EU

In Serbia plans are moving ahead with work on the Zezeljev Bridge. The structure will provide a new crossing over the Danube River for the city of Novi Sad. The new bridge replaces an old structure carrying both rail and road links that was destroyed by bombing in 1999. Construction of the new bridge forms part of an EU strategy for the Danube Region. The current cost of the new bridge has not been disclosed although an estimate in 2010 pegged the pricetag at some €60million. The 470m long by 25m wide struc

The European Union Road Federation (ERF) has put out an “urgent” call for “EU Member States to prioritise road maintenance” as neglected surfaces continue to deteriorate and the potholes grow larger and larger. ERF wants the EU to “put alternative financing mechanisms into place” as soon as possible, to tackle what it sees as a growing road safety crisis across the region. At its first ERF biennial Symposium on Road Infrastructure Challenges in June, more than 100 stakeholders heard the ERF demand the “ope

According to the European Construction Industry Federation, FIEC, there is light at the end of the tunnel in terms of market activity. The FIEC estimates a decline of 2.3% in overall EU construction activity in 2013 but forecasts stabilisation of in 2014 with market gains of 0.1% expected overall. “There can be no growth without investment!” warned FIEC vice president Jacques Huillard, responsible for economic issues. He presented FIEC’s annual statistics prior to the FIEC’s Congress. “The policy of austeri

Slovakia is having major success in cutting road deaths. A report from the European Transport Safety Council (ETSC) reveals that Slovakia has made the most progress in saving lives since an EU target to halve road deaths by 2020 was set four years ago. Official data shows that 26,025 people died as a result of road crashes in the EU in 2013, while 199,000 were seriously injured. There is concern that the numbers seriously injured in road crashes are not falling at same rate as deaths and there has now been

‘How to become more agile in a fast changing environment?’ will be the core topic of this year’s CECE (Committee for European Construction Equipment) congress being held 16-17 October in Antwerp, Belgium. Despite what the CECE describe as good signs for 2014, the situation for the construction equipment industry in Europe remains challenging. Debt problems have not been solved by many countries, demand is only slightly picking up, labour costs are high, products are changing fast and competition from outs

Improving road safety in the EU has resulted in a drop in the fatality rate. Official figures just released show that the number of people killed on Europe's roads fell by 8% in 2013. This follows on from the drop in fatalities of between 2011 and 2012. These provisional figures released by the European Commission provide grounds for optimism and Antonio Avenoso, executive director of the European Transport Safety Council (ETSC) said, “We welcome the reduction in the number of road deaths in Europe last yea

Electric vehicles and hybrids should be fitted with noise emission equipment to reduce danger levels for the blind and partially sighted, according to the European Blind Union (EBU). The EBU is calling on the EU to make noise generators compulsory for all electric and hybrid vehicles due to the obvious risks these pose to blind and partially sighted people. Hybrid vehicles generally run in electric mode when operating at lower speeds in the urban cycle and generate very little engine noise, while electric v

Poland is set to get around 1,800kms of new roads by 2020 as part of a continuation of the country’s highways development boom. GDDKiA, the Polish motorways and roads authority, is reported to be already advertising tenders for over 700kms of new motorways and dual carriageways. More than €17.81 billion (PLN 74 billion) was spent building Polish roads from 2007-2013, with €11.04 billion (PLN 46 billion) of that amount coming from the EU. At the end of 2013, the overall length of motorways in the country

EU plans for all new cars to be fitted with automated emergency call devices (eCall) moved a step closer today following a vote by the European Parliament's transport committee. The European Transport Safety Council (ETSC), representing safety campaigners and experts across the EU, welcomed the latest development. Antonio Avenoso, executive director of ETSC said, "After a serious car crash, every second counts. This system has the potential to save many lives because it will enable the emergency services

Three quarters of UK drivers are concerned that the use of Intelligent Speed Adaptations (ISAs) will compromise safety, according to research by the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM). Last month, the EU announced that they were considering rules for new cars to be installed with Intelligent Speed Adaptation (ISA) technology. The technology would be capable of detecting limits through cameras or satellites and automatically applying the brakes. Existing vehicles could be forced to be retrofitted with