New STA Technical Report: Adapting infrastructures to meet the requirements of the new mobility

25 June 2019

The accelerated changes taking place in intelligent transport systems, and especially in the fields of autonomous, electric and cooperative driving, offer new opportunities to rethink the role and concept of road infrastructures and their possible contribution to transport efficiency and sustainability.

STA TC3 Chair César Bartolomé and Dr Aniceto Zaragoza (General Manager at the Association of Cement Manufacturers of Spain, Oficemen) analyse the infrastructure adaptation needs posed by this new mobility.

Article in Thinking Highways: Exploring the possibilities of Bluetooth Low Energy Urban Networks for Smart Mobility

03 June 2019

STA Member Etelätär Innovation is undertaking the BLEUN (Bluetooth Low Energy Urban Networks) project, which aims to deploy accurate geolocation services for Smart Mobility applications. The project takes place in the framework of EU-funded Tetramax Programme.

The article published in the new edition of Thinking Cities, explains the potential of BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) to provide a great variety of functions and services at low cost. These services may include accurate location, vehicles tracking, proximity information and wayfinding.

STA participates again in the Governance Group of EU’s STRIA (Strategic Transport Research And Innovation Agenda)

07 June 2019

STA Vice-president Elena de la Peña participated in the last meeting of STRIA meeting held in Brussels in on 5 June 2019.

The Strategic Transport Research and Innovation Agenda (STRIA) Roadmap for Transport Infrastructure aims to develop research and innovation in these key areas, test new methodologies and prepare the ground for future transport infrastructure policies. STRIA is led by the European Commission’s DG MOVE and the EU Member States, the modal European Transport Technology Platforms and industry representatives.

This new exercise (2018-2019) will update the roadmap defined back in 2016.

STA in Action becomes a bi-monthly newsletter

28 May 2019

“STA in Action”, the Smart Transportation Alliance’s online journal providing news and background about activities undertaken by STA with a view to improving transportation infrastructures, will be released bi-monthly from now onwards. The journal currently counts on a total audience of 11,000 subscribers; subscription is free-of charge here.

The other two STA e-bulletins, “Smart Transportation” (an online journal featuring the latest developments in support of smarter, resource-efficient and safer transportation infrastructures; free subscription here and the “STA Intelligence Report” (an in-depth intelligence gazette distributed exclusively to STA Members), will be also circulated bi-monthly.

NEWS OF INTEREST

13th Annual Road Safety Performance Index (PIN) Report

25,047 people lost their lives on EU roads in 2018, representing a 1% reduction compared to 2017. The EU has collectively reduced the number of road deaths by just 4% over the last five years.

Out of the 32 countries monitored by the ETSC Road Safety Performance Index (PIN) programme, 16 reduced road deaths in 2018. The best results were achieved by Slovakia with a 17% decrease, Israel with 13%, Slovenia with 12%, Lithuania with 11% and Bulgaria with 10%. Road deaths increased in ten countries, while progress stagnated in six.

Road Safety School Mali 2019: 350 students learn the basics of road safety good practices

Organised by the Association ‘Friends of the Road’ of Mali, 350 students belonging to 4 different schools were trained on 5 modules during March and April 2019, namely on:

• Find a place or cross the road;

• Stop at the edge of the road;

• Watch and listen;

• Cross the road safely alone or in a group;

• Identify the dangers of the road.

According to the President of Association ‘Friends of the Road’ of Mali, Temin Gregoire Tessougue, “road safety education concerns all road users, from the youngest age to the end of life. But children and students are very receptive to learning new behaviours. To make them discover the sharing of the road from an early age, to educate them early on the risks of road traffic, is to help them acquire the good behaviors that enable them to protect themselves from the dangers on their way to school”.

The results of the campaign were presented last 11 May 2019. To learn more about it, please contact by email: gregoiresalimata@gmail.com

Canada: The road to graphene enhanced concrete just got faster

After reviewing technical data of the Albany Graphite tailings material it was observed that the tailings chemical and physical properties are consistent with the requirements for it to be used in concrete. In collaboration with the university of Toronto and the University of British Columbia, ZEN has been developing a graphene enhanced concrete additive, that has “the potential to increase the strength of the concrete by 40%”. The additive also will have the potential to reduce the amount of concrete required, as well as making the concrete more durable to freeze-thaw cycles and salt corrosion, making the concrete the perfect product relevant to the Canadian climate.

The policy should anticipate user errors and emphasizes design, construction and maintenance of a system that will be “forgiving” of errant behavior.

'Nature’s cement’ is key ingredient in new road paving technology

San Juan County had too many roads that were failing and not enough money to fix them. The county decided to use a new repaving process developed by Lithified Technologies. The experiment was a success and the new process “adds strength and a little bit of flexibility to accommodate for subsurface movement, which is one of the primary reasons roads fail.” adding that traditional road resurfacing comes at a cost of about $1.3 million per mile, compared to the Lithified Technologies process that cost about $175,000 per mile.

UK: Highways England trials giant mobile crash barriers and solar-powered CCTV

HE is investing £150m (US$195m) in innovation to ensure it remains at the forefront of making England’s motorways and major A roads dependable, durable and safe. In the first initiative, the agency is piloting the use of two giant 70 feet (21m) long crash barrier trucks that were originally designed for military use to protect against roadside bombs, but are now keeping road workers and motorists safe. In collaboration with Kier, the 16-tonne mobile barriers have been brought over from the USA and launched in the West Midlands. If struck from the side, the barriers absorb the impact from a moving vehicle, while a truck-mounted crash cushion (attenuator) gives further protection at the rear. As well as improving safety, roadworks take less time to complete as fewer cones and signs have to be deployed in the construction zone.

US: Researchers at the MIT Concrete Sustainability Hub study the many factors that influence a pavement’s environmental footprint

Although the nearly 21 million miles of paved roads around the globe appear static, their environmental footprints are anything but set.

When studying all stages of a road’s life using a technique called pavement life-cycle assessment, it becomes clear that a pavement’s environmental impact doesn't end with construction. In fact, there are significant emissions associated with a pavement during its operational life, also known as its use phase.

Several factors, like the pavement quality’s impact on fuel efficiency, lighting, and its ability to absorb carbon dioxide through carbonation all contribute to this footprint. What’s more, these factors can vary depending on the pavement’s context, which includes the climate and the amount of traffic. This can make a pavement’s use phase impacts difficult to calculate.