TRL Press Releases

Global Fuel Economy Initiative (GFEI) helping countries to access funds for climate change action

Wed, 16 May 2012

It is expected that the total fuel consumption of the international vehicle fleet will increase by more than 5% per year until 2030; more than half of the increasing vehicle fuel consumption will occur within developing countries.

There is evidence to suggest that demand for vehicle fuel economy measures is increasing, but that it can be challenging for developing countries to obtain finance to support these measures.

The GFEI (Global Fuel Economy Initiative) and TRL have developed a guidance document that informs national governments in developing, and emerging, economies about some of the current sources of international funding that are available that could be used to support efforts to improve vehicle fuel efficiency. The guidance provides a practical and concise ‘reference of first resort' for all those engaged in securing funding to promote vehicle fuel economy. In doing so it aims to increase awareness, and understanding, of the support that is available.

The paper highlights the rationale for improving vehicle fuel economy, which includes:
Reducing dependency on expensive (generally imported) oil
Improving economic performance
Safeguarding quality of life
Safeguarding the natural environment.

It also describes the ways in which vehicle fuel economy improvements can be financed, highlighting potential funding sources for measures including:

Maintenance and inspection policies
Driver behaviour
Fuel quality
Emissions control technologies
Advanced vehicles and fuel
Future vehicles and fuel.

The handbook will supplement the existing in-country policy toolkit which GFEI is using to promote fuel economy policies around the world, in countries such as Indonesia, Kenya, Ethiopia and Chile (link)

Speaking on the launch of the handbook, Sheila Watson, Executive Secretary, GFEI said:

"The GFEI exists both to promote the issue of fuel economy and the benefits which can flow from it, and to support countries as they address the issue. This handbook will be an invaluable resource in that work, and we hope that many countries will use it as they seek to address this critical issue in the fight against climate change."

Notes to Editors

We face a near tripling of the number of cars on the planet by 2050, the vast bulk in emerging economies. Whilst improved mobility is essential to economic development, any gains from this growth will be offset by the negative impacts of pollution, congestion, energy and resource depletion, and environmental damage which will follow. Improved fuel economy is essential if we are to address some of these negative implications. The Global Fuel Economy Initiative (www.globalfueleconomy.org) is a partnership of the International Energy Agency (IEA), United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), International Transport Forum (ITF), International Council for Clean Transportation (ICCT) and the FIA Foundation, which works to secure real improvements in fuel economy, and the maximum deployment of existing fuel economy technologies in vehicles across the world. The Initiative promotes these objectives through in-country policy support, analysis and advocacy.

For further details please contact:
Sheila Watson
Executive Secretary, GFEI and
Director of Environment, FIA Foundation
Tel: +44 (0) 207 747 5183
Email: s.watson@fiafoundation.org

Derek Palmer BA, MSoc Sc, FCIHT, FCILT, TPP
Head of Sustainable Transport Planning, TRL
Tel: +44 (0) 1344 770432
Email: dpalmer@trl.co.uk

Film highlights 'research to reality' testing capabilities of innovITS Advance

Mon, 30 Apr 2012

A video presentation - produced for innovITS by intelligent transport publisher H3B Media - provides for the first time an accessible audio-visual overview of the impressive capabilities and wide-ranging applications of the world-leading innovITS Advance test facility, which is based in the UK midlands.

The short film was shown for the first time during the Intelligent Mobility summit, hosted today in London by the UK Automotive Council. Entitled ‘innovITS Advance - From Research to Reality' the four minute video describes the many sophisticated systems and technologies installed at innovITS Advance, which together provide a world-first testing capability for advanced transportations innovations.

The film will be presented at other exhibitions and leading trade events, and will also be made available online.

For further information please click here.

To view the video, please click here.

TRL and RSA Unveil an Exciting New Partnership in Road Safety

Tue, 24 Apr 2012

Two leading bodies in road safety research, intervention design and evaluation sign-up to long term collaboration

TRL, the UK's Transport Research Laboratory and Road Safety Analysis (RSA) today announce their commitment to combine capabilities and expertise to support road safety delivery in the UK.

The move brings together two organisations that share a commitment to deliver high quality road safety interventions and services to support local authorities.

With over 75 years of experience, TRL works at the leading edge of transport globally, generating and applying science, knowledge and understanding to develop innovative solutions and software. RSA was established much more recently after developing the multi award-winning MAST Online project; it has grown rapidly to deliver a range of related services particularly to the public sector.

Working together, these organisations are planning a number of projects to provide new tools and make their joint expertise more accessible to professionals. At a time when the industry is increasingly looking to improve outcomes and manage costs, the collaboration will harness the capability and innovation of both bodies to produce effective solutions that can make a difference.

Speaking on behalf of TRL, Tracy Savill, Director of Road Safety Division commented, "The agreement we have signed with Road Safety Analysis is another mark of our commitment to the road safety profession. TRL has a wealth of knowledge and expertise on casualty reduction and, through our partnership with Road Safety Analysis, we can deliver directly to local authorities who work on the front line of road safety delivery in the UK."

Dan Campsall, Communications Director at RSA said, "At RSA we have brought forward a number of innovations that are now being widely used by road safety delivery bodies across the whole of the UK but we recognise that we need to work with organisations of the calibre of TRL to go further. The expertise that we share will provide significant support to local authorities looking to make progress on casualty reduction. "

Issued by TRL Communications Team
For further information, please contact Mary Treen or Sarah Bailey
Tel: +44 (0) 1344 770514/0141
Email: mediaenquiries@trl.co.uk
www.trl.co.uk

New Capability Unveiled for Automatic Pedestrian Detection System Development and Certification

Tue, 17 Apr 2012

A technology collaboration between innovITS ADVANCE and TRL has led to the creation of an advanced form of pedestrian detection target which will help those specifying and developing automotive safety systems based on pedestrian recognition to test and certify their products in a more flexible, accurate and repeatable manner.

The new TRL-innovITS ADVANCE mobile pedestrian target is based around a robust, free standing dummy that provides a realistic human aspect and moves under remote control with a programmable range of speed and acceleration settings.

For the full release, please click here.

Colin Loveday 1948 - 2012

Mon, 26 Mar 2012

TRL is saddened to learn of the death of Colin Loveday, Director of Technology for Tarmac Limited. Colin had been ill for some time and died peacefully at his home on Monday 19th March.

During his long career spanning some 41 years with Tarmac, Colin became a firm friend and supporter of TRL, frequently championing TRL to undertake research on behalf of the UK highway industry. Over and above this, he was widely recognised and highly respected for his knowledge and expertise throughout both the national and international pavement engineering community and for this he will be very much missed.

His memorial service is to take place on Saturday 31st March in Shrewsbury.

TRANSYT Online Launched at Intertraffic

Wed, 21 Mar 2012

TRL is renowned for developing TRANSYT, its internationally recognised simulation and modelling tool for optimising and coordinating signal timings over a network.

Now from TRL Software comes TRANSYT Online.

Thanks to the Dutch Municipality of Deventer and Provence Overijssel who have co-funded a pilot programme in Deventer, a new product TRANYST Online will soon be available to engineers across Holland. TRANSYT Online extends TRANSYT's functionality and allows optimised Signal Plans to be sent directly to on-street controllers to allow frequent retiming without the need to go out on the street in response to events.

TRANSYT Online hosts a range of features:

Regular scheduled signal optimisation
Regular updates to on-street timing plan changes
Import current live flow data into TRANSYT network
Default logic for faulty detectors
Supports short term prediction modules
Historic flow data stored for trend analysis
Automatic, timetabled and manual plan deployment
Full Audit Log
Web based interface designed for operators
Quick and simple timing deployment
Compatible with multiple detectors and controllers

It is hoped that TRANSYT Online will soon be available in the UK. Meanwhile, why not visit the TRL stand 11.619 to see TRANSYT Online in action.

For more information on TRL Software, please contact:

TRL Software
Tel: +44 (0) 1344 770758
Email: software@trl.co.uk
Website: www.trlsoftware.co.uk

Issued by TRL Communications Team
For further information, please contact Mary Treen or Sarah Bailey
Tel: +44 (0) 1344 770514/0141
Email: mediaenquiries@trl.co.uk
www.trl.co.uk

SCOOT helps London keep moving

Wed, 21 Mar 2012

As already announced by Mayor Boris Johnson, SCOOT (Split Cycle Offset Optimisation Technique) is playing a major role in reducing traffic delays across London, helping to improve Journey Time Reliability (JTR). TRL, in collaboration with UK traffic systems suppliers, developed the SCOOT urban traffic control system which is now co-owned by Peek Traffic Ltd, TRL and Siemens Traffic Controls Ltd.

The latest SCOOT MMX Service Pack 1 provides a facility to assist with improving the Journey Time Reliability (JTR) along critical routes. This was originally developed for Transport for London (TfL), where it is called JTR - GOLD (Journey Time Reliability - Games Operation Led Development), to assist them in controlling the journey along key corridors in London. Its first intended application was within the Olympic route network.

For many authorities, JTR is a key performance outcome along these corridors. There are many contributing components to JTR including planned interventions (such as roadworks and events) and unplanned occurrences (such as accidents).

To assist engineers in maintaining JTR, a facility has been developed to help them control the SCOOT link saturation level more effectively. It will be possible to specify a maximum level of saturation for a link or series of links (e.g. 80%) and SCOOT will attempt to maintain the degree of saturation at or below the specified level. This should provide a more outcome-based version of SCOOT.

Peek and Siemen's are now integrating SCOOT MMX into their urban traffic control systems and they, along with TRL would like to acknowledge and thank their fellow SCOOT Steering Group Member, TfL, for investing in SCOOT to make this development a possibility.

TRL is at this year's Intertraffic (March 27 - 30th) in Amsterdam, where visitors will be able to find out more about this latest SCOOT development including the new JTR functionality which is playing such a crucial role in keeping London moving. Visit stand 11.619

For more information on TRL Software, please contact:

TRL Software
Tel: +44 (0) 1344 770758
Email: software@trl.co.uk
Website: www.trlsoftware.co.uk

Issued by TRL Communications Team
For further information, please contact Mary Treen or Sarah Bailey
Tel: +44 (0) 1344 770514/0141
Email: mediaenquiries@trl.co.uk
www.trl.co.uk

Opportunities to improve rail diesel efficiency highlighted in new report

Mon, 19 Mar 2012

A new report published on March 14 by Ricardo and TRL on behalf of the Department for Transport, has explored the means by which improvements in diesel fuel efficiency could be realised within the rail network of Great Britain.

The study investigated potential fuel saving improvements relating to diesel powertrain technologies available for retrofit to the existing rolling stock of passenger disel multiple units (DMUs) and freight locomotives. It also looked at those that could be incorporated into new rolling stock both to improve fuel economy whilst also meeting the latest Stage IIIB emissions limits.

For full details of the release and to access further information, click here.

TNO tests Cooperative Adaptive Cruise Control vehicles at innovITS ADVANCE

Wed, 14 Mar 2012

Cooperative Adaptive Cruise Control (CACC) technology offers the prospect of a practical solution to increase road space utilization based on ad hoc, real-time cooperative driving, allowing inter-vehicle headway distances to be safely reduced while improving the experience for drivers.

TNO, the Netherlands based not-for-profit applied scientific research organisation, is in the process of developing its own low cost and highly practically CACC technology. In order to test and demonstrate this advanced system and consider the potential for its further development, three of TNO's Prius vehicles equipped with CACC were recently evaluated at innovITS ADVANCE.

To find out more, please click here.

ARCADY 8 shipped and in demand

Mon, 12 Mar 2012

ARCADY 8 is now shipping and creating considerable excitement and demand.

ARCADY is TRL's world leading software for the assessment of roundabout capacity, delay and accident risk and is specified for use in the UK on all traffic impact assessments concerning the design or redesign of roundabouts.

Now ARCADY 8 combines ARCADY and PICADY in one interface.

With PICADY functionality delivered by a new Priority Intersection Module, PICADY users now have the ability to model alternative layouts to an intersection with multiple time periods simultaneously. ARCADY 8 also delivers individual entry lane simulation on roundabouts, a roundabout bypass lane facility and basic and advanced modes, with setup wizards to help users get up to speed as quickly as is possible.

All this, plus an additional tool, The Entry Lane Analysis model, which allows engineers to analyse the queues that are likely to happen in each individual entry lane.

And the Autotrack Junctions link is now included as standard in the product!

As an additional bonus, anyone purchasing an ARCADY 8 licence before the 28th March 2012, will receive a spring bonus of 40% off standard pricing.

Finally, for anyone visiting Intertraffic later this month, they will have a chance to see ARCADY 8 in action. Visit stand 11.619 to see a demonstration and talk to the TRL experts.

For more information on ARCADY 8 and other TRL Software products please contact:

TRL Software
Tel: +44 (0) 1344 770758
Email: software@trl.co.uk
Website: www.trlsoftware.co.uk

Issued by TRL Communications Team
For further information, please contact Mary Treen or Sarah Bailey
Tel: +44 (0) 1344 770514/0141
Email: mediaenquiries@trl.co.uk

Child Car Seat Checks at St Crispin's School in Wokingham,

Wed, 07 Mar 2012

TRL Child Safety Centre will be carrying out FREE child car seat checks at St Crispin's school in Wokingham on Sunday 11 March from 10.00am - 1.00pm.

The checks will take place in the school car park whilst the NCT hold their Spring Nearly New Sale inside.

Parents and carers with responsibility for ensuring the safe travel of infants and young children are invited to take advantage of this safety check, to ensure that their child seat is fitted correctly and is suitable for the size and age of the child.

For more information, click here.

Smart e-bikes help move Brighton towards a greener future

Tue, 06 Mar 2012

TRL's Dr Sally Cairns has been part of a project led by the University of Brighton that will involve the use of "smart-ebikes" on the streets of Brighton in 2012/13, as part of research into sustainable transport and mobile media.

The project aims to understand how people use e-bikes and how smartphones can monitor this use and give useful feedback to riders. The results it is hoped will help improve sustainable transport in the UK.

The full story can be found by clicking here.

innovITS ADVANCE announces testing capability to help combat GNSS 'spoofing'

Tue, 28 Feb 2012

The dangers of the malicious jamming of global navigational satellite signals (GNSS) - including their targeted substitution with fraudulent data - is currently the subject of heated debate in the media, academia and international communications industries. To help mitigate, control and eliminate such risks in the future, innovITS ADVANCE is offering a new service enabling developers of automotive intelligent transport systems (ITS) technologies to submit their products to simulated attacks and hence provide the basis for the development of in-built system robustness.

For full details please click here.

ARCADY8 is launched

Mon, 20 Feb 2012

TRL Software presented its latest ground breaking version of ARCADY to its customers at its head office in Berkshire, on Thursday 16th February.

ARCADY is TRL's world leading software for the assessment of roundabout capacity, delay and accident risk and is specified exclusively for use in the UK on all traffic impact assessments concerning the design or redesign of roundabouts.

Now the next generation of transport modelling will see the release of the latest version of ARCADY8 combining both ARCADY and PICADY functionality together in one interface. The PICADY functionality is delivered by the new Priority Intersection Module - a complete rewrite in itself! For the first time, this means PICADY users can now model alternative layouts to an intersection with multiple time periods simultaneously, something which up until now only ARCADY users have been able to do. ARCADY 8 also delivers individual entry lane simulation on roundabouts, a roundabout bypass lane facility and basic and advanced modes, with setup wizards to help users get up to speed as quickly as is possible.

The Entry Lane Analysis model is an additional tool for engineers to analyse the queues that are likely to happen in each individual entry lane. This takes ARCADY further into the design process and empowers designers and engineers with a tool that they have not had before to aid them in achieving efficient lane configurations at the intersection. The tool is highly graphical and quickly gives a clear animation (something that has not been a feature of ARCADY previously) whereby the user can see if a queue is likely to be imbalanced and whether lane starvation (an empty and unused piece of tarmac) is likely to occur.

The additional Autotrack Junctions link that was a paid for extra with ARCADY 7 is now included as standard in the product!

For TRL's customers in the US and Canada, included is the American HCM 2010 Roundabout Capacity Equation for roundabout analysis. This is the first time that a non-TRL model has been included in its software making ARCADY8 an even more attractive option for overseas engineers to cover all bases.

And finally, TRL is not forgetting those who are just starting out in the traffic engineering world, as a student version of ARCADY8 will be made available.

Gavin Jackman, TRL Head of Traffic and Software commented: "Thirty years of development has contributed to making ARCADY the market leader it is. Now with this latest version, we have effectively delivered a one stop shop for traffic engineers. In tough times we know we have to "up our game" and we think we have pulled out all the stops with this release."

For more information on ARCADY8 and other TRL Software products please contact:

TRL Software
Tel: +44 (0) 1344 770758
Email: software@trl.co.uk
Website: www.trlsoftware.co.uk

Issued by TRL Communications Team
For further information, please contact Mary Treen or Sarah Bailey
Tel: +44 (0) 1344 770514/0141
Email: mediaenquiries@trl.co.uk

Child Car Seat Checks at Tesco in Wokingham

Fri, 03 Feb 2012

TRL Child Safety Centre, in conjunction with Wokingham Borough Council is offering FREE child car seat checks at the Tesco Superstore, Finchampstead Road, Wokingham during half term week on Wednesday 15 and Thursday 16 February from 10.00am - 3.00pm.

Click here for more details.

First QWIRC (Quick Win Innovation to reduce Congestion) Note Published

Thu, 02 Feb 2012

The annual cost to the UK economy resulting from congestion caused by utility street works has been estimated at £4.3 Billion and this figure does not include the congestion costs associated with road maintenance works undertaken by local authorities. In London alone, the annual cost of congestion resulting from both street and road works is estimated to be £750M, of which at least £300M occurs on the Transport for London Road Network (TLRN). Thus there is a clear need to develop and promote the use of innovative methods and techniques that could reduce the congestion resulting from these works.

Further incentive for the use of innovative techniques to reduce traffic congestion will arise from the Lane Rental Scheme which is due to be introduced by TfL in June 2012. The charge to those excavating in the carriageway will be based on the length of time that the carriageway is unavailable to traffic during peak periods and therefore any techniques that can reduce the loss of lanes to traffic (and thereby reduce the charge) will be of benefit.

In June 2011 TRL began work on an 18-month project, jointly funded by the Department for Transport (DfT) and Transport for London (TfL), to investigate three techniques that might be used to reduce congestion and, hence, lane rental charges. These are: Plating and bridging systems to cover excavations in the carriageway; Temporary backfill materials to fill openings in carriageways, thereby opening the road to traffic at certain times during the works; and Rapid-cure materials for permanent reinstatements, thereby shortening the duration of the works and associated congestion. The project is also reviewing other techniques that reduce the occupation time on the highway. Guidance information that can help the industry is being publicised through QWIRC (Quick win Innovation to reduce Congestion) Notes.

The first Note, QWIRC1, is on the use of Core and Vac, a technique that can significantly reduce the duration of some works. You can download a copy by clicking here

Appia and TRL - The Best of Both Worlds

Tue, 10 Jan 2012

Appia Infrastructure Solutions and TRL are delighted to announce their agreement to work in partnership in the delivery of enhanced highways and infrastructure asset management solutions for local authority and national road networks, both in the UK and around the world.

This agreement strengthens the existing excellent working relationship that the two organisations have developed in recent years and combines TRL's acknowledged position as world-leading transport research and consultancy experts with Appia's expertise as a leading highway and pavement management consultancy and their innovative asset management software.

Appia and TRL are collaborating to further develop Appia's Scheme Engineer® family of software products to provide enhanced asset management analysis and modelling capabilities. These developments will include methods and models for advanced asset management, drawing upon TRL's extensive research base and in-house technical expertise to deliver the capability that asset managers have been requesting to meet business needs.

At the same time Appia will have access to TRL's considerable research expertise and knowledge to support further development of custom and standard modelling within Scheme Engineer®, and to facilitate the develop of new models and approaches.

Appia and TRL will provide a range of solutions designed to meet client's asset management needs across their entire range of consultancy, training and software needs.

This closer working relationship was formally announced by Barry Cleave, Head of Asset Management for TRL and Peter Davidson of Appia, at Appia's Asset Management Training conference in 2011.

About Scheme Engineer®

Scheme Engineer® is Appia's core software product that can be used as a stand-alone Pavement Management System or can be operated alongside an existing UKPMS system, that provides a range of functionality that includes:

• Identifying Scheme Locations and Treatment Types
• Scheme costs (budgeting)
• Value Management & Whole Life Costing
• Condition Projection and Forward Works Programming
• Asset Valuation (GRC and DRC)
• Skid Policy management
• Performance reporting and service levels

In addition to the core Scheme Engineer® product are four related products that can be operated as stand-alone installations or alternatively, integrated with Scheme Engineer®.
1. SE®_data provides the functionality of a "Tranche 1" UKPMS System, allowing data to be loaded, managed and exported in a range of standard formats.
2. SE®_map allows the asset data within Scheme Engineer to be displayed and interacted with on a map background, including the production of "RAG" (red-amber-green) maps.
3. SE®_survey is handheld computer software for carrying out visual surveys including UKPMS Visual Inspections, routine safety inspections and bespoke engineering surveys.
4. SE®_video allows digital video surveys to be displayed, for asset inventory data to be extracted, and for the video data to be displayed alongside the related asset data within Scheme Engineer®.

Notes to Editors

About TRL

TRL, based in Crowthorne, Berkshire, is the UK's leading transport research laboratory. Commercially independent, it is recognised internationally for providing consultancy, research, advice and solutions on wide range of transport issues, and has many world renowned experts in their field.
Key areas of work for TRL include transport infrastructure, road, network and vehicle safety, traffic management, planning and control, investigations and risk management, climate change, human behaviour and security. Facilities include a self contained road network, 3.8 km test track, DigiSim - driving simulator centre, structures hall, pavement and impact test facilities.

About Appia Infrastructure Solutions

Appia Infrastructure Solutions provide consultancy and software to support the management of highways and other infrastructure assets, and comprise a team of experienced professionals that includes specialists in highways and asset management, software development, data management and materials and pavement engineering.

Appia specialise in helping local authorities and other organisations to be more effective in their highways, pavement and asset management and offer a range of services and software to organisations looking to get best value from their highways asset management data and plans. Data management experience includes pavement condition data (SCANNER, SCRIM, UKPMS, FWD, Deflectograph, GPR and FNS), asset inventory data, construction data and spatial data.

Images of Peter Davidson (Appia) and Barry Cleave (TRL), together with the TRL and Appia Logo are available on request

Issued by TRL's Communications Team
For all media enquiries, please contact Mary Treen or Sarah Bailey (TRL)
Email: mediaenquiries@trl.co.uk
Tel: +44 (0) 1344 70514/0141

Or
Andy Pickett (Appia)
Email: andy.pickett@appia-uk.com
Tel: +44 (0) 7825 565506

Traffic engineering community of tomorrow to benefit from two TRL initiatives

Wed, 07 Dec 2011

At a time when the traffic industry community is concerned at its aging population, TRL has announced two initiatives in support of "new blood" coming into the traffic engineering world and to assist in quality data capture and best practice.

In the first, TRL has announced that TRANSYT 14 is to be shipped under a Student Licence, the first of its products to do so. This will enable students studying traffic engineering around the world to have a fully functional version of TRANSYT 14 on a 9-month licence. Phil Knight, Senior Traffic Engineer at TRL says: "Gaining knowledge of the product and being able to work on a dissertation in a student's own time and at their own pace, is a step that should improve the quality of the engineer coming through into industry, making employment that one step closer."

In a second move, traffic engineers around the globe can take advantage of a seasonal gift from TRL as for a limited time TrafApps is available FREE of charge.

TrafApps was launched earlier this year with the re-engineering of SATFLOW and MOVASPEED - two of the most popular programs from TRL's original Traffic Engineering Software BUNDLE - and is now able to run on an iPhone, iPod touch and iPad.

TrafApps makes good use of the facilities that modern smart phones offer, such as using the device's build-in GPS capability to populate the Site Name and Location coordinates. Additionally, when using TrafApps on any email enabled iOS device, you can easily send a report containing the results even before you get back to the office.

TrafApps can be downloaded from the iTunes website, the App Store: for more information, visit click here.

"Creating the future of transport" means more than just a strapline to TRL: with these two initiatives, TRL is not only providing tools to the transport industry to help them achieve a better quality job, but is also assisting those in education to gain experience and be better prepared for their future.

For more information on any TRL Software product please contact:

TRL Software
Tel: +44 (0) 1344 770758
Email: software@trl.co.uk
Website: www.trlsoftware.co.uk

Issued by TRL Communications Team
For further information, please contact Mary Treen or Sarah Bailey
Tel: +44 (0) 1344 770514/0141
Email: mediaenquiries@trl.co.uk

Notes to Editors

iPad, iPhone and iPod touch are registered trademarks of Apple Inc. iOS is a registered trademark of Cisco in the U.S. and other countries.

Safety Training for Motorcyclists

Fri, 02 Dec 2011

TRL needs your help!

TRL is developing a short training package focused on increasing motorcyclists' safety.

We are looking for learner riders with less than three years' motorcycle or moped riding experience to take part in this research.

Participants will be invited to a short training session with other learner riders, and will then be asked to provide feedback. The session will be held as a round-table discussion at TRL's offices in Crowthorne and will take up to 2 hours. You will not need to bring your motorbike / moped with you.

All participants will receive £20 as a thank you

Our next sessions will be in January

To take part, or for more details, contact:

Emma Delmonte edelmonte@trl.co.uk 01344 770 503

Malcolm Palmer mpalmer@trl.co.uk 01344 770 952

BVRLA Car Rental Report

Thu, 01 Dec 2011

BVRLA commissioned TRL to study the environmental and sustainability implications of vehicle rental.

A copy of the full BVRLA press release can be accessed here

innovITS ADVANCE demonstrates comprehensive eCall test and certification capability

Wed, 30 Nov 2011

New European automatic communication system aimed at reducing emergency services response time to accidents involving eCall equipped vehicles - tests at innovITS ADVANCE have demonstrated this UK facility's capability to evaluate the performance of products incorporating eCall.

Prompted by the need for automakers and their Tier 1 suppliers to supply eCall equipped products to the European markets adopting this technology, innovITS ADVANCE has carried out a demonstration of capability in the area of eCall testing and certification. With its independent and fully controllable private GSM network and Skyclone GNSS denial capabilities, innovITS ADVANCE is uniquely placed to provide an environment in which eCall systems can be tested under all conditions of signal quality and attenuation.

To find out more, please click here.

TRL sponsors Low Carbon Champions Award

Wed, 16 Nov 2011

TRL was delighted to present the ‘Low Carbon Vehicle Operator of the Year' award to Stagecoach at this year's LowCVP Low Carbon Champions Awards ceremony.

The Awards, which recognise best practice in the drive to cut carbon emissions from road transport, were presented at a Gala reception in London on 14 November - an event organised by the Low Carbon Vehicle Partnership (LowCVP) in association with the Institution of Mechanical Engineers.

The judges chose the Stagecoach Group as the Low Carbon Vehicle Operator of the Year because of its commitment to reduce the carbon footprint of its bus and rail services across the UK and North America. The Group has in place a comprehensive Sustainable Strategy and has implemented a number of measures to reduce the impact of its operations on the environment.

Image on the right shows Lindsay Reid, Stagecoach Group collecting the award from TRL's Iwan Parry and Neville Jackson, LowCVP Chair

Issued by TRL's Communications Team
For more information, please contact Sarah Bailey or Mary Treen
Tel: +44 (0) 1344 770141/0514
Email: mediaenquiries@trl.co.uk

Enabling Protection for Older Children

Wed, 09 Nov 2011

9th Protection of Children in Cars International Conference
01 - 02 December 2011
TÜV SÜD Auditorium Chiemsee, Munich, Germany

COVER Workshop on Child Safety
13 - 15 March 2012
Technical University of Berlin, Germany

TRL has led a successful consortium in a major EU 7th Framework project, known as EPOCh (Enabling Protection for Older Children). The project has been engaged in ground-breaking research, driving the improvement of safety for older children travelling in vehicles.

The project has specified, produced and validated a state of the art child dummy (Q10), representing older children travelling in vehicles. In addition protocols and test procedures have been expanded to carry out impact tests for restraint systems designed to protect older and larger children in vehicle collisions.

The results of this research will directly impact European and potentially worldwide testing.

The EPOCh partners are TRL, Humanetics, IDIADA, Dorel and the University of Surrey.

Details of this groundbreaking work will be presented by consortium partners, in a summary at the Protection of Children in Cars Conference in December 2011 and in more depth in March 2012 at the COVER Workshop on Child Safety.

For more information on the Protection of Children in Cars Conference and how to register, please click here.

If you wish to attend the free COVER Workshop, please click here for registration.

For further information on TRL's Child Safety Centre, please click here.

Issued by TRL's Communications Team

For more information, please contact Sarah Bailey or Mary Treen
Tel: +44 (0) 1344 770141/0514
Email: mediaenquiries@trl.co.uk

GEF Sustran East Africa Newsletter is launched

Tue, 01 Nov 2011

The project "Promoting Sustainable Transport Solutions for East Africa" (GEF Sustran East Africa) is funded by the Global Environmental Facility (GEF). It aims to reduce growth in private motorized vehicles, thus reducing traffic congestion and greenhouse gas emissions in the three capital cities of Ethiopia, Uganda, and Kenya.
TRL is leading the Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, part of the project, providing technical assistance and support to the Ministry of Transport and the Addis Ababa Transport Authority. Part of this work will include supporting the design of a sustainable transport demonstration corridor to show the effectiveness of a multimodal approach.

This will include various greenhouse gas emission reducing measures such as:

Bus rapid transit
Non-motorised transport
Travel demand management

If you would like to know more about this project, the GEF Sustrans project website, provides further details of the project's objectives, its partners, and enables those who are interested to subscribe to the project newsletter.

Issued by TRL's Communications Team

For more information, please contact Mary Treen or Sarah Bailey

Tel: +44 (0) 1344 770514/0141

Email: mediaenquiries@trl.co.uk

Bridging the Gap in Panama City

Tue, 18 Oct 2011

The Bridging the Gap Initiative* hosted an interactive side event entitled "Sustainable low carbon transport: accessing support under the UNFCCC", in the UNFCCC Climate Change talks that were held at the beginning of October in Panama City.

TRL's newly appointed Programme Director for Sustainable Transport, Heather Allen, provided an introduction to the Bridging the Gap Initiative and its efforts in promoting sustainable low carbon transport in developing countries. Heather particularly emphasized the many co-benefits that could arise from the implementation of National Appropriate Mitigation Actions (NAMA) in the transport sector.

This was followed by presentations from Harald Diaz-Bone of GIZ who gave a summary of the new GIZ project on transport NAMAs "Transfer towards climate-friendly transport technologies and activities" and Ramon Cruz of ITDP who spoke of a practical vision towards "Access to Climate Change Funding for Sustainable Transport".

All three presentations were followed by an interactive session, facilitated by Heather, which focused on how countries can reduce emissions from transport and how the developing world can make this a reality. Discussions revolved around the limited scope for supporting sustainable transport from international financing mechanisms and this was highlighted as something that needed to change in the future. The greatest potential it was felt could be gained from the inclusion of transport in NAMAs and several countries are already considering how best to do this.

For more information on the event, click here.

*Bridging the Gap

The transport sector contributes to 23% of energy-related CO2 emissions and is the fastest growing sector in terms of GHG emissions in developing countries.

To encourage international action and to slow down this growth, GIZ, Veolia Transdev, ITDP, UITP and TRL joined forces in 2009 to encourage the recognition that transport can and should play in mitigating GHG emissions. Together they hope to ensure that a Post 2012 Agreement will be fully applicable to the sustainable land transport sector. The initiative is strengthened further by contributing to the Sustainable Low Carbon Transport Partnership, of which all Bridging the Gap members are a part.

Issued by the TRL Communications Team

For more details please contact:

Mary Treen/Sarah Bailey

Tel: +44 (0) 1344 770514/770141

Email: mediaenquiries@trl.co.uk

PPR573 - Investigating the likely effects in the UK if EU regulations were amended to permit articulated vehicles to be 19.4m long or with a GVW of 44 tonnes on 5 axles

Thu, 13 Oct 2011

To download a copy of this report, please click here

Child Car Seat Checks in Wokingham

Thu, 06 Oct 2011

TRL Child Safety Centre, in conjuntion with Good Egg and Wokingham Borough Council is offering FREE child car seat checks at the Tesco Superstore, Finchampstead Road, Wokingham on Thursday 13 and Friday 14 October 2011 from 10.00am - 3.00pm.

Click here for more details.

TEST - Tool for Evaluating Strategies for Traffic

Thu, 06 Oct 2011

TRL has formally launched its latest software product to help keep the UK's roads moving when an incident or planned event threatens to create significant congestion.

TEST - Tool for Evaluating Strategies for Traffic - has been developed for operators of Traffic Control Centres to predict the consequences of actions they undertake on their network, in response to an incident.

Incidents, events and road works all have the potential to impact traffic patterns and flows and can often cause significant congestion and delay to the travelling public. Under the Traffic Management Act (TMA) 2004, Part 2, Local Highway Authorities (LHAs) are required to expand their existing planning beyond managing traffic on their own road network, to assessing the potential impact of any traffic management plans on neighbouring LHAs' networks as well.

Uniquely, TEST uses traffic PTV's VISSIM micro-simulation package integrated with real time signal control mechanisms such as SCOOT (Split Cycle and Offset Optimisation Technique) and MOVA (Microprocessor Optimised Vehicle Actuation) to evaluate signal strategies, the only tool of its type to do so.

This enables operators to plan for events by asking "What if?" questions of the software. For example: "What if next time a vehicle breaks down in this stretch of one-way road, I change the signals to allow more green time?" The software allows different signal settings to be trialled and comparison of the results of different strategies to be viewed. In this way, operators can decide upon an effective strategy for an event and export this onto the street the next time such an event occurs.

The benefits of using TEST are many. Operational efficiencies can be gained by testing offline multiple options for routes, lane closures and traffic signal plans prior to a planned event; or through the testing of new signalised junctions prior to their installation. This ensures the optimal, right first time operation of the junction at the implementation phase. This reduces bedding in times and allows road users to realise the benefits from the outset.

Integrating TEST into the operator environment can also bring significant improvements to road user perception and satisfaction, by providing a smoother and more consistent experience to drivers through applying the most appropriate traffic signals and plans for a given scenario.

TEST also delivers economic benefits by reducing congestion and delay by maximising the capacity of the existing road space, while maintaining shorter and more reliable journey times.

Finally, TEST has been designed based on open architecture standards, is user friendly, with users needing no previous micro-simulation experience to work with the tool.

Anyone interested in knowing more about TEST should contact:

Kate Fuller

kfuller@trl.co.uk

+44 (0)1344 770830

Notes to Editors:

The TEST logo and screen dumps are available electronically by contacting the Communications Team.

Issued by TRL's Communications Team
For more information please contact Mary Treen or Sarah Bailey.
Tel: +44 (0) 1344 770514/0141
Email: mediaenquiries@trl.co.uk

Carbon Aware Cities: A Multi-Disciplinary Approach to Low Carbon Transport Systems

Tue, 27 Sep 2011

CATCH Final Conference
Tuesday 13 December 2011
University of West of England, Bristol, UK

TRL has been involved in a major EU 7th Framework project known as CATCH, which has conducted ground-breaking research into how information about climate change and transport should be communicated to encourage the transition to a low carbon system. This requires a radical shift in how we move; the introduction of new technology and importantly, how we behave as individuals and how we plan and measure transport interventions.

As part of this project, TRL has been conducting interviews and focus groups and dissemination events. In addition, we have been providing project advice based on our European and international experience in the fields of sustainable transport and climate change policy. Crucially, we have been maintaining the link between the implications of this project that predominantly focuses on transport policy on a city level, with the international policy arena, particularly in regard to climate change.

As this final CATCH conference, TRL's Heather Allen, Sustainable Transport Director and Anne Binstead, Senior Consultant, Transport and Environmental Policy will be talking about climate change and transport: the need for action on an international level.

In a separate session, Derek Palmer, Head of Sustainable Transport Planning, TRL, will give the reasons as to why investing in low carbon transport is the only sensible option.

For more information on this free to attend event, please click here.

TRL wins major sustainable project in Qatar

Fri, 09 Sep 2011

TRL is to look at the innovative use of recycled and secondary aggregate materials in construction, in a project awarded as part of the National Priority Research Programme (NPRP) of the Qatar National Research Fund (QNRF), Qatar Foundation.

Qatar is currently experiencing rapid development of its infrastructure, requiring a sustainable supply of construction materials. However, there is a shortage of raw materials and the industry for the most part is reliant on imported materials, with less control over quality and prices.

TRL, in collaboration with Qatar Standards (Ministry of Environment) and support partners Qatar University and Qatar Construction & Development Company (a local aggregate supplier), will be looking into the use of recycled and secondary aggregates (RSA) of equivalent performance to replace a significant proportion of the virgin materials particularly in high-value applications. The project will also identify main streams of RSA and reliable supply chains. The materials will be put through rigorous laboratory and full scale trials to give confidence in their use. Guidelines and standards on product development and use will also be developed, for relevant stakeholders.

The use of RSA will not only contribute to sustainable development, but will bring added environmental and economic benefits:

Development of innovative construction products from wastes;
Less reliance on imported raw materials;
Cost savings;
Environmental benefits by reducing transportation of materials and disposal of wastes;
Reduction in project delays due to shortages of materials; and
Development of new business opportunities with jobs associated for processing and marketing of RSA.

The project will run for 3 years.

Notes to Editors

TRL, the UK's Transport Research Laboratory, is an internationally recognised centre of excellence, providing research, consultancy, advice and solutions across a broad range of transport issues to both public and private sector clients.

Commercially independent and with over 75 years knowledge and experience embedded in its history, key areas of work include traffic management, planning and control; road, network and vehicle safety; product testing and certification; investigations and risk management; infrastructure capabilities in pavements, structures and geotechnics; sustainable mobility; rail; low carbon vehicles; environmental consultancy and assessment, covering climate adaptation and mitigation, noise and air quality monitoring.

TRL is part of the Qatar Science & Technology Park, where it is the focal point for all TRL activities in Qatar.

Issued by TRL's Communication Team

For further details, please contact Mary Treen or Sarah Bailey
Tel: +44 (0) 1344 770514/0141
Email: mediaenquiries@trl.co.uk

TrafApps, TRL's first iPhone App, is launched

Wed, 07 Sep 2011

In today's world where there is a constant pressure to do things faster and more efficiently, the words "If only I had more time . . . where did that day go!" are no doubt familiar to many. In response to this challenge, TRL is carving a pathway to streamline and integrate processes to help traffic engineers become more efficient by maximising that valuable commodity - time.

To facilitate this process further, TRL has launched TrafApps. TrafApps is not just a new name for a familiar product - TRL's original "Traffic Engineering Software BUNDLE" - it is also moved to a modern platform. The two most popular programs from BUNDLE - SATFLOW¹ and MOVASPEED² - have been re-engineered to run on an iPhone³, iPod touch³, and iPad³.

TrafApps makes good use of the facilities that modern smart phones offer, such as using the device's build-in GPS capability to populate the Site Name and Location coordinates using a map. Additionally, when using TrafApps on any iOS device with access to email, you can easily and simply send a report of the results so that you can pick them up later or send them to a colleague to make use of even before you get back to the office.

TRL's expert developer team, however, are not resting on their laurels. Looking to the future, TrafApps will be developed further to include the other two programs - STC and CFP.

STC is a generalised traffic counter, designed with the need to collect accurate and reliable site-specific data for use by TRL's ARCADY and PICADY software products. CFP collects Cyclic Flow Profiles which are very useful for calibrating and validating all types of TRANSYT model.

But that's not all. Survey data collection can be a time-hungry process and TRL is looking to make the manipulation of manually collected data as fast and efficient as it can be.

Watch out for further announcements to come as we start to integrate TRL's innovative products into various Traffic Engineering processes.

Notes to Editors

1 SATFLOW allows one person to measure saturation flows and start and end lags for approaches to traffic signals. Using SATFLOW allows one person on their own to adhere to the particular TRL-developed data collection methodology which ensures accurate measurements of saturation flows and start and end displacements/lags. The alternative of manually counting traffic without the aid of software would be particularly demanding and prone to inaccuracies.

2 MOVASPEED allows one person to derive "cruise speeds" and measure traffic speeds in other situations. This speed is the 85th percentile of the mean free-flow approach speed (per lane) when the traffic signals are green and there are no queues ahead to inhibit the arriving traffic. Accurate cruise speeds are vitally important to the successful implementation of TRL's vehicle-responsive method of controlling isolated traffic signals - MOVA.

3 Requires iOS 4. iPad, iPhone and iPod touch are registered trademarks of Apple Inc. iOS is a registered trademark of Cisco in the U.S. and other countries.

For more information on any TRL Software product please contact:

TRL Software
Tel: +44 (0) 1344 770758
Email: software@trl.co.uk
Website: www.trlsoftware.co.uk

Issued by TRL Communications Team
For further information, please contact Mary Treen or Sarah Bailey
Tel: +44 (0) 1344 770514/0141
Email: mediaenquiries@trl.co.uk

TRL at Cold Comfort 2011

Fri, 02 Sep 2011

TRL's Mark Benton, Team Leader Asset Management, is to speak at this year's Cold Comfort 2-day conference, which is being held at The Ricoh Arena, Coventry on September 20 and 21.

Mark will focus on the recent NWSRG Practical Guidance for Winter Service relating to reduced salt spread rates.

He will outline what can be achieved and the limitations; barriers to be overcome and, what solutions/actions can be undertaken to be able to use the lower spread rates, including storage, de-icer material selection, vehicle technology and vehicle calibration. With 12 tables of spread rates and four primary conditions that need to be met to use the lowest spread rates, Mark will explain the critical factors that affect the use of these tables.

The presentation will also touch on guidance for extreme cold conditions.

More information on TRL's Winter Services can be found by clicking here.

Issued by TRL's Communications Team
For more information please contact Mary Treen or Sarah Bailey
Tel: +44 (0) 1344 770514/0141
Email: mediaenquiries@trl.co.uk

Heather Allen joins TRL

Tue, 23 Aug 2011

TRL is delighted to announce that Heather Allen has recently joined their Transportation Division as Programme Director Sustainable Transport. Heather is a recognized international expert in urban transport and sustainable development and brings to TRL nearly 15 years of invaluable experience in this field.

She joins from UITP, the Brussels based international Association of Public Transport where she set up UITP's Charter on Sustainable Development programme which became a gold standard for voluntary commitments. More recently Heather set up the introduction of an internet based reporting tool for the sector.

Her work with international agencies such as the United Nations Environment Programme, UNHABITAT and the UNFCCC climate change programme will also help reinforce TRL's international outreach. Heather is a member of the Transportation Research Board Committee on Transportation in Developing Countries.

At TRL, she will be leading the team on climate change with the multi-stakeholder initiative entitled Bridging the Gap*, as well as developing projects on sustainable urban transport particularly in the developing world.

"TRL is a leading force in many areas of transport, so I am really delighted to be joining them," Heather says. "Transport and particularly urban transport is a hot topic all over the world and there is a huge potential to take TRL's solid scientific research and experience, especially in training, to a wider public. I have already been part of their international climate change work on land transport and it is a great opportunity for me to be able to share my experience in sustainable development and urban transport with them. TRL has an excellent reputation and I am excited to be taking up this new challenge."

Notes to Editors

* Bridging the Gap brings together a group of international experts from transport institutes and research organizations including GIZ, Veolia Transdev, ITDP, UITP and TRL who are looking to encourage recognition of the role that transport can and should play in mitigating GHG emissions. The initiative is strengthened further by contributing to the Sustainable Low Carbon Transport Partnership, of which all Bridging the Gap members are a part.

** A photo of Heather Allen is available on request.

Issued by TRL's Communication Team
For further information, please contact Mary Treen or Sarah Bailey
Tel: +44 (0) 1344 770514/0141
Email: mediaenquiries@trl.co.uk

New Collaboration will Deliver Fresh Thinking For Rail

Tue, 23 Aug 2011

RSSB and TRL have agreed a strategic partnership that is set to share and combine research expertise in transport with their specific experience in the road and rail sectors. Each organisation has a common vision to enhance the value of their services to RSSB members and TRL's customers around the world. The partnership has been established to enable the development and application of world class transport research, innovation and technology and will provide a joint platform to deliver better value and efficiencies.

‘This partnership will build on a wealth of experience in rail and transport and will enable both organisations to develop and deliver new, cost-effective, solutions to a broader transport market, as well as the international rail industry,' commented Sue Sharland (Chief Executive of TRL). She went on ‘Complementary skills, innovative thinking and the ability to link in with evolving technologies mean that both organisations can work together to deliver new and real benefits to every aspect of rail operations, as well as a broader transport market'.

‘There is the opportunity to unlock a great deal of potential within this unique combination,' says Len Porter (Chief Executive of RSSB). He added: ‘We have identified how knowledge can be exchanged through RSSB's technical and research experts and TRL's Chief Scientist network. We are also working together to share thinking between different transport modes and deliver maximum value where these overlap.'

The primary focus of the partnership will be:

Providing broader and better access to transport, road and rail research and developing better integration of thinking to deliver real value solutions
Drawing together technical expertise on transport sustainability, climate change and energy issues with a focus on protecting and future-proofing critical transport networks
Exploring and securing new initiatives and funding streams at an international level (both in Europe and across other parts of the world)

All the above will involve both organisations working together to pool thinking, jointly exploiting Intellectual Property, software development and knowledge management with opportunities already being identified for the sharing of knowledge, resources and facilities.

Professor Neil Paulley who is Chief Scientist of the TRL Academy concludes that: ‘The established TRL Academy is already working with RSSB knowledge experts and the potential for this partnership to create technical solutions that can deliver real step-change in transport network performance, cost savings for operators and efficiencies in delivery of innovative thinking is huge'.

For further information, including a photograph of the signing, please contact:
RSSB press office, contact Matt Clements or Diana Lucas
Tel 020 3142 5332 / 5331 or email pressoffice@rssb.co.uk or visit www.rssb.co.uk
TRL Communications Team, contact Mary Treen or Sarah Bailey
Tel: 01344 770514 / 0141 or email: mediaenquiries@trl.co.uk or visit www.trl.co.uk

RSSB builds industry-wide consensus and facilitates the resolution of difficult cross-industry issues. It provides knowledge, analysis, a substantial level of technical expertise and powerful information and risk management tools. This delivers a unique mix to the industry across a whole range of subject areas - with the aim of:

Driving out unnecessary cost
Improving business performance
Where reasonably practicable, continuously improving the level of safety in the rail industry

RSSB manages the rail industry's research and development (R&D) programme, which covers ‘systems' issues across the railway, engineering interfaces within the railway, and interfaces with other parts of the community and society. It's also instrumental in supporting the development of a future vision for the railways - including its technical strategy and sustainable development - and assessing how that vision can best be delivered. A major benefit for industry is that the programme represents an efficient and cost-effective means for the industry to research, develop and problem-solve whilst retaining ownership and direction of the products through RSSB.

Step Change Approach for Scotland's Trunk Roads is Good News for Road Users

Wed, 03 Aug 2011

A new surface course specification developed by Transport Scotland and TRL for the Scottish Trunk Road Network, should help deliver significant improvements in material durability, which ultimately will result in less disruption to road users generated by road construction and maintenance.

So how has this come about?

Following on from European developments in asphalt technology in the mid 1990s, a change in the type of road surfacing, known as thin surfacing, was introduced across the UK. These proprietary surfacing systems came with a range of benefits including improved deformation resistance, speed of application, noise and spray reduction and changes to traffic management practices.
Initially welcomed by both the road industry and road users in Scotland, by 2006 incidents were being reported of surface deterioration after only short periods in service. Safety concerns were also expressed due to a possible loss of skid resistance.

In response to this, Transport Scotland commissioned a review of the performance of thin surfacings as laid on the Scottish Trunk Road Network by TRL. The review encompassed site inspections to identify and quantify surfacing defects and a series of workshops to discuss the findings and to find possible remedies to improve the performance of the surfacing.

Out of the workshops the Transport Scotland Pavement Forum (TSPF) was established who implemented annual monitoring of the surfaces, to provide an estimate of service life based on performance. This resulted in a major recommendation being made that efforts should be made to reduce the open nature of the materials by specifying denser binder rich mixes and smaller stone sizes.

A series of road trials followed using different sized aggregates based on German specifications and experience where the use of smaller aggregate sizes and higher binder content are used to enhance material durability. Study visits were also made to Germany both before and after the trials, initially to gain knowledge and then to refine the development of a new surface course specification for Scotland.

As a result of this work, Transport Scotland has been able to give final approval to a new surface course specification1 for the Trunk Road Network in Scotland2. It marks a step change in approach for specifying surfacing material and should provide key benefits in terms of material durability and value for money, something to be welcomed at a time of reduced funding.

And for road users, this means they should suffer less disruption to the network caused by construction and maintenance works.

Notes to Editors
1 The key elements of the new specification are:

Strict grading requirements to ensure the correct extent of gap grading;
High polymer modified binder content;
Maximum air void content;
Gritting of all new surfaces;
The addition of cellulose fibres; and
Performance based in-service skid resistance requirement.

2 A report published by TRL (TRL670) describes the development of the new surface course specification and is available for purchase from TRL's online store. Click here and insert the search term TRL670

Issued by TRL Communications Team
For further information, please contact Mary Treen or Sarah Bailey
Tel: + 44(0)1344 770514/0141
Email: mediaenquiries@trl.co.uk
www.trl.co.uk

TRL Paper Wins World Road Congress Success

Mon, 01 Aug 2011

A paper that looks to the future of road design has been awarded the top essay prize for Road Design and Road Construction at the forthcoming XXIV World Road Congress in Mexico.

"The Forever Open Road - Defining the Next Generation Road" was written by TRL's Martin Lamb, Regional Manager - Wales, and Bob Collis, Director Infrastructure. The Forever Open Road programme aims to create the next generation road; one which is adaptable, automated and resilient.

This winning paper describes the Forever Open Road concept, the programme of research and calls for future research funding to deliver a comprehensive strategy that creates a new generation road that can be adopted across Europe, rather than continue with the current "hit and miss" approach to research.

The Forever Open Road concept forms the flagship research programme of the Forum of Highways Research Laboratories (FEHRL). Technology trials that support the concept are already underway and planned research will lead to large-scale demonstration projects showing how the next generation road will work.

The paper has also been awarded "Best UK Paper Submitted for WRA Congress 2011" by the WRA UK National Committee.

Martin Lamb will travel to Mexico City in late September to collect the award at the opening ceremony and then present the paper at a special winners' session.

Issued by TRL's Communication Team
For more information please contact Mary Treen or Sarah Bailey
Tel: +44 (0) 1344 770514/0141
Email: mediaenquiries@trl.co.uk

Supply Chain Success for TRL

Wed, 27 Jul 2011

TRL is delighted to have been part of the winning team that took the Chartered Institute of Highways (CIHT) award for "Effective Partnerships 2011". The team in question is the Area 3 Supply Chain Community, led by Enterprise Mouchel.

The supply chain is large and diverse and a significant investment was made in a supply chain initiative to facilitate a "One Team, One Theme" approach to service delivery. TRL's Gwynne Gryce, Business Development Manager, Infrastructure, is involved in the Supply Chain's Performance Group helping to ensure that key performance indicators are met, through a specially devised Area 3 Supply Chain Measurement Toolkit. The group meets every 2 months to review progress, feeding back the results to a whole supply chain workshop held twice a year. "This is a unique and refreshing way of working" says Gryce Gwynne, "and through it, you get to meet and know the whole supply chain." They also publish a half-yearly newsletter.

The Effective Partnership award recognises the achievements partnership relationships in the development and/or delivery of transport solutions. In this instance, the judges were particularly impressed by the achievements of a large and diverse partnership and how the whole supply chain were encouraged to support the wide spread delivery of key objectives.

Earlier this year, the Group also won the "Partnership Award" at the Mouchel Excellence Awards.

Issued by TRL's Communication Team
For further information please contact Mary Treen/Sarah Bailey
Tel: +44 (0) 1344 770514/0141
Email: mediaenquiries@trlo.co.uk

TRL Transport Events Diary is launched

Tue, 26 Jul 2011

As part of our strategy to develop the web-based TRL Newshub, we have launched an international Transport Events Diary.

This gives transport professionals the opportunity to keep track of the numerous industry events that take place month by month, year on year. "We want to provide information not only across the UK but internationally as well," comments Mary Treen, Senior Communications and Marketing Manager. She adds, "But more than this, event organisers are able to upload details of forthcoming events FREE of charge, including a direct link to their own event website."

As well as the Transport Events Diary, the TRL Newshub contains the latest independently sourced transport news, and includes links to TRL images and videos. Since the launch of its Newshub early last year, visitors to TRL's website have increased by an estimated 20%.

Conferences, exhibitions and events provide an ideal opportunity to keep in touch with changing policy, transport strategy and technology developments; to showcase new products; as well as offering good network opportunities to keep in touch with industry news. TRL is all about creating the future of transport: this is one way to keep in touch with that future.

Issued by TRL's Communication Team
For more information, please contact Mary Treen or Sarah Bailey.
Tel: +44 (0) 1344 770514/0141
Email: mediaenquiries@trl.co.uk

TRL evidence crucial in Malcolm Webster conviction

Thu, 21 Jul 2011

Crucial evidence supplied by TRL in the trial of Malcolm Webster, resulted in him being sentenced to 30 years in jail earlier this month, after being found guilty of murdering his first wife in a car fire and attempting to kill his second in similar circumstances.

Evidence provided by TRL at his trial proved beyond doubt that Mr Webster's version of events concerning the death of his first wife was simply not true. Webster claimed that one night in 1994 whilst driving along an unlit road in Scotland, he swerved to avoid an oncoming motorcyclist and crashed into a tree within a wooded area. Subsequently, the car caught fire and his wife was burnt alive.

The incident was investigated at the time as a tragic accident, after which Mr Webster emigrated, ending up in New Zealand. Many years later following a similar incident involving his second wife, questions were raised concerning the original Scottish accident.

As a result, in 2010 TRL was asked to assist Grampian Police, on a cold case basis, to see whether the physical evidence available from the crash site corresponded to the version of events given by Mr Webster; or whether the incident was in fact a staged event, to cover up a murder committed to obtain money from a life insurance policy.

Starting with a scale plan of the accident and photographs of the scene and vehicle, TRL found that the available facts did not fit the accepted version, and decided that a more robust analysis was required.

Using a 3D Laser Scanning System as deployed when investigating the crash that killed Diana, Princess of Wales, TRL Consultant, James Manning mapped out the accident site, comprising the road and the wooded slope into which the car was driven.

Using this 3 dimensional platform as a basis, a ‘model' of the vehicle was driven off the road in avoidance, testing the account given by Mr Webster. The results revealed there was simply no match, as the car went straight past the point where the plans and photographs depicted an impact with a fallen tree.

The model was re-run, with the swerve starting 40m earlier, which did result in a collision with the tree. However, the vehicle was travelling far too fast, which would have caused more extensive vehicle damage than was shown in the photographs.

Two more situations were modelled, based on the vehicle being steered intentionally into the woods at a low speed: dramatically, the resulting impacts were consistent with the physical evidence.

Animations of all four situations were created and presented as evidence to the jury by Stephen Jowitt, Principal Consultant at TRL when Mr Webster was tried for the murder of his first wife at the High Court in Glasgow. After a 3 month trial, the 15 members of the jury took just four hours to find Mr Webster guilty.

TRL also analysed the events leading to the vehicle fire initiation, and concluded that the version of events given by Mr Webster were not tenable, particularly the extended period between the collision and the fire. Mrs Webster would not have been rendered unconscious in the collision and was not trapped; it was later found that she had been fed a large dose of tranquiliser.

Issued by TRL's Communications Team
For more information please contact Sarah Bailey or Mary Treen
Tel: +44 (0)1344 770141 or 770514
Email: mediaenquiries@trl.co.uk

Call for papers for SURF 2012

Tue, 19 Jul 2011

Smooth, Safe, Quiet and Sustainable Travel through Innovative Technologies

The call for papers for the 7th Symposium on Pavement Surface Characteristics has been issued by the current Chairman of the Scientific Committee, TRL's Brian Ferne, Honorary Chief Research Scientist and Chief Technical Advisor - Pavement Engineering. This International Symposium will be held in Virginia, USA in September 2012.

Organised by the World Road Association (PIARC) in partnership with several other US organisations*, TRL has had a long involvement with the World Road Association (PIARC).

Brian has been a member or invited expert member of the WRA/PIARC technical committee dealing with pavement surface characteristics and the interaction between road and vehicle since 1997. Currently, he is a member of the Road Pavements Technical Committee and the associated sub-committee on Surface Characteristics with a particular responsibility for leading the team that reviews all of the deliverables of the committee before they are issued.

The Symposium will bring together a broad audience of stakeholders and will include: sessions based on the formal call for abstracts and papers, with peer-reviews by the scientific committee; technology updates by equipment and data service providers; panel discussions to identify emerging issues, research problems and education needs; and, optional technical visits and an exhibition.

Anyone wanting more details on the call for papers and the Symposium should visit www.surf2012.org

Notes to Editors

* SURF 2012 is organised through the World Road Association (PIARC) in partnership with the America Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO); the Transportation Research Board (TRB); the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), the Virginia Center for Transportation Innovation and Research (VCTIR) and the Center for Sustainable Transportation Infrastructure (CSTI) of the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute (VTTI).

Issued by TRL's Communication Team
For more information or image of Brian Ferne, please contact Mary Treen or Sarah Bailey
Tel: +44 (0) 1344 770514/0141
Email: mediaenquiries@trl.co.uk

TRL charging forward with electric vehicles research

Tue, 12 Jul 2011

TRL has been awarded funding by the Technology Strategy Board to undertake two feasibility studies relating to electric vehicles.

The first study will investigate the recycling of tracked electric vehicles Li-ion (Lithium-ion) batteries. This will explore potential processes for the cost-effective recycling of batteries from the propulsion of low and ultra low carbon vehicles, including detailed process flow and identification of the value of the recovered elements.

The second project will look into the potential development of commercial opportunities for using electric vehicle batteries after their primary use. This will include demonstrating how much energy remains at various stages, its suitability and estimated market demand, particularly for electric storage in the utilities sector.

TRL has a range of capabilities relating to low carbon and electric vehicles and these new projects are adding to this valuable portfolio. Our experience covers:

Safety of plug-in charging infrastructure
Inductive charging
Scenarios for EV take up
Consumer attitudes
Safety of EVs

TRL is also applying its existing knowledge of Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) - distribution of traffic and modelling of network demand, sustainable transport planning, vehicle safety and driver training - to electric and low carbon vehicles. Using our expertise, TRL is able to develop focused, detail testing methodologies and independent assessment of technologies as well as, provide consultancy on holistic, sustainable transport.

The new projects are due to conclude in the Spring of 2012.

Notes to Editors:
1. The Technology Strategy Board awarded 7 projects in total: the others being shared between Axeon Technologies, Energy Cost Advisors Ltd, LiFeBATT Ltd, Narex and OXIS Energy Ltd.
2. The Technology Strategy Board is a business-led government body which works to create economic growth by ensuring that the UK is a global leader in innovation. http://www.innovateuk.org/

Issued by TRL's Communications Team
For more information please contact either Mary Treen or Sarah Bailey
Tel: +44 (0) 1344 770514/0141
Email: mediaenquiries@trl.co.uk

innovITS ADVANCE formally opened

Tue, 28 Jun 2011

innovITS ADVANCE, the international centre for connecting vehicles, highways and telecommunications, was formally opened yesterday (June 27). The new facility represents a world first - a purpose built centre for industry to develop, test and validate ITS products and innovations - and is located in Nuneaton, Warwickshire.

Built in collaboration with innovITS, TRL and MIRA, innovITS ADVANCE features a "city circuit", a comprehensive road network designed to be configurable to replicate an urban driving environment anywhere in the world. It features junctions, intersections, roundabouts and multi-lane highways with a range of road surfaces across an area of 120,0002 metres. This network is equipped with roadside architecture including traffic signals for both left and right side traffic circulation, CCTV and catwalk gantries allowing installation of overhead equipment for testing, monitoring and signage.

The road network is combined with an open architecture of multi-zoned WiFi, GSM, GPRS and 3G private stand-alone mobile telecoms networks plus a Wi-Fi mesh system that can be configured according to the precise needs of particular tests.

Further details regarding the opening and the track itself can be found by clicking here.

TRL Communications Team
For further information please contact Mary Treen or Sarah Bailey
Tel: +44 (0) 1344 770514/0141
Email: mediaenquiries@trl.co.uk

TRL's Jeremy Broughton awarded Honorary Fellowship of IRSO

Mon, 27 Jun 2011

Jeremy Broughton, Honorary Chief Scientist in TRL's Safety Division has been awarded Honorary Fellowship of IRSO, the Institute of Road Safety Officers, for the significant contribution he has made to the road safety profession.

Jeremy's nomination is based on his long career at TRL, playing a lead role in the analysis of compulsory seat belt wearing, assisting in the development of drink-drive legislation, and research into the impact of single/double summer time in Great Britain. IRSO also recognises Jeremy's more recent work towards setting and assessing road safety targets and developing a new system for police officers to record contributory factors as an extension to STATS 19.

Darren Divall, Chairman of IRSO says "We are delighted that Jeremy has accepted an Honorary Fellowship from the Institute. His efforts over many years have played a key role in the improvement of road safety in the UK. We hope that our members may benefit from his experience and that he continues to assist the industry for years to come."

Notes to editors

IRSO is a professional organisation that aims to facilitate the continued professional development of all road safety practitioners to ensure that casualty reduction interventions delivered in England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland are evidence-led, target-driven, examples of best practice and of the highest quality.

IRSO offers Honorary Fellowship to practitioners who are not corporate members of their organisation but who have made a significant contribution to the road safety profession.

Issued by TRL's Media Communications Tream

For further details contact: Sarah Bailey or Mary Treen

Tel: 01344 770141 / 01344 770514

Email: mediaenquiries@trl.co.uk

TRL delivers report to Campaign for Better Transport

Wed, 22 Jun 2011

"Door to Door Journeys" is a report compiled by TRL for Campaign for Better Transport, which sets out the opportunities and challenges that exist for improving door-to-door transport.

If public transport is to offer a real and attractive alternative to cars, it needs to offer the same kind of door-to-door service that cars do. In this report, TRL sets out how government, local authorities and operators need to make improvements around four themes: Information; Interchange; Connections and Ticketing.

It also reflects on the talks of integrated transport that took place under the previous Government and examines the opportunities that currently exist, including the McNulty review on the rail industry and the Competition Commission inquiry into the bus market.

The report which is available from Campaign for Better Transport can be found here was prepared by TRL's Sustainable Transport Planning Group.

TRL's Sustainable Transport Planning Group covers five main interest areas:

Climate change (both mitigation and adaptation, including financing mechanisms);
Environmental assessments (e.g. Strategic Environmental Assessments, Sustainability Appraisals);
Sustainable transport (pedestrian, cycling and public transport studies including Pedestrian Environment Review System - PERS - analyses);
Transport planning (including land-use and transport planning, Local Transport Plans, economic assessments and evaluation); and
Sustainability studies (policy and strategy studies including wider environmental matters and developing Key Performance Indicators).

Issued by TRL's Media Communications Team
For further details, contact Mary Treen or Sarah Bailey
Tel: +44 (0) 1344 770514/0141
Email: mediaenquiries@trl.co.uk

ADAPTATION researchers visit TRL

Tue, 21 Jun 2011

For two days last week, a group of young researchers including ten doctoral students and one post doctoral student, made a successful visit to TRL to further their work within the ADAPTATION project.

ADAPTATION is a Marie Curie Initial Training Network (ITN) set under the seventh Framework Programme, comprising European organisations (universities, research institutes and industrial partners) working on drivers' behaviour research and Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) design. The objective of ITN is to improve the career perspectives of young researchers by taking part in an innovative and ambitious European research programme and by specific training actions to extend the skills of this future generation of academia and industry researchers.

Specifically, ADAPTATION aims to study the whole range of adaptation processes in response to ADAS including not only observable behavioural changes, but also changes in regulatory, cognitive and motivational processes. TRL's Magali Gouy is participating in the programme and is looking at "Adaptation of non-equipped drivers and traffic implications of driver assistance systems".

During their visit, the students were able to see for themselves some of TRL's extensive facilities including the driving simulation centre with its digiCar and digiTruck and instrumented cars and motorcycles being used within other European research projects such as INTERACTION and 2BeSafe.

You 'spoke': TRL listened: the result - TRL's Streetaudit NEW cycling module

Thu, 09 Jun 2011

After receiving overwhelming interest in their Cycling Environment Review System (CERS), TRL has now developed the software package, on-street manual and data collection forms to support investment in cycling across the UK and around the world.

CERS slots in seamlessly into TRL streetaudit, the specialist software package for realising the maximum value of on-street audits. With easy to use tools for showing individual deficiencies and network-wide failures, an in-built GIS mapping module and data analysis functions, the CERS module will become a key tool in the arsenal for providing better provision for cyclists.

With a greater need to demonstrate value for money becoming a recurring theme in facility design and implementation, it's never been more critical to truly understand the performance of current infrastructure before considering the need for investment. The objective framework used in CERS supports this exact aim; ensuring that wider principles of cyclist safety, comfort and attractiveness are all considered as part of any assessment.

TRL has been using the CERS methodology since its inception over a decade ago, across a whole variety of projects including identifying safe cycling routes to schools, contextual facility design, cycling masterplan implementation and better understanding the behaviour of cyclists at various types of facilities.

It can be easy to forget that cyclists are vulnerable road users, especially now that demand for cycling is increasing - but higher levels of ridership means it's even more critical to ensure that cycling networks are actively designed rather than developed as an afterthought to other road users.

After fielding calls from Local Authorities, consultants and international governmental organisations, TRL has worked hard to ensure that they deliver a low cost, innovative and invaluable solution to the market in time for the new financial year.

Notes to Editors
TRL has been at the front of streetscape assessment for many years through its use and development of PERS's for assessing the performance of any pedestrian environment. Used as the defacto standard for justifying investment in walking across a number of Local Authorities, PERS has been used for a whole host of applications including:
• Audits of over 170kms of London streets,
• Measuring levels of legibility and wayfinding assessments
• Assessing walking routes for the 2012 Olympics
• Supporting pedestrian realm upgrade designs
• Catering for pedestrians at major trip attractors including stadia and transport interchanges.

TRL Software
Tel: +44 (0) 1344 770758
Email: software@trl.co.uk
Website: www.trlsoftware.co.uk

Issued by TRL Communications Team
For further information, please contact Mary Treen or Sarah Bailey
Tel: +44 (0) 1344 770514/0141
Email: mediaenquiries@trl.co.uk

Check-it-Fits

Wed, 08 Jun 2011

As part of Child Safety Week, TRL is offering a FREE car seat fit safety check.

Those with responsibility for ensuring the safe travel of infants and young children are invited to take advantage of this safety check, to ensure that their child seat is fitted correctly and is suitable for the size and age of the child.

For two days on June 23 and 24, experienced fitters will be available outside Halfords at the Peel Centre, Bracknell offering advice and help. For full details click here.

TRL tests Nissan LEAFon behalf of Euro NCAP

Wed, 25 May 2011

The Nissan LEAF achieves a Euro NCAP 5 star rating. For the full story, click here. To watch the crash test and the preparation of the Nissan LEAF click here

Developing solutions to prevent harmful tampering on L Category vehicles - competition and consultation

Wed, 18 May 2011

TRL is holding a competition which is funded by the European Commission and open to anyone. The aim is to come up with innovative ideas to reduce or prevent the tampering of L-Category vehicles. The "L" stands for "Light" vehicles and includes powered cycles, mopeds, scooters, motorcycles, tricycles, quad bikes, quadricycles and mini-cars.

The competition should be of particular interest to schools, colleges, universities and riders' associations across Europe.

It is important that when people modify their vehicles, either for customization or repair, they do not expose themselves or other road users to increased safety risks or allow the vehicle to emit excess pollution or noise. The aim of this competition is to identify effective solutions to these tampering events to protect the environment and the safety of road users, including the riders and passengers of the vehicle. More information on the competition can be found on the attached flyer.

Modifications that have no adverse effects on safety or the environment will not fall under the scope of possible anti-tampering measures. This will ensure that customizing L-category vehicles will continue to be possible and legal in the future. Only measures to protect against "harmful tampering" will be included for L-category vehicles - tampering which has detrimental effects on safety and/or the environment.

TRL is also keen to engage with stakeholders to ensure that solutions are as effective as possible. For more information, contact the L-category project team via the contact page on the website: http://l-cat.trl.co.uk/.

Issued by TRL Press Office
Contact Sarah Bailey or Mary Treen Tel: 01344 770141/770514 Email: mediaenquiries@trl.co.uk

TRL expands its Traffic Management Solutions with STREAMS

Wed, 11 May 2011

TRL Software has built an international reputation for its software and traffic control products that it researches, develops and sells around the world.

In addition, TRL also resells best of breed applications that are considered complementary to its services and business strategy, including HDM4 from the HDM Global Consortium, IMTRAC from IRC, and Car Share Online from Carshare Online Limited.

TRL's latest addition to this reselling list is STREAMS. TRL has just announced that it has become the first company to sign an agreement to resell, deploy and integrate STREAMS ITS / TMC product from Transmax*.

STREAMS is an integrated ITS that includes:
• Motorway management including ramp metering and lane use management
• Tunnels management
• Incident and event management
• Real time passenger information
• Driver information including parking guidance
• Business intelligence
• Ancillary system interfaces

Gavin Jackman, TRL's Head of Traffic and Software said: "This is a fantastic opportunity for TRL to expand its role in delivering intelligent Traffic Management Systems to its customers. STREAMS has proven itself through its deployments in Brisbane, Melbourne, Adelaide and other Australian cities.

"When TRL was looking for new technologies and through its recent software successes in Australia, STREAMS was mentioned as a product to look at. From what we have seen to date and the quick relationship we have built with TRANSMAX we know this is a partnership that can go far."

TRL is looking forward to introducing STREAMS to its customer base to see what the solution can do for them. Visitors to the forthcoming ITS European Congress in Lyon (June 6 - 9), will be able to see a rolling demo of the product in action on the TRL stand C30 & C40 (part of the ITS UK pavilion)

Notes to Editors

About TRL
TRL, the UK's Transport Research Laboratory, is an internationally recognised centre of excellence, providing research, consultancy, advice and solutions across a broad range of transport issues to both public and private sector clients. Commercially independent, TRL has over 75 years knowledge and experience embedded in its history.
TRL has a range of facilities at its headquarters in Crowthorne, Berkshire, including impact rigs, DigiSim (driving simulation centre), pavement monitoring and testing vehicles, and air and noise quality monitoring equipment.

*About TRANSMAX
Transmax is a leading Australian ITS provider with over 30 years experience in the design and development of ITS applications for state and local government agencies. Transmax is located in Brisbane, Australia.

Transmax is an Australian proprietary limited company owned by Queensland DTMR.

www.transmax.com.au

TRL Software
Tel: +44 (0) 1344 770758
Email: software@trl.co.uk
Website: www.trlsoftware.co.uk

Issued by TRL Communications Team
For further information, please contact Mary Treen or Sarah Bailey
Tel: +44 (0) 1344 770514/0141
Email: mediaenquiries@trl.co.uk