Department for Transport

Engineering services provide WSP has been appointed by the UK’s Department for Transport to revise and update design guidance for cycling infrastructure. Updating design criteria is a key aspect within the government’s Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy. The goal is to increase cycling and walking and by making them a natural choice for shorter journeys or as part of a longer trip. “It is hoped that this refresh will ensure that the guidance aligns to current legislation and will provide best practic

The Transport Research Laboratory (TRL) will present findings from the UK’s platooning truck trials at the Microlise Transport Conference next month in the UK. The presentation will include an assessment of the effects of fuel use, harmful tailpipe emissions, congestion and road safety. The trial, according to Rob Wallis, TRL’s chief executive officer, aims to provide an independent impact assessment and to quantify possible benefits and drawbacks of the technology.

It is now 50 years since the breathalyser testing system to check for alcohol use was introduced in the UK. Police carried out the first roadside breath test on a motorist in Shropshire on the 8th October 1967. The breath testing for alcohol has had a major benefit for UK road safety as in 1967 there were 1,640 road fatalities attributed to alcohol, almost as many road deaths as there were in total in the UK last year. The push to make drink driving regarded as dangerous, anti-social behaviour has had a maj

SWARCO has installed a network of 27 variable message signs at some of the busiest highway locations in the northern UK’s Tyneside region. The signs give motorists key information to help them plan their journey and warn them of weather disruption and other potential hazards. Planning and coordinating all works with each local authority was the major challenge, requiring some of the installations to be made in the dead of night. The city of Newcastle was the contracting local authority acting for the Nor

Traffic volumes in the UK have hit record levels. This has been shown by new provisional figures from the Department for Transport (DfT). In the year ending December 2016 car traffic increased by 0.7% to a record high of 399.2 billion vehicle km and HGV traffic grew by 2.8% overall to 27.4 billion vehicle km. The report suggests that this rise is partly due to the growth in the economy as well as lower fuel prices. Provisional estimates suggest that both ‘A’ roads and motorways experienced the highest l

Data available from the UK’s Department for Transport (DfT) shows a continuing drop in the number of young people learning to drive. According to DfT research, fewer teenagers and young adults are now taking driving lessons or sitting driving tests than in previous decades. The cost of insurance is thought to be a major factor, since insurance firms have begun using more accurate calculations to determine the risk of young adults being involved in a crash. This has led to a massive jump in insurance premium

A major new highway project connecting the UK’s university cities of Oxford and Cambridge has been proposed. A new study by the Department for Transport (DfT) has set out the case to improve connections between Oxford, Milton Keynes and Cambridge. The Oxford to Cambridge expressway strategic study is one of a number of studies aimed at addressing some of the biggest challenges facing the road network in the UK. The study has been carried out by WSP | Parsons Brinckerhoff, CH2M and Steer Davies Gleave.

The UK’s Department for Transport (DfT) has put forward five alternate route options for a new highway connecting the cities of Manchester and Sheffield. The project looks likely to include a major tunnel section measuring as much as 20-30km in length that would run under the Peak District. The aim of the project would be to cut journey times between the two cities as the existing transport routes are prone to peak period congestion and delays at present. The route would connect either the M60 or M67 motorw

The Transport Research Laboratory (TRL) is to provide support as part of the UK’s new Specialist Professional and Technical Services (SPaTS) framework. The arrangement sees TRL providing road and transport related specialist technical services to Highways England, the Department for Transport and a number of other public sector bodies. TRL will deliver specialist back-up for research and innovation. The four year deal will provide Highways England with technical, commercial and specialist services. TRL is a

Concern is being expressed for the safety of young drivers. Statistics both from the US and the UK reveal the shockingly high risk of young drivers being involved in crashes. They also reveal that young drivers are a danger not only to themselves, but to other road users as well as the occupants of their own vehicles. The latest figures from the UK show that 2,088 young drivers and passengers aged from 17-24 were killed and seriously injured in just one year. Although the data shows that drivers aged fro