Centres in Action

Solent

Chairman: Mr R. Rowsell FInstTA
Secretary: Mr R. Brown FlnstTA

Notes:

All meetings are to be held at The Lysses House Hotel, High Street, Fareham commencing at 19.45 hrs unless otherwise stated

Contact Centre Secretary for details of outside visits

Click here to see details of the Spring Dinner

Institute of Transport Administration

Solent Centre

COMMITTEE MEMBERS

Mr. Ray Rowsell F. Inst. T. A. (Chairman)

Tel: 023 9226 8352 (Home)

023 9249 2472 (Business)

Email: ray@the-wellows.freeserve.co.uk

Mr. Roger Brown F. Inst. T. A. (Secretary)

Tel: 01489 690256 (Home)

01489 774917 (Business)

Email: roger.brown-iotasec@ntlworld.com

Mr. Dennis Marriner M. Inst. T. A. (Treasurer)

Tel: 01489 894292 (Home)

Mr. John Murray F. Inst. T. A. (Publicity Officer)

Tel: 01489 784596 (Home)

Mr. Colin Read M. Inst. T. A Mr. David Russell M. Inst. T. A.

Mr. Peter Shelley M. Inst. T. A. Mr. Ray Hall M. Inst. T. A.

Mr. Eric Crowther M. Inst. T. A. (co-opted)

Centre Committee meetings are held on the first Tuesday

of each month (September to May)

Any items that members wish to be discussed should be

given to any of the above committee members.

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INSTITUTE OF TRANSPORT ADMINISTRATION

SOLENT CENTRE NEWSLETTER 2008

ISSUE NO 2

WELCOME

We extend a welcome to all of our members and guests at any of our open meetings, where I am sure that you will find something of interest, either at the presentations or outside visits. Do come along, meet other members in a fairly informal atmosphere, I'm sure that you will enjoy the evening.

DRIVER CPC IS GETTING CLOSER

The Driving Standards Agency, Go Skills and Skills for Logistics have signed the working partnership contract required for the delivery of periodic training for the Driver CPC. The Joint Approvals Unit for Periodic Training [JAUPT] as the Partnership is known, will act on behalf of the DSA to approve organisations wishing to deliver periodic training for Driver CPC when it comes into force in September next year.

The new qualification will be launched on September 10th, 2008 for the bus and coach industry and September10th 2009 for the haulage industry. The DSA says it has been working with both industries to ensure that the scheme is introduced in Great Britain as effectively as possible.

The introduction of a Europe-wide certificate should result in higher common standards for all lorry and bus drivers. Those new to the industries will have to gain the Driver CPC by passing an initial qualification before being able to take up driving work. Those already driving within the industries will have to undergo 35 hours of training every five years.

For more information on the Driver CPC go to www.fastforwardcareers.co.uk.

SEVERN TOLLS RISE

From January 1st the Severn Bridge Tolls will be as follows:-

Cars/motor caravans - £5.30.
Small goods vehicles, small buses - £15.90.

This reflects a retail price increase of 3.9% and is allowed for under the bridge tolling regulations.

TUESDAY 15th JANUARY 2008 OPEN EVENING

The presentation should have been by a local cruising operator entitled 'Cruising in the 21st Century', but due to unforeseen circumstances they could not attend, however they did provide some publicity DVD's and a good supply of various brochures to take away.

After a short discussion, Roger Brown and Peter Shelley decided to show the DVDs, which were well received, this was followed by refreshments.

The evening proved to be a success with thanks to Roger and Peter for making it so.

A BRIGHT IDEA FOR SAFETY

The latest generation Astucia Solar Lite flush mounted road studs offer lower risks to bikers and cyclists, as well as giving a ten-fold improvement in night time visibility.

The British-designed road-stud has already made a significant improvement
to driving safety compared with the traditional reflective "cats-eye"
Importantly for us two-wheel users, the latest generation of "smart" road stud sits flush with the road surface eliminating a source of risk to cyclists and motorcyclists.

The Astucia SolarLite stud stores solar energy during the day, then built-in light emitting diodes-led's-automatically illuminate from dusk to dawn.
They can be seen for up to 900 metres, ten times greater than the retro-reflective road stud which relies on being illuminated by the headlight beam of the approaching vehicle. For a car driver, the latest flush fitting design, which rises in a smoothly profiled dome to less than four millimetres above the road surface, eliminates the annoying "thump-thump" as one changes lanes.

For motorcyclists and cyclists, particularly in slippery conditions, it removes a major risk of instability. Martin Dicks, a former London firefighter who conceived the smart, safe and sustainable concept that created the Astucia SolarLite stud, is a keen motorcyclist, he has first hand experience of the 'nervous' feeling created by some road markings, "using our technology to develop a flush-mounted road stud simply made common sense".
In the UK Astucia roa studs are currently installed on roads in Lothian in Scotland, the Vale of Glamorgan in Wales, in Essex, Buckinghamshire, Norfolk and Oxfordshire, where they have demonstrated a reduction in serious accident levels of more than 70%.

So, are we going to see more of them on all roads?.

TRUCKSTOP CLOSURES AFFECT DRIVERS HOURS COMPLIANCE

A survey by the Freight Transport Association (FTA) has found that the closure of essential truckstops across the UK is affecting haulage operators' ability to obey drivers' hours legislation.
Just months after high profile, secure lorry parks, such as Alconbury on the A14 near Cambridge and Truckworld in Essex, closed down, 75% of operators say they are now experiencing operational difficulties. One in seven say they are struggling to comply with legally required drivers' hours rules on breaks; one in five say their business is exposed to significant additional security risks; and one in six operators have serious concerns over the personal safety of their drivers.

The FTA says a national strategy is needed so that highways authorities provide facilities for vehicles to stop. The FTA's Malcolm Bingham adds; "It is vital that where a truckstop is closed, local councils make contingency plans to accommodate the displaced trucks, otherwise drivers are forced to use industrial estates and local roads which lack appropriate facilities and impact on local residents".

ROADSIDE CAMERAS THAT DETECT BLOOD WILL SNOOP ON LONE DRIVERS

Motorists will be targeted by a new generation of road cameras which will work out how many people are in the car by measuring the amount of bodily fluid it contains.
The latest snooping device on the nation's roads aims to penalise lone drivers who abuse car-sharing lanes, and is part of a Government effort to combat congestion at busy times.
The cameras work by sending an infrared beam through the windscreen of vehicles which detects the unique make-up of blood and water content in human skin. The system's inventors believe it will catch out motorists who try to fool existing CCTV road cameras by placing mannequins in passenger seats or fixing photographs to windscreens. It will at first be used to police car-sharing lanes in Leeds, but councils across the country have expressed an interest in using them.
Professor John Tyrer, who headed the Loughborough University team which created the device, said "It allows you to automatically count people,' he said. 'That pools through to the congestion charging, so they can charge differently or reduce the rates dramatically if you've got more people in the cars', but motoring organisations claim the cameras are a further intrusion on private lives and say car-sharing lanes, which are already in operation in Birmingham and Leeds and are being built on the M1 in Hertfordshire do not work.

AA president Edmund King said; "Most of us work flexible hours, we don't go to work or come home from work at the same time. Car sharing lanes are incredibly difficult to enforce and, if not many people use them, they're actually a waste of road capacity.'

Roads Minister Rosie Winterton said she encouraged 'innovative solutions' to the problems created by congestion.

WHY THE FORTH BRIDGE PAINTERS GET A WELL EARNED REST

The end is in sight for one of the world's most famous 'never-ending' jobs-painting the Forth Rail Bridge. Engineering firm Balfour Beatty has announced it will have finished applying a new long lasting paint to the crossing in six year's time. The coating is intended to last for around 30 years, and will mark the end of the reputedly interminable task in which workers have to start repainting as soon as they finish the previous coat.

Balfour Beatty has been restoring the 8.000ft bridge, which was completed in 1890, for four years. The task involves blasting off the existing layers of paint and stripping the 51,000 tons of steelwork back to bare metal. Any necessary repairs are done before the new paint, which is used on oil rigs, is applied in three layers. The restoration work has already seen the bridge closed for the longest period in its history-eight days in 2005 when engineers needed access near the tracks to blast away the old paint.

The bridge carries up to 200 trains a day on the East Coast Main line across the Forth Estuary between North and South Queensferry.

Balfour Beatty's chief executive, Ian Tyler, said; "Working on this iconic railway structure presents a number of unique challenges, however, by 2012 the bridge will be fully restored to its original condition".

TRAFFIC OFFICER POWER. ROAD SAFETY

The Highways Agency is in the process of giving its traffic officers the power to stop individual vehicles. The Highways Agency is keen to point out that the Traffic Officers will not have any powers of detention or enforcement. It adds that the 'Power to Stop' is for road safety purposes only, these powers were granted under the Traffic Management Act 2004, which enabled the Traffic Officer Service to come into being.

The act says; 'Those powers, conferred by sections 6,7 and 8, may be exercised for the following purposes b) preventing or reducing the effect of anything causing (or which has the potential to cause) congestion or other disruption to the movement of traffic on such a road; c) avoiding danger to persons or other traffic using such a road (or preventing risks of any such danger arising)'.

The new role of the agency's Traffic Officers is also covered in the recently revised Highway Code, through rule 108. John Walford, Stakeholder Engagement Team leader at the agency, says; 'While the act was being passed through Parliament the minister gave an example of traffic officers stopping a skip lorry whose tarpaulin had become loose. ' With this in mind we are developing a procedure to enable TO's to stop a vehicle travelling on our network whose condition is such that it is or is likely to cause a hazard to other motorists.

This has nothing to do with enforcement and is purely as a safety intervention, bringing to the attention of the driver the condition of the vehicle and / or the load being carried. Examples of this would be the vehicle is on fire or the load is insecure. However, it would not include the manor in which the vehicle is being driven, for example the driver appears intoxicated or the vehicle is not displaying any lights at night. The HA says that activation of the powers has been delayed, in the same way that live lane working was, to allow the TO service to 'bed in' and gain operational experience.

The agency is conducting a study aimed at drawing up working procedures for TO's before the powers are rolled out. In view of the direct crossover with police powers and responsibilities there may be grey areas that cause concern among road users. Stopping a vehicle on safety grounds for one thing and not another may seem a contradiction.

The Highways Agency would appreciate any feedback.

CV ROAD DATA PUT ON DIGITAL MAPPING

Global digital mapping provider Navteq has launched Navteq Transport in the UK. Car user satellite navigation has been blamed for the mis-routing the drivers of large goods vehicles. Such systems do not have the specific information relevant to large heavy vehicles, resulting in drivers unfamiliar with an area taking illegal or unsuitable routes.

Navteq marketing director Peter Beaumont says "All of the data has been collected on the road by our geographic analysts. It became clear in talks with our fleet and transport customers that our own field verification was essential to meet and exceed the high expectations of the industry in terms of accuracy and freshness".

The data gathered includes physical restrictions, legal restrictions, warning information and transport specific points of interest and is claimed to be the first mapping package to achieve this level of detail.
Physical restrictions include height, weight, width and length as well as details about the type of restriction. Legal restrictions are tailored for lorry prohibitions, eg no right, left or U turns, no trucks or trailers allowed, and include speed limits. In addition, the system gives warnings of steep hills, sharp bends, areas with high lateral winds and a risk of grounding.

Navteq Transport has already launched in Germany and France. Further European coverage is planned and the next launch is expected in the Netherlands and Belgium later this year.

Siemens VDO Dayton and ALK Technologies' CoPilot Live sat-nav systems will be the first in the UK to use the Navteq software.

More information can be found at www.navteq.co.uk www.siemens.com www.alk.eu.com

TUESDAY 19th FEBRUARY - VISIT TO ROMANSE TRAFFIC & TRAVEL INFORMATION CENTRE IN WINCHESTER .

We were met by Tony Brown, Head of the Intelligent Transport Systems Group. Romanse (Road Management System for Europe) was to be his presentation for this evening, along with slides he told us of an efficient transport system for moving freight and people that is essential to maintain a prosperous economy, mass car ownership and improved roads have transformed lifestyles in the last twenty years but the continuing growth in private car use does have a negative impact, environmental damage and pollution is now threatening the very lifestyle and expectations that increased mobility achieves.

Transport networks have become more congested, and new highway construction recedes as a sustainable long-term solution, there is a growing need to adopt policies that manage demand and make full use of existing assets, advances in information technology are now such that "intelligent transport systems" (ITS) offer real possibilities for authorities to meet this challenge; by monitoring what is going on, predicting what might happen in the future and providing the means to manage transport proactively on an area-wide basis.

The benefits of using ITS can make travel more efficient (safer, less polluting, cheaper), a study in Southampton found that a Parking Guidance and Information system reduced the average time spent searching for a parking space by 50%, help achieve Best Value as a result of greater information gathering and improved decision-making, simplify public transport use by providing accurate real time information about services, reduce the effects of pollution from vehicles by better traffic management.

It will reduce the numbers of accidents by providing drivers with mote information about conditions on the roads they are using, it will help drivers find the best route to their destination, and change the route if major incidents occur on it, it will also improve the security of public transport passengers and staff by providing extra communications, closed circuit television and better information.

In Hampshire, the traffic signals in the larger urban areas are controlled centrally as part of the Urban Traffic Control (UTC) system, their operation is coordinated to provide progression along the principal routes to minimise congestion, reducing pollution and optimising the efficiency of the road network. Providing timely and accurate traffic information is a vital aspect of the work of the ITS Group. Warning the travelling public in advance of the problems on the road network enables them to make informed decisions about their mode, route and time of travel, helping to spread demand across the network.

Traffic Monitoring using CCTV cameras is the most effective and immediate method of obtaining accurate information about the current status of the road network.

Operators working in the Traffic and Travel Information Centre (TTIC) can disseminate traffic and travel information using a number of mechanisms, one of these methods, Variable Message Signs (VMS) are used to provide relevant, up-to-date information about incidents, congestion or car park occupancy to drivers en-route.

Enhanced message signs have been installed on the M27 motorway, and are operated jointly by Hampshire County Council, Southampton City Council and the Police to provide information to travellers about the motorway and the inter-urban links to and from the motorway.

Hampshire County Council is committed to promoting public transport as a viable alternative to the private car. Both the Bus Departure Information System (BDIS) and the real time bus information system, STOPWATCH can help in this process by providing clear and accurate information to passengers at busy bus stations and interchanges.

BDIS uses electronic Information Display Units to display service departures to waiting passengers at bus stations, the units show the bus service number, destination, departure time and departure bay.

Following his presentation Tony then took us to the control room where we were able to see the TV screens in operation, operators in this section use the Urban Traffic Control system to monitor the road network, disseminating information through a variety of media, and where appropriate adjusting the operation of the UDC system to manage congestion, other facilities available include; selective vehicle priority either for buses or fire and ambulance vehicles, monitoring car park occupancy and directing motorists to appropriate car parks using variable message signs; and strategic planning for major events or road works.

John Murray gave the vote of thanks for what had been an exceptional presentation, thoroughly enjoyed by all who attended.

TUESDAY 18th MARCH CENTRE ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

There was a good number of members attending the centre AGM. All of the existing post holders were re-elected plus Eric Crowther, he was nominated & elected on to the centre committee.

Following the completion of the formal AGM agenda there was a productive discussion on the possible format & frequency of Institute meetings/visits etc.

The AGM was followed by a presentation by Denis Nye, M. Inst TA, Traffic Examiner, VOSA.

SPRING DINNER

The Solent Centre Spring Dinner, held at the Holiday Inn in Southsea, Portsmouth was attended by almost 40 members and guests.

Ray Rowsell, Solent Centre Chairman welcomed our guests, Dr. Michael Asteris, the Institute President, members from other Institute centres, and our Guest of Honour, Mr. Philip Brown, the Senior Traffic Commissioner from the Department for Transport.

After an excellent meal, Dr. Asteris spoke briefly on the history of the Traffic Commissioner role which was introduced in the last century and is one of the most powerful in transport.

He then introduced Mr. Philip Brown who gave a short history of his life as a Traffic Commissioner, undertaken in a number of regions. He explained that he was familiar with the local area, having been born in Chichester and attended St John's College in Portsmouth, not far from the venue for the evening.

He went on to describe some of the work he does as the Senior Traffic Commissioner, including that associated with enforcing drivers' hours and tachograph regulations. Each initiative being aimed at ensuring commercial goods and passenger carrying vehicles operate within laws that help ensure the UK's roads remain among the safest in the world.

If anyone has anything they would like published in this newsletter/ and or Transport Management, please contact myself or HQ.

Advertising in Transport Management is very competitively priced, the publication goes to transport professionals within and outside the Institute, prices can be found in Transport Management, contact HQ for more details.

My thanks to Denis Nye for his excellent article. It is hoped that we may see more articles from him in future newsletters.

My thanks also to Roger Brown for his help in the production of this newsletter.

John L. Murray F.Inst. TA.
Publicity Officer.
Tel: 01489 784596.

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