European Union

Major Polish transport projects connected to the TEN-T transport network and the Connecting Europe programme are to receive €4 billion of European Union funding. The S3 road from Nowa Sol to Hradec Kralove is among the Polish TEN-T road project works benefiting from the new EU fund. As part of the Connecting Europe Scheme, the €4 billion EU investment will also cover works on two major border road schemes: the S69 road from Bielsko-Biala, and the S61 from Augustow.

A recent Pan-European police operation to enforce laws on speeding has yielded major success. Over 720,000 drivers were detected breaking speed limits in the operation, which was co-orcinated by the European Traffic Police Network (TISPOL) in 28 countries. Of the 728,268 detections, 274,355 were made directly by police officers and 453,913 came from automatic speed detectors. Stopping drivers for speeding offences also provides police officers with the opportunity to make other safety and security checks. D

Global demand for construction machinery is expected to rise 6% a year to $189 billion in 2017, according to a new study by US-based industry market research firm The Freedonia Group. The expansion will be fuelled primarily by growth in the Asia/Pacific region, particularly China, where the market will climb at a double-digit annual rate as construction spending, especially on infrastructure projects, continues to increase.

Austrian transport club VCÖ has called for the number of kilometres travelled in private vehicles to be reduced by 55% by 2050 to cut time lost by goods transporters in traffic jams - said by VCÖ to be costing the Austrian economy US$5.23 billion (€4 billion) a year. According to VCÖ spokesperson Christian Gratzer, non-passenger transporters must be able to complete their journeys on time in order to improve competitiveness. Gratzer said the 55% reduction in private vehicle journey distance was particular

A road safety project carried out in the port city of Odessa has won a key award. The Prince Michael International Road Safety Award 2013 was presented by Prince Michael of Kent in St Petersburg. The project was financed by the European Union and was run between June and November 2011. Following the safety campaign, an analysis of data revealed a major improvement in road safety in the country. In 2010 the largest cause of road death was speeding, accounting for 36% of the fatalities. Also the wearing of se

The ERF is publishing its manifesto intended to improve transport in Europe. Called Keeping Europe Moving, this programme offers solutions for effective management of a safe and efficient European road network. The ERF highlights that chronic underfinancing is leading to a severe deterioration of the quality of Europe’s road network. The manifesto highlights how this is threatening one of Europe’s most important assets. With a total of around 5 million km, the European Union’s road network represents a valu

John Deere Power Systems’ (JDPS) entire Final Tier 4/Stage IV diesel engine line-up can be seen with the company showing its familiar PowerTech displacements of 2.9, 4.5, 6.8, 9 and 13.5litres. United States Final Tier 4 and European Union Stage IV emissions regulations for mobile off-highway diesel engines 56kW and above will be implemented in stages starting in 2014 and 2015. These standards maintain the particulate matter (PM) levels established by Interim Tier 4/Stage III B regulations while requiring a

Claimed to offer up to 20% greater fuel efficiency than previous models, Caterpillar will be unveiling its 988K wheeled loader at bauma. The 988K, a complete upgrade of the H Series, meets the stringent European Union (EU) Stage IV/United States (U.S.) EPA Tier 4 Final emission standards. Another Cat wheeled loader being showcased at bauma is the 966K XE, equipped with an advanced powertrain system.

Road construction investment in Poland is expected to fall again in 2013 to US$ 6.33 billion (PLN 20bn), owing to contractual disputes in the sector, according to a study by market research firm PMR. This year’s predicted fall comes after investment plummeted 19% in 2012, the PRM study states. However, the road construction share of total construction activity has increased since Poland became a part of the European Union - reaching a 28% peak in 2011, and a 22% share last year. Last year, bankruptcies of a

The new urban tunnel project under construction at Maastricht in the Netherlands will benefit from EU for key safety features. The European Union will provide co-financing of €5 million from the TEN-T Programme to install safety provisions for the on-going implementation of Maastricht’s E25/A2 urban highway tunnel. The work will help ensure the link features high standards of tunnel safety and security and meets the EU’s tough legislation. The project was selected for funding under the 2011 TEN-T Annual Cal