The story of creating the best skilled operators of the future-on this week’s Highways Voices
When Balfour Beatty joined forces with Flannery Plant Hire two years ago to create a ‘best-in-class’ operators skills hub they never would have imagined the success it would have in just a short time. The Operator Skills Hub- a purpose-built facility in Birmingham offers innovative training programmes to inspire young people and upskill current plant […]
LTC review getting underway
A six-month inquiry into the Lower Thames Crossing between Essex and Kent is getting underway. The Planning Inspectorate is reviewing the plans after a coalition of conservation groups called the scheme “damaging”. The scheme had previously been approved by the government, but it announced a two-year delay to the project in March. The BBC reports […]
TfL “disaster planning” over ULEZ expansion
Transport for London is reported to be looking at four different scenarios for how legal action against the proposed expansion of the Ultra Low Emission Zone might affect its plans to introduce the restrictions across the whole of the capital. London’s Evening Standard reports that it is “disaster planning” four possible outcomes from the legal […]
Aimsun launches digital mobility solutions
Digital mobility tech company Aimsun has announced it is transitioning its focus from software delivery to outcome-based solutions. Aimsun is launching a full suite of digital mobility solutions, packaging its classic transport simulation software with data management and analytics, artificial intelligence, and services. The company has created five standard solutions to answer the most typical […]
Fully funded places for local councils at Transport + Energy Forum
The Transport + Energy Forum will be offering local authority representatives the opportunity to apply for a fully funded place for the conference in November. The event, which is taking place on 16th November at the Birmingham Conference & Events Centre, brings together over 200 transport and energy leaders, including some of the most compelling speakers […]
Mercedes-Benz uses ChatGPT for in-car voice control upgrade
Mercedes-Benz is expanding the use of artificial intelligence and integrating it into the voice control of its vehicles. It says that, by adding ChatGPT, voice control via the MBUX Voice Assistant’s Hey Mercedes will become even more intuitive. An optional beta programme will start June 16, 2023 in the U.S. for over 900.000 vehicles equipped […]
Road surface improvements to get underway on A174 in Tees Valley
National Highways is resurfacing a stretch of the A174 near Middlesbrough. The A174 eastbound, between its junctions with the A19 and the B1365 Blue Bell Interchange will undergo the improvements from Sunday 2 July. National Highways Project Manager Michael Morgan said: “Drivers will notice considerable improvements with smoother and safer journeys once this work has […]
Upgrade to Greater Manchester’s speed camera network getting underway
Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) has signed a contract with Jenoptik UK to upgrade almost a hundred spot speed cameras across the region with state-of-the-art technology to help improve road safety. Funded through the Mayor’s Challenge Fund (MCF), the project aims to encourage better driver behaviour by creating a better network of modern safety cameras, […]
In-car DAB+ “reaching maturity”
The use of Digital Audio Broadcasting + system is seeing penetration across Europe as the vast majority of vehicles have the platform in-built. That’s the message from WorldDAB President Patrick Hannon (pictured), citing figures showing that 96% of new cars sold within the European Union come with DAB+, meaning 10 million new vehicles on the […]
PTV Group to support new urban mobility data analytics project
Transport modelling company PTV Group is one of the partners of the new Horizon Europe research project EMERALDS on urban mobility data analytics. A team of experts in data science and mobility from 10 European countries will develop a Mobility Analytics as a Service toolset over the next three years with the aim of improving […]