London’s ULEZ leads to small initial improvements, says Imperial College report
London’s ULEZ reduced the city’s nitrogen dioxide levels by a few per cent during the first few weeks of its implementation. This is according to a study by Imperial College London researchers who say their findings highlight that ULEZs are not a silver bullet and that sustained improvements in air pollution require multiple measures. Between 2016 and 2020, […]
Econ Engineering examining greener alternatives to power its gritters
Gritter manufacturer Econ Engineering is looking into two ‘greener’ alternatives to fuel its gritters. The two options at the moment for the North Yorkshire based company, which makes 85% of the UK’s winter road maintenance vehicles, are hydrogen and Hydro-treated Vegetable Oil (HVO), which is currently being trialled by truck manufacturer, DAF. But at this […]
BEAR Scotland adds to South East team with key bridges appointments
BEAR Scotland has added to its senior team with two key appointments in their bridges team to help deliver the Scottish Trunk Road Network Management Contract for the South East Unit on behalf of Transport Scotland. The South East Unit covers 314 miles of trunk roads through some of the busiest sections of the country, […]
Kier Highways’ Northampton contract wins a National Bronze Green Apple Environment Award
Kier Highways has announced that its Northamptonshire Highways contract has won a 2020 National Bronze Green Apple Environment Award! The award, won jointly with Balfour Beatty, for work in reducing environmental impact on the A43 Northampton to Kettering improvement scheme. The A43 between Northampton and Kettering suffers from congestion hotspots, journey time delays and road safety issues […]
Cleaner air could have saved at least 178,000 lives across the EU in 2019
Air pollution continued to cause a significant burden of premature death and disease in Europe in 2019. A European Environment Agency (EEA) analysis, published this week, shows that improving air quality to the levels recently recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) could prevent more than half of the premature deaths caused by exposure to […]
Drones providing safer, more cost-effective bridge inspections on Essex Highways
Bridge inspections by drone is proving to save money, avoids road closures and improves repair programmes, according to Essex County Council. Camera drones are already being used in industry but, in a major innovation, drones and related tech are now helping Essex Highway engineers to carefully inspect critical structures like bridges and culverts in better, […]
Major government review says highways authorities have coped well with extreme weather events but sector must ‘co-design’ better ways to support communities
A major government review has found ‘clear evidence’ of authorities within the highways sectorthat have coped well under the intense and sustained pressures placed on them by a variety of extreme-weather hazards over recent years. But despite this, the sector must ‘co-design’ better ways to support communities over coming decades, according to one expert, who […]
National Infrastructure Commission hints at topics at the heart of the next major infrastructure assessment
The National Infrastructure Commission has announced the topics that will sit at the heart of its next major assessment of the UK’s long term infrastructure priorities, to be published in 2023, following analysis of the current performance of key sectors. The priorities will include identifying the infrastructure needed for hydrogen and carbon capture and storage […]
Calderdale Council makes progress on carbon reduction journey
Calderdale Council has reported good progress with its ambition to reduce carbon in the region. The council has already made changes to replace old petrol and diesel vehicles in its fleet with electric and hybrid models. These will cut carbon dioxide emissions by around 75% per vehicle, supporting the council ambition to make the borough […]
Coeval technology now available via the TTAS framework
Infrastructure technology provider Coeval has won a place on three lots as part of the Transport Technology and Associated Services (TTAS) framework. The three lots cover: Transport & Pedestrian Control, Transport Signage & Lighting and the Catalogue. Managed by Crown Commercial Services, TTAS is the next iteration of the successful Traffic Management Technology 2 (TMT2) […]