Features

Ukraine’s capital Kiev will benefit from a new ring road – Eugene Gerden writes The government of Ukraine, together with the authorities of the Ukrainian capital Kiev, plans to invest up to US$2 billion in the building of a new ring road around the city. The new road, known as the Great Ring Road, will be around 200km long, of which 65km will be of existing roads and 148km of new roads. The ring road will connect three international transport corridors that run through the territory of Ukraine, as well

The IRF office in Washington has presented an award to revolutionary ecological permeable pavement that helps avoid heat islands Climate specialists and town planners everywhere are increasingly aware of the thermal impacts of city pavements which trap heat on hot summer days, and are known as “urban heat islands”. These heat islands can adversely impact the sustainability of cities by increasing the dependence on mechanical cooling. Permeable pavements, such as porous asphalt, offer some relief but typi

Last November, at the IRF World Road Meeting in Delhi, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed by Tranportation Research Board Executive Director Neil Pedersen, Kiran K Kapila, chairman of the International Road Federation (IRF) in Geneva, and Susanna Zammataro, IRF Geneva Executive Director. TRB and IRF Geneva share mutual organisational objectives, and this MoU provides a conceptual framework for partnership to share knowledge, improve implementation of innovative solutions, disseminate good pract

The push towards cleaner-running driveline developments from engine firms is continuing - Mike Woof writes. Sophisticated driveline developments are being seen right across the engine and drivetrain segment, with new low emission technologies being unveiled. High performance and extended service intervals are claimed, while tailpipe emissions have been reduced to meet the coming EU Stage V and latest US Tier 4 Final requirements. But different firms are taking different routes to delivering cleaner tailp

The excavator and wheeled loader segments represent massive sales volumes for manufacturers, so new model development is prioritised - Mike Woof writes. The crawler excavator segment accounts for a substantial portion of total sales of construction machines. With this in mind, it is no surprise that this is a market segment for which manufacturers prioritise a significant proportion of their research and development budgets. Wheeled loaders, while not selling in quite such large numbers as crawler excava

Many of Kenya’s bridges are in poor condition writes Shem Oirere. The lack of programmed maintenance of bridges in Kenya continues to undermine the structural integrity of the infrastructure and compromising their general usage safety despite the existence of approved measures to protect them from falling into a state of disrepair. Experts think that both the absence of a maintenance component in bridge construction contracts, especially for those built one or two decades ago, and a weak maintenance supervi

As industry and governments around the world continue to grapple with the challenges of vehicle automation, experts will gather in Sydney at the end of May to take stock of progress on the global journey to a new era of mobility. The two-day 2018 Roads Australia (RA) – IRF Regional Conference for Asia and Australasia, to be held over May 31st and June 1st, marks only the second time the two organisations have co-hosted an international event ‘down under’. And with RA playing a key role in helping inform t

Glass fibre and old tyres can help reduce road wear, according to recent research. Alan Dron reports from the Transport Research Arena – TRA 2018 – event in Vienna. Environmental issues were close to the heart of many presentations at this year’s event at the Reed Exhibition Messe in the Austrian capital from April 16-19. This included decarbonisation – such as making engines more environmentally friendly – and the challenge of digitalisation to create a more efficient transport system.

At last some good news about plastic waste: road authorities around the world are starting to use it in their roads - Kristina Smith reports.

New technology and reduced machine emissions were amongst the key topics at the CEA conference in London - Mike Woof writes. Construction machine manufacturers are going to have to find new solutions if targets on emissions controls are going to be met. This is a clear viewpoint for the industry. But as the speakers at the recent CEA conference in London showed, there are differing opinions on how that will be achieved and what technical solutions will come to the fore. Duncan Riding, business development

Preparations are underway for the world’s leading road, tunnel and bridge exhibition Produced by the International Road Federation, the IRF Global Road2Tunnel Expo & Conference is the only international conference and tradeshow of its kind dedicated to road, tunnel and bridge construction. “Technology and innovations are evolving at a pace never seen before in the history of the road and transport sector” noted IRF president & CEO C Patrick Sankey. “From innovations in materials, such as self-healing con

Rebuilding a congested stretch of highway in Florida will cut congestion and boost safety for commuters - Mike Woof writes. Florida’s 214km-long I-4 highway provides a key transport route between Tampa and Daytona Beach, but has an unenviable reputation for both congestion and safety, with frequent delays due to heavy traffic as well as crashes. The stretch running through the city of Orlando is particularly prone to jams at peak periods, with huge traffic volumes resulting in vehicles having to slow to a c

With the signing of the Consortium Charter in Washington DC last January, IRF Geneva has formalised its involvement in the Sustainable Mobility for All Initiative (SuM4All) Led by the World Bank, the SuM4All is a multi-stakeholder partnership that aims to reshape the global mobility agenda through advocacy, action, and financing. SuM4All brings together a diverse and high-level group of stakeholders which includes: Multilateral Developments Banks, United Nations Agencies, Programs, and Regional Commissio

With the signing of the Consortium Charter in Washington DC last January, IRF Geneva has formalised its involvement in the Sustainable Mobility for All Initiative (SuM4All) Led by the World Bank, the SuM4All is a multi-stakeholder partnership that aims to reshape the global mobility agenda through advocacy, action, and financing. SuM4All brings together a diverse and high-level group of stakeholders which includes: Multilateral Developments Banks, United Nations Agencies, Programs, and Regional Commissio

Drivers under the influence of drugs present a major hazard to road safety, according to a new report by the pan-European police agency TISPOL The risk from driving under the influence of psycho-active drugs results in road fatalities and injuries from crashes right across Europe, according to the report. The problem relates to both legal prescription medication as well as illegal drugs, notes TISPOL – European Traffic Police Network – which was established by the traffic police forces of Europe to impro