Plantforce Rentals tackles safety with high spec Hyundai wheeled excavator Plantforce Rentals is a leading construction equipment rental company headquartered in Somerset, with additional depots across the West Country and the Midlands. The company owns a fleet of 93 Hyundai machines ranging from 6 tonnes up to 52 tonnes, which include loading shovels, crawler, and …

An introduction to SolarLite Active Road Studs Retro reflective studs have long been the favoured and trusted choice for roadside delineation, but now SolarLite Active Road Studs are an excellent alternative. A Shaw solution to delineation With a history and reputation spanning more than 80 years, ‘cats eyes’ have become a familiar feature on UK …

Network Rail seeks traffic management partner for digital railway transformation Network Rail has launched the third procurement in its major digital railway transformation programme on the East Coast Main Line (ECML). The company is seeking a traffic management partner to work within its London North Eastern and East Midlands (LNE & EM) route on the …

VMS industry gets a boost with SWARCO and SRL Traffic Systems collaboration SWARCO and SRL Traffic Systems have agreed a significant new collaboration in the Variable Message Sign (VMS) industry. SRL have purchased 100 mobile VMS from SWARCO in a deal valued in excess of £2.25 million, representing a significant development for the UK market. …

Buckinghamshire’s online workshop provides winter driving refresher A new online workshop has been launched in Buckinghamshire to help all drivers prepare for driving in winter conditions. The free course covers the challenges to road conditions, driver, and car that winter weather can cause, and was developed by road safety officers at Transport for Buckinghamshire (TfB), …

Traffic Management division growing at rapid rate at ETM group The Traffic Management division of a Bristol highways maintenance and recycling company has seen big growth since its inception just over two years ago. The ETM group, which includes highway maintenance and ETM Recycling, has had a hugely successful 2018 and its traffic management side of …

Survey proves overwhelming success of scheme using Clearview SolarLite Active Road Studs Drivers have called for a road improvement scheme to be replicated across all UK highways, with 91% citing improved visibility and 77% feeling more confident driving at night. Last year, Highways England worked in a collaborative partnership with WJ Group and Clearview Intelligence to …

Actibump proves a success in Australia In January 2018 Curtin University installed four active speed bumps called Actibump at the University’s campus in Perth, Western Australia. The goal was to reduce the number of speeding drivers, particularly on semester week days when there are a lot of pedestrians and vehicles on campus. Mr Graham Arndt, …

The right data infrastructure is crucial for running of our roads Knowing who and what are using the UK’s roads has never been more important. As the world moves towards an autonomous future it’s important to note that we are not starting from scratch in being able to create a data infrastructure that guides us …

Boschung fixed automated ice spray technology upgraded on the A4 in France In 2002, the first BOSCHUNG fixed automated spray technology (FAST) system was installed on some sections of the A4 in France which were endangered by black ice. After more than 15 years of uninterrupted service, it was now time to replace this system …

Highways England warns drivers to give gritters space to work They have attention grabbing flashing amber beacons, are 2.5 metres wide and are painted bright orange, but last year 36 Highways England gritters were driven into. Gritters weigh up to 26 tonnes and when they’re spreading salt travel at 40mph. They often travel in the …

Blakedale treats in store for Traffex Road Expo Scotland There are no tricks, just treats on the Blakedale stand at Traffex Road Expo Scotland as the road safety vehicle hire and sales specialist showcases its growing fleet of self-drive Traffic Management (TM) Vehicles and unveils an exciting new partnership on 31 October and 1 November. …

Ringway Jacobs on a winning streak Essex Highways is part of The Safer Essex Roads Partnership, which won the ‘Road Safety, Traffic Management & Enforcement’ category at the National Transport Awards 2018 for their ‘Extra Eyes’ campaign. The campaign encourages road users to submit footage showing dangerous road user behaviour, in a bid to reduce …

Network Rail partners with Thomas the Tank Engine to teach children railway safety Network Rail has teamed up with the world’s most famous blue engine and pre-schooler favourite, Thomas the Tank Engine, to help children learn how to be safe when using the railway. The Stay Safe with Thomas story book sees the mischievous Thomas …

Nortech launches colour LED VMS Variable Message Signs Nortech has just launched a new range of Variable Message Signs (VMS) to add to its range of counting products. The high intensity, full colour LED sign is fully compliant with the European VMS standard EN12966, and offers bright, clear messages indicating available spaces and status messages. …

Road safety solutions could bring National Road Victim Month to an end With good weather enticing people out of their homes, into their cars and onto their bicycles, most of us associate August as the heart of summer. It’s a chance to enjoy the sunshine, head to the beach and enjoy days out with the kids. …

Motorcycle friendly Evo-Chev Chevron system delivers cost savings The Evo-Chev Chevron System, by TMP Solutions has been installed on Titnore Lane, West Sussex, to improve road safety and reduce maintenance costs on a series of tight double bends. Originally each bend had traditional black and white chevron signs mounted on steel posts to highlight the …

The Halo comes to Britain to protect construction workers The Illumagear Halo task light, a personal active safety system designed to illuminate people at risk in any environment or industry is now being launched in the UK by the Adjuvo Group, who commented: “As soon as we came across The Halo at CON EXPO last year, …

Improving road worker health, safety and wellbeing One of Highways England’s three core aims is that no one should be harmed when travelling or working on the Strategic Road Network (SRN). Clearview Intelligence has put a lot of time and effort looking at keeping road users safe, but what about road workers? Earlier this month …

Network Rail appeals to young people across Britain to take their safety seriously New research from Network Rail reveals only 36% of 18 to 24 year olds believe going on the railway track is extremely dangerous, resulting in young adults risking their lives crossing the railway. Almost 22% of 18 to 24 year olds admit …

3 steps to better construction safety Modern machines have more safety features than ever before – so why do accidents still happen? Brian O’Sullivan considers the relationship between work site traffic, people and machines. It has been estimated that 60% of all fatalities on sites can be attributed to choices made before work begins. When …

Bartco UK promotes research integration to benefit worldwide traffic management innovation Closer integration of the research and development operations of two intelligent transport system (ITS) firms will promote slicker product innovation for the benefit of traffic management organisations worldwide. UK VMS manufacturer and creator of integrated ITS solutions, Bartco UK, is evolving its partnership with its …

TMT2 proving a real success for Clearview Intelligence One year on from being awarded a place on the Crown Commercial Service’s Traffic Management Technology 2 (TMT2) framework Clearview Intelligence is enjoying the results of being part of the easier procurement process. Clearview’s range of proven count and classify products and vehicle detection solutions can all …

BAM celebrates great safety performance at Museum of the Future in Dubai BAM employees are celebrating two million hours worked lost time injury free at the building site for the Museum of the Future in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. This achievement is thanks to the professionalism and continuous commitment from those on the project, who …

SICK introduces all-weather 3D Sensor System for Traffic Management SICK, the global sensor and machine vision technology leader, has launched the TIC502 LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) traffic monitoring and warning system setting a new a benchmark for all-weather traffic control in all climate zones, day or night. The SICK TIC502 incorporates vehicle speed detection …

Siemens unveils all-new passively safe traffic signal poles Siemens, a global leader in traffic management technology, has unveiled a new range of passively safe traffic signal poles. Performance-rated against BS EN 12767, the new range offers customers longer life passively safe poles in a wide variety of forms, finish and lengths from 2m to 6m. …

How incorrectly marking your Car Park could cost you Car Parks are a very important part of the UK’s road network – and are often forgotten about when it comes to marking to high specifications. With around 20,000 public car parks in the United Kingdom to date – it is vital to ensure these are correctly and …

Traffic jams and congestion cost the UK £30 billion a year The UK is the third most congested country in Europe and we spend an average of 32 hours each year stuck in peak hour traffic. According to the latest report from Inrix the combined cost of congestion on the UK’s roads added up to …

Colourful road markings are becoming more popular on British roads Recently, the presence of bright and colourful surface markings has become more and more prominent on British roads. This is a major contrast to the usual white demarcations with occasional yellow lines that we often see on the surfaces we travel on. These vibrant markings …

Amey tests wearable safety tech for highways workers Wearable technology which could reduce risks to drivers and lone workers has been trialled by highways engineers working for leading service provider Amey. Biometric and location devices which detect when the body is under stress and help workers raise instant alarms at the touch of a button …

Siemens upgrades their hosted traffic management platform Siemens, a global leader in traffic management technology, has announced major upgrades to the latest hosted application modules for Stratos, the company’s cloudbased strategic traffic management solution. According to David Pregon, Senior Product Manager (Systems), with the latest updates to Strategy Manager, Traffic Signals and Journey Time modules, …

Look No Wires – Using wireless vehicle detection to reduce congestion Traffic flows better and congestion is reduced when signalised junctions use adaptive traffic control (ATC) systems such as SCOOT (Split Cycle Offset Optimisation Technique) and MOVA (Microprocessor Optimised Vehicle Actuation). As a traffic engineer you will be well aware of the benefits of adaptive …

‘First of its kind’ speed awareness solution installed across six locations on the A75 in Scotland The A75 Gretna Green to Stranraer road is the main route through Scotland to the ferry port servicing Northern Ireland. Consequently, traffic volumes tend to increase when a ferry is scheduled to arrive or depart. With over 1.5 million …

Good signs of progress for Dover traffic flow Work to improve journeys for drivers on the A20 approaching the Port of Dover is making good progress, Highways England said today (4 July 2017). The update came at Highways England’s Stanford motorway depot, where the government owned company unveiled one of 29 new electronic signs that …

Highways England upgrades A14 – bridge foundations, Roman cows and a floating pontoon Highways England project manager gives a sneak peek into the progress on the UK’s biggest road upgrade under construction. Three months in to main construction on the A14’s £1.5bn upgrade in Cambridgeshire, Highways England’s project manager is giving a sneak peek into progress made …

Volvo’s Lifepaint makes you shine Volvo Cars UK has introduces LifePaint a unique water based reflective safety spray paint. Invisible by daylight, it glows brightly in the direct glare of car headlights. Making the invisible, visible. LifePaint lasts for more than a week of normal use and washes off without damaging the colour or the surface of …