The Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan recently inaugurated a 2.4km long flyover in Panvel, near Mumbai. The flyover, while reducing travel time for commuters, fuel consumption and traffic jams, will also encourage people to take the old Mumbai-Pune highway. The flyover, which is 17m wide with two arms of 437m each, has two lanes in each direction. It has been ...
Blog Archives
Major rural roads overhaul in West Bengal
The Union Rural Development Ministry has proposed a र4000 crore package for construction and renovation of rural roads in West Bengal. The plan which involves nearly 10,000km of roads will be carried out under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana. The State Rural Development Department is expected to prepare a detailed project report by this October on about 4000km of ...
The transparent solution for sound protection
When the Environmental Noise Directive 2002/49/EG (END) came into force, the EU Member States were required to better protect their population from environmental noise. As a proactive measure, sound protection walls can considerably reduce the level of environmental noise Noise pollution is generated by road, railroad and air traffic as well as by industry aggomerations in densely populated areas. In ...
Reducing journey time through VMS
A study on the use of Variable Message Signs for getting traffic information was carried out in Kolkata by two Associate Professors of IIT. They opine that there is a need to revisit the taxi fare structure in Kolkata city as the present taxi fare policy is considerably skewed to the length (distance) of the journey route rather than journey ...
Contactless charging for Electric Buses
A new technology for charging electric buses has been introduced in Europe by Conductix-Wampfler. Called Opportunity Charging, this economical option helps in contactless charging of electric buses where the driver needn’t leave the bus for recharging. The technology also helps in doing away with the staff having to undergo training in electrical engineering. For local public transport in particular, the ...
Driving Simulators Transforming Drivers’ Training
Driving schools in India are increasingly using driving simulators as a part of their training programme for prospective drivers. Simulators provide many advantages over traditional training and need only an instruction vehicle and instructor. With the increasing number of road accidents and fatalities in India, the role of drivers and their mistakes leading to accidents has come increasingly under scrutiny. ...
Managing Traffic and Tackling Safety during Highway Construction
Many traffic stalwarts from India and abroad discussed one of the most important issues of construction on highways – “Traffic Management and Safety during Highway Construction” – on the first day of TrafficInfraTech Expo 2012. The precautions for, challenges of and solutions to the issue were discussed in detail.
Selecting and using Modified Bituminous Binders In India
The current specifications and guidelines for the selection and use of different types of modified binders such as polymer modified bitumen and crumb rubber modified bitumen are inadequate. Prof Prithvi Singh Kandhal, Associate Director Emeritus of the National Center for Asphalt Technology (NCAT), Auburn University, Alabama, USA argues that there is an immediate need to revise government policies by deleting the common specification table for all types of polymers and modifiers so that substandard PMB is not used in India. He also writes very interestingly on the journey of various types of bitumen
Goa government to build road bridges on priority basis
The Goa government is planning to build new bridges on the state roads, especially on the highways on a priority basis. Among the bridges planned is one across the Zuari river on the national highway NH17, with the existing bridge showing signs of stress due to the ever-increasing traffic. The second priority for bridge construction is two bridges in the ...
Mobile Traffic Violation Enforcement Vehicle
Mobile Traffic Violation Enforcement Vehicle from Turbo Consultancy Services Pvt Ltd is a mobile, laser based speed detection system. Fixed laser speed detection systems cannot detect the speed of vehicles accurately beyond a distance of about 1000m due to the fact that as the light emitted by laser speed gun travels farther, the cone diameter of the laser beam increases ...