Kuwait, the government will be spending $9 billion for road projects in the coming two years, while road projects valued at $ 17 billion are said to be in ‘cruise control’ in Qatar as the country prepares for the 2022 Football World Cup.

Worrying data has been revealed by a study of bus drivers in Nigeria’s mega-city and commercial centre, Lagos. The research revealed that 39% or 781 of the 2,002 bus drivers tested drive while under the influence of alcohol. Also revealed was the fact that 940 of the drivers have visual impairments, with 13% having been given special glasses. And 22% of the drivers, 441, tested positive for either marijuana or cocaine use (and in some instances both). In addition, 30% of the drivers (601) were revealed to b

A US$1.3 billion toll road project in Indonesia is being funded by a syndicate composed of various financial institutions. In all 22 banks or financial institutions are coming together to provide a loan worth $917 million for the new Cikampek-Palimanan toll road. Export-Import Bank of Malaysia (Exim Bank) is one of the banks involved and is providing $95 million in credit facilities to Lintas Marga Sedaya, which is working on the project. The majority stake in Lintas Marga Sedaya, 55%, is owned by PLUS Expr

After many delays work is now progressing on the expansion of Bulgaria’s highway network. The authorities in Sofia plan to commence construction of the 33km Vratsa-Botevgrad link in the west of the country and the project is expected to cost in the region of €188 million. Meanwhile Turkish input is to be withdrawn from the Ruse-Svilengrad highway project. However, Qatar and Bulgaria remain committed to the project, which will eventually provide a link between Romania and Greece. Running through Bulgaria, th

The government of Papua New Guinea (PNG) will this month begin maintenance works on the Highlands Highway after receiving US$ 46.12 million from AusAID of Australia. The works are to be carried out by contractors Covec PNG and Shorncliffe PNG, and are scheduled to be completed in October 2015.

Several leading Italian and international funds and industrial groups are reportedly looking into the feasibility of uniting all the major motorway construction projects in the north-east of Italy. The aim of the scheme would be to buy into the capital of one of the holdings and then work to buy stakes in the other firms, which are currently mostly under state control. The conglomeration of the three major firms Serravalle, Autostrada Serenissima and Autovie Venete, to be carried out over five years, would

Two of Sandvik Construction’s (SC) highways management systems will be used to remove snow and ice on roads across Scandanavia this winter. Svevia, the main provider of winter highway maintenance in Sweden and Destia, the former Finland state road maintenance company, and maintenance crews at Arlanda airport in the Swedish capital Stockholm, will be deploying Sandvik System 2000 and Sandvik’s composite HX900 wear protection. System 2000 is said by SC to be an innovative road grading system that bolts onto y

Biedermann Unterhalt & Vertrieb (BUV) has signed an agreement to promote CDE’s range of washing equipment throughout Switzerland. CDE said they chose BUV due to its extensive experience in both the mobile and stationary screening equipment market. The BUV agreement will form part of what CDE claim will be a construction industry first-of-its-kind distribution model it intends to launch before the end of 2012. “The CDE equipment range is a complement to the existing equipment that BUV offer and allows them