IRF steering the WGs of the National ITS Committee in India
Following the creation of a National Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) Committee by NITI Aayog in December 2018, three working groups have been created with the mission to formulate policy recommendations on education, legal aspects and innovation. IRF has entered into a Statement of Intent (SOI) with NITI Aayog, Govt. of India, to work towards a coherent national ITS policy and is accordingly now chairing the work of the three WGs. Eight pillars of priority action have now been identified and on-going pilots in the country are being reviewed. As per the order issued by NITI Aayog, the National ITS Committee has the following objectives:
- To work in with departments of Govt. Of India, States and cities to take stock of the current initiatives and building consensus towards a coherent National ITS policy.
- To identify specific pilots in partnership with willing city governments and implement it.
- Raising awareness about initiatives at all levels of government
- Constitute three working groups on following themes to come out with a set of policy recommendations for the consideration of the committee: Education, Legal aspects and innovation
- Ensuring the link between specifications elaborated within the working groups and the pilot projects
- Ensuring that the input from the working groups and pilot projects is reflected in a policy that is developed.
Each working group is chaired by Shri Balraj Bhanot, Adviser, International Road federation (IRF) and Ex. Director ARAI to steer the proceedings to its desired outcome under overall guidance of ITS Committee. First meeting of ITS Committee took place on 23rd March,2018 and following task were assigned to three Working Groups:
WG 1 – ITS Capacity-Building and Awareness
- Sound analysis of the actual situation in the country at government level, at academia level and general public at large and suggest corrective measures
- Provide recommendations for the development of an integrated curriculum for ITS at academic level
- Provide recommendations for the creation of continuous professional training programmes, identify institutions and expert structures at state and city level
- Prov
- ide recommendations for the development of awareness/education campaigns
WG 2 – ITS Institutional and Regulatory Frameworks
- Creation of an appropriate institutional and regulatory framework for promotion of ITS
- Develop a roadmap for creating an appropriate institutional set up and regulatory framework for ITS deployment and uptake in identified areas
- Identify priority areas of regulatory intervention that could help unlock the potential of ITS and deliver quick wins in areas defined in Annexure-I.
WG 3–ITS Standards, Security and Innovation
- Status review of standardisation and its harmonisation for expeditious expansion of ITS in a cost effective manner
- Identify areas for standardization, Security and draw a roadmap with BIS, DoT (TEC, TSDSI & CDoT) (collaboration with WG2)
- Provide recommendations on how to foster the dialogue and collaboration between the private and the public sector to boost innovation and R&D in the country for expeditious expansion of ITS
In the first two meetings of WGs, eight pillars of priority areas of activities have been identified for an initial focus and a review of pilots in the country is currently being carried out.
If you wish to be learn more about this work and get involved in the WGs, please contacts asap the IRF Secretariat at info@irfnet.ch
Supporting Road Safety Data Collection in EuroMed Region
Dr Cristian Gonzalez, Director IRF World Road Statistics, was in Athens on 8-10 May to share IRF’s expertise in data collection at a three-day regional workshop organised by the EuroMed Transport Support Project. The event offered a unique opportunity to share national, European and international experiences and best practices with road safety data and allow a regional exchange on setting up a road map for the follow up actions. The Workshop hosted 40 experts, of which 25 from EuroMed Partner countries.
The “EuroMed Transport Support Project” (EuroMed TSP) is a 4-years, EU-funded project started in January 2017 and aiming to increase the sustainability and performance of transport operations in the Mediterranean region through increased safety in transport operations; increased efficiency / lower costs of transport; lower environmental impact of transport, thus contributing to regional economic integration, economic well-being and job creation. The project covers Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, State of Palestine and Tunisia.
It was the first time that Road Safety data experts from the Ministry of Transport, Police and the Health Sector from the EuroMed region met. Chaired by Mr. Michalis ADAMANTIADIS, EuroMed TSP Team Leader and Road Freight Transport Key Expert, the workshop hosted experts from six (6) EuroMed Partner Countries, notably Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, Palestine and Tunisia, together with distinguished speakers from several international and European Organizations (UNECE, UNESCWA, WHO, FIA, IRF, the EU-funded “SaferAfrica” project). Greek relevant institutions ad Authorities (NTUA, EKAB, ELSTAT) and EuroMed Experts, participated in the Regional Workshop as well. Issues discussed included: existing methods of road safety data collection in the EuroMed Partner Countries; existing best practices, methods and tools at national, European and international level; awareness raising on the reasons of the existing discrepancies between the official national data and WHO estimates and suggestion of ways to bridge them; support to countries to implement common definitions and international good practice on road safety data in the region; support to countries to improve their vital registration data (VRD), that are considered by WHO in its Global reports; related experience in an EU member State, the case of Greece; road map on the way ahead.
Dr. Cristian GONZALEZ, Director of Statistics, IRF, presented its road safety data related initiatives, notably the IRF World Road Statistics (WRS) as the only comprehensive source of data for inland road traffic and transport sectors, edited yearly since 1964 for more than 205 countries. WRS data is collected from primary sources and the definitions used are based on the ITF/EUROSTAT/UNECE Glossary of Transport Statistics and those of the World Bank. It consists, inter alia, of country profiles; road networks; road traffic; multimodal traffic comparisons; vehicles in use; road crashes. Dr. Gonzalez stressed that the officially reported road crash statistics in the African & Mediterranean regions versus estimated statistics show 4.5 and 2.3 times difference, the highest gap in the world, as per WHO Global Status Report on Road Safety. He also referred to the Data collection & tool for police crash traffic (RADaR) developed by IRF as an innovative and scientific data collection and reporting system and concluded by recommending increased awareness on the importance of road safety data; equal importance on RS data with other type of statistics (Economics, Tourism, Health); coordination between different key national stakeholders; adequate training and technology/tools; availability of proper financial resources; and creation of RS central data repository.
The IRF Board of Directors elects Anouar Benazzouz as Vice-President of IRF
Mr Anouar Benazzouz, Director General of Autoroute du Maroc (ADM) has been unanimously appointed Vice-President of IRF (Geneva) by the IRF Board of Directors. The Board of Directors met on 27 June - right before the General Assembly - to review advancement on the programme of work 2018 and discuss plans for the future. Mr Benazzouz has been actively involved in IRF since he joined ADM. Sustainable Mobility has been a distinctive feature of his action within ADM and also in his engagement with IRF. Under his leadership, two landmark conferences on sustainable mobility were hosted in fact in Morocco in 2016 during COP22 and in 2017. "There cannot be sustainable transport and mobility without sustainable infrastructure. While we think and create the mobility of the future, we need to ensure that we do not forget the basics: proper land-use planning, resources preservation and conservation of our invaluable natural patrimony" said Mr Benazzouz in commenting on his election.
RA – IRF Regional Conference discussed our connected and automated future
As industry and governments around the world continue to grapple with the challenges of vehicle automation, experts gathered in Sydney at the end of May to take stock of where we’re at on the global journey to a new era of mobility. From the US to Australia across Europe, India and Singapore, the experts present were unanimously in agreement that the enormity of the change that is coming behoves us all to work together to ensure the transition is as seamless as possible and delivers the most good for the global community.
The two-day 2018 Roads Australia (RA) – IRF Regional Conference for Asia and Australasia held in Sydney on May 31 and June 1 was a fitting stage for local and regional players to come together to look at how governments are addressing the raft of challenges that are being presented by connected and automated vehicles (CAVs), and what it means in practical terms for the international road industry, road users and society as a whole.
Roads Australia Chief Executive, Ian Webb, says Australia is no different to other countries in facing what he describes as a ‘mobility and transport revolution’. “We are keen to learn from other jurisdictions as to how they are preparing for driverless vehicles, and at the same time share what we are doing here in Australia,” he said.
Randall Iwasaki from Contra Costa Transportation Authority gave an overview of developments in California but also shared his thoughts on the future of mobility. Suzanne Murtha, VP for Aecom provided some very valuable insights on autonomous and electric vehicles landscape and whether and I what format those development should be regulated in a way or another.
IRF (Geneva) was represented by Mr Kiran Kapila, IRF Chairman and Mrs Susanna Zammataro, IRF DG. Mrs Zammataro animated a panel discussion on “Reshaping our Cities” where discussion ranged from futuristic and efficient cities architecture to how better engage people,citizens in understanding, helping shape and embrace this future.
The traditional John Shaw Medal dinner sponsored by Arup and hosted on 31st May gathered again this year a record number of industry representatives and was a joyful way to network with key decision makers and business leaders from the sector.
Some of the presentations and an image gallery for both the Conference and the John Shaw Dinner can be accessed on Roads Australia website: http://www.roads.org.au/event-details?EventId=1905
Public engagement and Mediterranean countries at the centre of IRF’s interventions at ITF Summit
Transport Safety and Security was the theme of the ITF 2018 Summit which gathered in Leipzig, Germany end of May around 1400 decision-makers from more than 80 countries including more than three dozen ministers. IRF (Geneva) was invited to share its work and ideas on an ITF panel session on “Raising awareness” and on an official side event organised by the Union for the Mediterranean. The Summit provided also the opportunity for a meeting of Advisory Board of the FIA High Level Panel on Road Safety - of which IRF is an active member - and a meeting of the Sustainable Mobility for All (SuM4All) Consortium that marked the official appointment of IRF (Geneva) as Steering Committee Member.
This year Summit addressed issues ranging from terrorism and cyber-security to road safety and extreme weather disruption, including the risks and benefits of automated driving. Safety and security are core concerns for transport. A transport system that is safe and secure enables passengers to travel without fear and allows businesses to ship goods reliably and efficiently. Enhancing transport safety and security is also an essential element in the implementation of two major international agreements, the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Paris Climate Agreement.
Speaking at an ITF panel session on “Raising Awareness” Ms. Zammataro, IRF Director General, underlined that education and awareness campaigns are not enough: “To break the road safety silo, we need a game changer: strong public engagement and youth engagement in particular” she said. This is facilitated by the emergence of new cooperative transport planning tools. Developing this idea, Mr. Lieshout, Director of Youth for Road Safety called for a paradigm shift to “Stop blaming young people for dying on the roads but fix the system around them. Simply raising their awareness is not enough. They need to be empowered, to become our partners towards a safe system”.
This was also echoed at the side event on “Towards enduring road safety in the euro-Mediterranean region” hosted by the Union for the Mediterranean. The high-level panel convened to this meeting agreed on the necessity to work on data and better collection of data, a point which had been clearly raised by Mrs Zammataro sharing IRF’s experience with the World Road Statistics.
For a summary of the panel on Raising Awareness and image gallery: https://2018.itf-oecd.org/raising-awareness
For a Summary of the side event on Euro-Med region and image gallery: https://2018.itf-oecd.org/towards-ensuring-road-safety-euro-mediterranean-region
For the Summit Highlights and Final Declaration: https://2018.itf-oecd.org/outputs-resources
For more info on SuM4All: http://www.sum4all.org/
For more info on the FIA HLP: http://www.roadsafety2030.com/
Autoroutes du Maroc (ADM) and the Directorate General of Civil Protection (DGPC) make a commitment to improving the duration of intervention on the highway network
Mr. Abdelkader AMARA, Minister of Equipment, Transport, Logistics and Water, presided, in the presence of Mr. Noureddine BOUTAYEB, Minister Delegate to the Minister of the Interior, Thursday, April 26, 2018 in Meknes, the signing ceremony of the partnership agreement between ADM and the DGPC for the creation of priority aid stations on the highway network.
The convention, which aims to improve the duration of intervention of the Civil Protection on the national highway network, provides for construction, equipment, operation and maintenance of 11 priority aid stations and acquisition of 13 ambulances and 13 rescue vehicles with their equipment.
This initiative, which is taking place in the context of the National Road Safety Strategy 2017-2026 that the Minister has launched, will help support the expansion of the national highway network and the increase of its traffic through the strengthening of the fast help mechanism.
In addition, this agreement, which requires an investment of 30 million dirhams, 66% of which is assumed by ADM, capitalizes on the complementary nature of the two partners: ADM as a concessionaire for the construction, maintenance and operation of the highways to ensure security, fluidity and comfort to its customers, and the DGPC as part of its noble mission of protection and defense of the civilian population and civilian property.
With a renewable duration of one year, the convention will bring the number of aid stations available on the national highway network to 16, the equivalent of one station every 100 km on average.
Trois cadres de ADM viennent d’obtenir leur diplôme d’expertise en osculation d’ouvrage d’art, les premiers ninjas non-Japonais diplômés dans le monde
La Société Nationale des Autoroutes du Maroc (ADM) a annoncé la remise à trois de ses cadres d’un diplôme d’expertise qui sanctionne leur formation réussie à la méthode « Ninja Tech » relative aux techniques d’accès et d’inspection des ouvrages d’art.
Développée par les deux sociétés nipponnes : TKG et Hanshin Expressway Company qui jouit d’une expérience de plus d’un demi-siècle et est considérée comme un modèle en la matière, la méthode « Ninja Tech » a été enseignée aux cadres d’ADM à l’issue d’une formation qualifiante de haut niveau qui a duré plusieurs mois au Japon. Ces trois ninjas marocains sont les premiers non-Japonais diplômés dans le monde.
Le choix du Japon pour pérenniser les ouvrages d’art au Maroc s’explique par la pertinence du modèle nippon. Ce dernier fait en effet référence dans le monde, puisqu’il rend obligatoire l’inspection des ouvrages d’art au minimum une fois tous les cinq ans.
Dispensée par des experts de Hanshin Expressway sur des cas concrets d'ouvrages d'art japonais et marocains, cette formation s’inscrit dans le cadre d’une convention de transfert de technologie signée en juillet 2015 entre ADM, Hanshin Expressway Company Limited et l’Agence Japonaise de Coopération Internationale (JICA).
Désormais et grâce à ce diplôme, les cadres d’ADM sont en mesure de réaliser seuls l’inspection des ouvrages d’art sur les autoroutes marocaines et, à moyen terme, d'offrir ce service aux autres gestionnaires d'infrastructures au Maroc et en Afrique.
En ce sens, la diplomation des cadres d’ADM rejoint la démarche initiée par la société depuis des années en faveur de l’innovation, des partenariats internationaux et de l’échange de savoir-faire
Forthcoming Seminar on "Environmental Protection and Safety during Construction"
IRF – IC is organizing a Seminar on the theme of "Environmental Protection and Safety during Construction" on 13th & 14th July 2018 at New Delhi. India's growing & vibrant Infrastructure programme has resulted in an impressive build-up of the sector, which is accelerating and has implications for the environment & safety during the construction period. This calls for a very systematic mission to take care of these aspects.
The Seminar sub-themes would cover Design for Safety, Environmental Protection of Construction Projects, Technology, Safety during Construction and Safety Issues & Risks.
The IRF Family mourns the loss of Tony Pearce and Manfred Swarovski
In memoriam of Tony Pearce
Dear Colleague,
It is with profound sadness that we share today the news of the passing away of Anthony Pearce, former IRF Director General (Geneva).
The IRF loses one of its masterminds and an outstanding personality who has largely defined IRF and its work over the past decades. Tony has been a primary spokesman and ambassador for the IRF worldwide. Most of it, he has been a friend to many of us in the profession.
Our thoughts are with his family: his wife Jeanette and their children.
Tony has taught us tenacity in all its forms. It is that same tenacity that still drives IRF (Geneva) today.
Thank you Tony. May you rest in peace.
NOTE:
Many of you have written over the past days and we thank you for that. We will collect all these testimonials in a collective memorial that we will share with Tony's family. If you wish to leave a message for his family, share a thought, a souvenir, pictures about Tony, please send it to the IRF Secretariat info@irfnet.ch and mark in the subject of mail "Tony".
In memoriam of Manfred Swarovski
The Chairman, the Board and Executive Committee of the International Road Federation in Geneva are deeply saddened by the loss of Manfred Swarovski, who passed away peacefully at the age of 77 on 13 May 2018.
SWARCO has lost its mastermind who managed to bring his group of companies to world renown in the field of road safety and intelligent traffic management in the course of nearly half a century. The traffic industry loses an internationally highly respected advocator of road safety and environmentally sound mobility who untiringly underlined the need for continued public investment in road infrastructure in order to save lives.
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IRF at WTC 2018 to support the organisation of The Belt & Road Transport Alliance
IRF (Geneva) was amongst the key stakeholders invited to attend the Belt & Road Transport Alliance (BRITA) preparatory meeting held in Beijing, China on 18 June. BRITA is a platform to enhance multi-level and wide-ranging cooperation between the countries along the Belt and Road. The meeting was held prior to the official opening of the World Transport Convention 2018 hosted by CHTS and officially supported by IRF (Geneva) for the second time. IRF (Geneva) has actively supported the shaping of BRITA and will be part of its Board of Directors.
Hosted by the China Association for Science and Technology (CAST) and organised by China Highway and Transportation Society (CHTS) WTC had as theme “Better Transport, Better World” and attracted more than 1.000 papers from all over the world and roughly 5’000 delegates.
Mr Kiran Kapila, IRF Chairman, delivered a keynote address in the opening ceremony which was inaugurated by the Minister of Transport of China, Mr Li together with Transport Ministers from South Sudan, Myanmar, Nigeria, Latvia, Nepal, and high-level delegations from several other countries. In his keynote Mr Kapila recalled the decades-long collaboration linking IRF (Geneva) and the Chinese Government and the special relationship with CHTS, an esteemed member of the Board. He also stressed that sustainable infrastructure is and should be at the heart of the BRI and called for mandatory road safety audits at all stages of road infrastructure development.
Both the Minister and Vice-Minister of Transport of China put the accent in their interventions on the need to increase and improve the service level. They also referred to “durable infrastructure” and “integrated transport” as two of the key priorities of the government. Dignitaries from foreign countries illustrated their transport development plans and how they fit within the BRI.
Some of the Ministers and Foreign dignitaries attended also the Belt & Road Transport Summit (BRITS) organised as part of WTC. Susanna Zammataro, IRF Director General, delivered a keynote presentation illustrating some fundamentals steps needed to create enabling frameworks to plan, design and finance sustainable transport infrastructure and sustainable roads in particular. Mrs Nancy Van Dycke, World Bank Manager in charge of the Sustainable Mobility for All initiative (SuM4All) rebounded on these concepts while illustrating the salient feature of this new initiative that federates 50 key transport organisations. IRF (Geneva) is actively involved in SuM4All and has recently been appointed member of its Steering Committee.
While at WTC, Mrs Zammataro addressed also the Sustainable Urban Transport Summit with a presentation on “Mobility as a Service – MaaS”.
The event provided to several IRF (Geneva) members present at the event the opportunity to present their work to an international audience and to network to find new business partners or simply exchange experience and expertise.
Those interested in learning more about the Belt & Road Transport Alliance (BRITA) or wishing to get involved, can contact IRF (Geneva) Secretariat at info@irfnet.ch
