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The Chinese authorities are keen to encourage the development of a market for electric vehicles. The country’s State Council is drafting a plan intended to boost sales of electric vehicles as well as the development of new models. Included in the plans is the development of a charging infrastructure system.

"We regularly hear from drivers, usually visitors from out of town, who unintentionally missed the toll booth and want to know what to do to pay the toll," said WSDoT Toll Division Director Craig Stone.

Toronto councillor Doug Ford believes a proposed US$4.06bn subway project at Sheppard Avenue East can be paid for by a new casino or lottery. Ford is reported to be currently in talks with Ontario Lottery for the establishment of the casino. A casino or lottery would be alternatives to a previously proposed sales tax and vehicle registration tax. Toronto city leaders are set to discuss the funding issue in a meeting on 21 March, 2012.

Increased ridesharing is seen by some in the US as the best opportunity to improve the country's transportation system. However this concept is missing from the Senate's MAP-21 bill for reauthorisation of the transport budget.

Iteris has signed a definitive agreement to acquire all of the outstanding capital stock of Berkeley Transportation Systems (BTS), a privately-held specialist in transportation performance measurement, based in Berkeley, California. Since its inception in 1998, BTS has been involved in more than twenty projects and deployments, with customers ranging from the California DOT, Caltrans, and the Alaska Dept. of Transportation to the Transportation Research Board and Attikes Diadromes, operator of the Attica To

CNH is planning to build a new factory at Minais Gerais in Brazil in an investment worth some US$341.4 million (R$600 million). The factory will be located in Montes Claros, in the northern part of Minas Gerais. The firm has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the authorities in Minas Gerais (Brazil) at Fiat Industrial’s headquarters in Turin, Italy. The agreement was reached during a visit by a Minas Gerais state government delegation, led by Governor Antonio Anastasia. “This agreement strengthens ou

With public EV charging infrastructure achieving critical mass in the city of Shenzhen, China, BYD has announced that its five-passenger, long-range, all-electric cross-over vehicle, the BYD e6, will be available for consumer purchases (previously available for fleet purchases). Consumers in Shenzhen will receive a substantial government subsidy — equivalent to about US$18,000 – and the final price to consumers will be around US$38,500.

Anomalies regarding the return of driving licenses to people found guilty of serious driving offences have been uncovered in the UK. In a number of instances, these drivers have then gone on to commit more driving offences and in at least two cases, causing fatalities.

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development's (EBRD) board of directors has approved a US$260.56m loan for the construction of the central section of the Western High-Speed Diameter (WHSD) in St Petersburg by 2014. Magistral Severnoy Stolitsy (MSS) consortium must invest at least ROUBLE82.86billion (US$2.61billion) in the 11.5km stretch of mostly eight-lane motorway.

The number of people using French public transport rose by 4.5% during the first 11 months of 2011 compared to the same period of 2010, according to UTP. The French public transport and rail union claims the increase is mainly due to the end of the Government’s nationwide bonus offered to individuals purchasing a new low polluting vehicle, and an increase in fuel prices. Urban public transport networks (outside RATP) are still believed by UTP to have means to develop, because 41% of the French population

Bavaria Parkgaragen and E.ON AG have teamed up to open the first eight jointly operated charging points for electric cars in Munich. Up to two electric cars can be charged at the same time at each point. "We are subsidising these charging points to give e-mobility a boost in its initial stages," says Claus Schnell, managing director of Bavaria Parkgaragen. “Just one euro is all it costs to charge up an electric car's batteries, and the use of a charging point is included in the car parking fee. Basically an

Tenders are being invited for the modernisation of a 93km stretch of road between two towns in Moldova. Worth €100.87million (US$131million), the Moldovan transport ministry tender for the upgrade of the route between Sarateni and Dochia, in the north of the country, is divided into four lots.

The opening of Crossrail, the new east-west rail line in London, has been set for May 2017. Trains will initially be able to use the north east section of the new line, between Liverpool Street and Shenfield in Essex, Crossrail’s chief executive Andrew Worstenholme told a meeting of the London Assembly transport committee. The western surface section between Paddington and Heathrow should start in 2018, with a trial also beginning in December that year in the central tunnel section linking Paddington and

Electric vehicles will play an important role in the decarbonisation of road transport in the EU, according to the European Commission’s Energy Roadmap 2050. The Roadmap does not to set any concrete recommendations, policy actions or intermediate targets.

Work on the DFW Connector project in Texas is now 50% complete. When it is finished, the DFW Connector project will reduce congestion for drivers in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. The DFW Connector is the largest investment of American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funding, US$260 million, in a highway project.

Four consortia have been appointed by the DfT to consultancy frameworks for rail and road schemes. A TRL-Halcrow joint venture; Ove Arup & Partners with URS; Aecom and Atkins; and Parsons Brinckerhoff with WSP; may be used by the DfT, Highways Agency or any other Government bodies, over a period of three years with the potential for a one-year extension. Similar plans for general transport and social research are underway, although the tender was suspended in 2011 as it was thought to disadvantage smalle

TomTom has expanded coverage of its portfolio of real time traffic products for licensing customers to include the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden, bringing the total count to 23 countries. "This is a strong step forward for TomTom's mission to reduce traffic congestion globally," claims Ralf-Peter Schaefer, head of TomTom traffic product unit. "By expanding our services in Europe, customers are able to access superior traffic information for highways, major roads and secondary roads tha

Atlas Copco plans to acquire the underground equipment business of GIA Industri, which will widen its array of machines for the tunneling market. Swedish firm GIA Industri makes an array of specialist machines for underground use including electric haulage trucks, utility vehicles and ventilation systems.

Symology, a leading UK supplier of street works systems and highway asset management systems, has announced that the UK Government Procurement Service has made the only award on the G Cloud Framework for a street works co-ordination solution to Symology. The Symology Insight Street Works Management for Traffic Managers (Cloud Edition) builds on existing attributes of Symology’'s managed service and delivers the company'’s traditional Street Works Management solution in a way consistent with the demands of c

The official reopening of a bridge badly damaged in the Cumbria floods has taken place. Bouthrey bridge, just off the A5084 between Water Yeat and Nibthwaite in South Lakeland, was severely damaged by the some of the heaviest rainfall ever recorded in England in November 2009. A temporary bridge was constructed as an interim measure and work began on repairing the main bridge.