European Union

A new grant from the European Union will help boost the profile for hydrogen as a fuel option for drivers on the TEN-T road network. The European Union is providing some €3.5 million from the TEN-T Programme. The project, taking place in The Netherlands and Denmark with the support of French and Swedish stakeholders, will analyse the current availability of hydrogen at refuelling stations. The work will also propose new strategies to expand the availability of hydrogen as a fuel.

The European Union provide €1.4 million from the TEN-T Programme a project to maximise road and tunnel safety on the planned Stockholm bypass in Sweden. The project forms part of the Nordic Triangle railway/road axis (TEN-T Priority Project 12), will help ensure safety on the new route. The project was selected for funding under the 2011 TEN-T Annual Call. The work will cover important safety and security studies and tests for the Stockholm bypass, which will feature 18km of tunnels. These studies aim to pr

The European Commission (EC) has urged authorities in the Hungarian capital Budapest to introduce the congestion charge in the city by 2015 at the latest or face EU legal sanctions, according to some press reports. Should the local authorities fail to take the step, the EC may launch an infringement procedure against Budapest. Thus, the city’s leaders would be obliged to repay EU funds worth €641.6 million (HUF 181bn) provided for building Budapest's Metro 4 underground line. Earlier this year, the Hungaria

A new report by research body Frost & Sullivan says that growing replacement volumes are boosting demand for tyre pressure monitoring technology in Europe and North America. Laws requiring the installation of tyre pressure monitoring systems (TPMS) in new vehicles are leading to an increase in the installed base of this technology in the European Union (EU) and the United States. With the proliferation of universal sensors and aggressive efforts to raise consumer awareness, the TPMS aftermarket is set for r

A new network of fast-charging stations for electric vehicles is planned for in Ireland and Northern Ireland. EU co-financing is providing over €2 million from its TEN-T Programme to research a comprehensive network of fast charging infrastructure for electric vehicles (EVs) in Ireland and Northern Ireland. The study will have far wider implications too than Ireland and Northern Ireland as it will provide important data policymakers can use when making decisions on the nationwide roll outs of EV infrastruct

Critics of Europe’s push towards biofuels are pointing out that the strategy is boosting the cost of foodstuffs around the world. The combination of drought and high grain prices are fuelling a growing clamour within Europe that is criticising the policy on boosting biofuel use. This comes on top of strong evidence that biofuel use does not reduce carbon dioxide emissions and may in fact be counter-productive. The claims are nothing new. A World Health Organisation (WHO) report strongly criticised the move

Sicilian regional authorities are to receive US$1.94 billion (€1.5bn) from the European Union to carry out highways and other infrastructure projects. Of the overall sum, €500 million is to be allocated to road systems and environment projects.

The Members of the European Parliament have now approved the regulation on the approval of two- and three wheelers. This included a number of amendments which have been welcomed by motorcyclists as a compromise. The regulation is setting new rules and technical requirements for manufacturers who sell motorcycles in the European Union. The new rules were intended to improve safety for motorcyclists but in the original form, these would have been expensive to implement and would have resulted in substantial c

The European Commission (EC) has launched a new award that encourages the adoption of Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans (SUMPs) by local and regional authorities. Under the inaugural theme 'stakeholder and citizen participation', local and regional authorities can submit their SUMPs for award consideration at www.dotherightmix.eu EC vice-president Siim Kallas, responsible for transport, said: “'Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans can help cities and towns offer their citizens integrated mobility options that ar

A novel safety programme is being implemented that will benefit Europe’s motorcyclists. The RIDERSCAN programme is the European motorcycle safety scanning tour. The project is being co-funded by the European Union, gathering existing data on motorcycle safety in order to identify missing knowledge and information and provide guidance to road authorities. It brings together all road safety stakeholders involved in motorcycle safety to create a knowledge network, enhancing communication and fostering better c