Congestion improves with high occupancy toll lanes
The potential for high occupancy toll (HOT) lanes in congested US cities offers further room for development, according to US-based transport expert Bob Poole of the Reason Foundation. At present Atlanta, Dallas, Houston, San Diego, San Francisco and Seattle all feature HOT lanes and Poole believes that the nation's capital, Washington DC, could benefit from a similar approach.
Slurry success
VSS Macropaver continues to develop its product range with the launch of a sophisticated control system as well as a new materials feeder.
Skid resistant road surface reduces accidents
Following a programme of road surface retexturing at five sites to improve skid-resistance, Aberdeenshire Council in Scotland has seen a 100% reduction in crashes and loss of control incidents in the eight months since treatment.
Strong interest for construction equipment show
Most of the major manufacturers of extraction and crushing equipment worldwide will be present at the upcoming Hillhead show, either directly or through local distributors. Set in a working quarry, the Hillhead exhibition has set a lead for the quarrying sector. An industry only show, the event is being held this year at the Hillhead Quarry, Buxton in the UK on 22-24 June.
Traffic calming
Police in the north German city of Bremen had to deal with an unusual traffic hold-up caused by an escaped goat. The animal was first spotted blocking a busy road by standing at a crossing and police gave chase. The errant animal was pursued across the city with drivers calling in reports on its latest location. Eventually the animal was trapped and held at a local jail, where it was fed on bread and water. Attempts to trace the owner proved difficult due to the animal's lack of distinguishing features othe
The bicycle thieves
A parent in Denmark's capital Copenhagen got an unwelcome fright when he returned to his bicycle where he had parked it outside a shop in the city's Nørrebro area only to discover it had been stolen. His three young children had been asleep in the transport box of the bicycle.
Astec's new Sales Director hot mix asphalt expert
Astec, the US-based manufacture of hot mix asphalt (HMA) plants and associated equipment, has appointed Sergey Dymov as director of sales, Northern Europe.
Screening out bad drivers
In Japan a woman was arrested by police after driving 6km with the body of a pensioner in her car windscreen. The 23 year old driver struck the 80 year old pensioner as she drove home early on morning. It was the young woman's boyfriend who reported the incident to the police, who commented that the driver was perhaps too shocked that she did not know what to do. The driver was charged with causing a fatal traffic accident and leaving the scene of an accident, which carry heavy penalties in Japan.
Cycling drives down costs
Local officials in the Scottish Highlands are being encouraged to cycle rather than drive to official events and meetings. The Inverness-based Highlands Council has to reduce its spending and the move is intended to cut costs. Other measures include the introduction of video conferencing and car sharing. The move will offer secondary benefits however as a recent report indicates that over 60% of British adult males and over 70% of British adult females take insufficient exercise. Scotland also has the highe
Holes for sale
The local authorities in a village in the east of Germany have started selling potholes in an attempt to repair the community's crumbling roads. The village has insufficient cash available to repairs its roads and is using this novel approach to tackle the problem. Locals are being invited to help pay for the necessary maintenance work and are encouraged to feel that they own each repaired pothole. Several newspapers and TV firms have bought potholes in a move designed to gain advertising.
Load bearing tower wins European safety award
Highly integrated safety engineered into the Staxo 100 load-bearing tower has won Doka the European award for safety in structural engineering in Spain.
Drunk crossing
The authorities in a small Romanian town close to the Hungarian border recently took a novel approach to warning drivers of potential hazards in the roadway. Signs were erected showing a person crawling in the road, clutching a glass and proclaiming 'Attention - Drunks'.
Terex Cranes shows new Challenger at Intermat
Terex Cranes is using Intermat as the launch venue for its new Challenger 3160 all-terrain crane.
Continuing demand for construction machines
Corporate results from a series of equipment manufacturers for the early part of 2011 all seem to agree that demand for machines continues to improve.
Open and shut case
Two British police officers were surprised to see a woman driving her car with the bonnet (hood) open. They stopped the woman who explained that the bonnet was faulty and that she was taking the car to a garage to be repaired. She had been squinting through a small 100mm high gap between the dashboard and bonnet as she drove her car to the garage. The incident was recorded by police in the UK county of Dorset where the authorities have been cracking down on bad driving. In another case, police stopped a man
Mersey river toll bridge gets the go ahead
Mersey Gateway backers have hailed the UK government’s decision to give the project planning approval as “fantastic news”.
Under the wheels
A woman in New Zealand managed to run over her husband not once but twice in a short space of time. The woman was backing the couple's car from down their driveway when she ran over the unfortunate man. She then drove forward, running him over for the second time. An emergency response crew treated the man at the scene before taking him to hospital where he is recovering from his injuries. He suffered moderate injuries to his head, chest and back but was still conscious and able to talk to the ambulance cre
Emissions solutions key at 15th SMOPYC
The SMOPYC exhibition will have close to 100,000m² of covered exhibition space, as well as an outdoor area and a demonstration area providing a total surface area for the show of 300,000m².
Recycled organic compost stabilises embankments
Waste & Resources Action Programme (WRAP) is a UK government-funded body designed to encourage greater resource efficiency. This body completed a trial with contractor Balfour Beatty and the Highways Agency to test the innovative use of recycled organic compost along roadside embankments.
Smart communications
ComNet is offering a sophisticated system for use with IP video technology. This innovative product that carries IP video from the camera using existing coaxial cable while delivering operating power for the devices back through the same coaxial cable to provide operating power for the Power over Ethernet (PoE) camera.