Newsletter - March 2019
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
IRF and ASECAP Strengthen Collaboration and Sign an MoU in Brussels
The 12th ASECAP Annual Road Safety Conference organised at the European Parliament in Brussels on 18th March set the scene for the signature of a Memorandum of Understanding between the International Road Federation (Geneva, Switzerland) and the European Association of Operators of Toll Road Infrastructures (ASECAP) aiming at further strengthening the collaboration between the two organisations.
Signed by Anouar Benazzouz, Vice President of IRF, Susanna Zammataro, Director General of IRF, Bill Halkias, President of ASECAP and Kallistratos Dionellis, Secretary General of ASECAP,the MoU sets the framework for a reinforced collaboration that will facilitate synergies between the two organisations and their respective members.
The IRF Africa Board meets in Addis Ababa to discuss priority actions
Composed of members from prominent African Institutions, multilateral development banks, key regional and sub-regional Institutions and stakeholders, the IRF Africa Board gathered on 20th February in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia for its second meeting. Chaired by IRF Chairman, Mr Kiran Kapila and coordinated by Mr Joseph Haule, IRF Coordinator in Africa, the meeting had as objectives to: 1. Map key on-going activities in Africa being staged by different stakeholders whether institutional or not 2. Identify priority areas for action 3. Discuss ways to boost coordination and collaboration 4. Agree on some concrete actions to be undertaken in short and medium term.
Following an overview of IRF activities in Africa (Data Warehouse, trainings, SaferAfrica, LEARN and SafeRoads Safekids projects) provided by IRF DG, Mrs Susanna Zammataro, members of the board present provided each an update on their institutions’ activities and stressed the importance of connecting to other regional groupings to maximise impact of activities. Asset Management, Road Sector reforms, Fund Boards, Data, Road safety management were some of the issues discussed during the meeting. The need for capacity building at all levels was indeed recognised as a top priority.
The IRF Africa Board meets quarterly and operates at a strategic level, primarily performing an advisory role.
For more information, please contact IRF Secretariat at info[at]irfnet.ch
Total Foundation to launch a road safety coalition in Tanzania
The nearing end of the Decade of Action for Road Safety (2011-2020) calls on all of us to step up our efforts. The upcoming ministerial meeting, which will be hosted by Sweden in February 2020 and mark the start of a new decade, further offers the opportunity to renew our commitment by bringing to the table concrete action.
Total Foundation strongly believes that partnerships are the key driver of success and long-term impact in the reduction of road accidents. Building on the current momentum that sees road safety high on the African and global agenda, Total Foundation is partnering up with other companies which have road safety at the heart of their activities, to jointly establish a new and innovative road safety coalition in Tanzania.
Total Group has developed a strong expertise in road safety coalitions through the successful Safe Way Right Way initiative and NGO, which was established together with the World Bank, in Uganda, Kenya and Cameroon http://safewayrightway.org/.
The aim of a road safety coalition in Tanzania will be to federate private sector stakeholders to work together, in close collaboration with international institutions, NGOs, and local authorities in order improve road safety via hands-on, impact-oriented and scalable activities.
As a member of the International Road Federation (IRF), Total Foundation is partnering with IRF for the launch of this initiative.
For more information, please contact IRF at info[at]irfnet.ch
IRF India hosts conference on trauma care during Indian road safety week
The International Road Federation – India Chapter, in association with the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and World Health Organisation and with support of Maruti Suzuki, ADB, FICCI and ASSOCHAM had organised a one-day Conference on “Trauma Care – a National Mission”, as part of the 30th Road Safety Week (February 4 – 10, 2019).
The Conference provided a platform for 2 Panel Discussions on the themes of – “Trauma Care Initiatives in India to save lives of road accident victims – challenges in the nationwide implementation” and ‘’Furthering Trauma Care – the Role of Corporates, NGOs and Start Ups’’.
Animated by experts from the medical profession engaged in Emergency Medical Services, the first session came up with recommendations to enact supporting legislations such as Emergency Medical Services Act, Good Samaritan Law and policies, uniformly across India. The need for the creation of a nodal agency for trauma care which could shoulder the responsibility and be accountable was also stressed. Strengthening first aid trauma care through consistent Bystander Training was also identified as an important activity to be undertaken with the support of Corporates and other stakeholders. The deliberations also brought out the need for the supporting infrastructure and ecosystem to strengthen trauma care provision.
The subsequent session on the Role of Corporates focused on best practices towards zero fatalities and also showcased Apps as a technology aid for trauma care providers. The Corporates also appreciated the need for extending their corporate social responsibility by adopting road stretches and areas in the vicinity of their operations by investing in training and mass awareness activities.
To access the conference recommendations, please contact IRF.
The 6th International Conference on “Inspection, Audit and Importance of Intelligent Transport Systems”
Highly aware of the importance of Inspection, Audit and Intelligent Transport Systems, College Tempulli, AMRKS, Road Safety and Transport Research Institute, Kosovo Road Safety Forum with support from the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport organized the 6th International Conference on "Inspection, Auditing and importance of Intelligent Transport Systems" from 24 to 27 January 2019 in Pristina, Kosovo.
The conference entailed discussions on increasing traffic safety as a key factor in preventing road accidents, rehabilitating injured persons and the everyday challenges of road accident victims' families. Road safety management, and therein the international practices in road inspection and auditing, the necessity of applying intelligent systems, as well as the Highway of Peace, were also on the agenda.
The opening ceremony was led by the Minister of Infrastructure and Transport, Mr. Pal Lekaj, while the panelists included representatives of the European Federation for Road Traffic Victims (EFRTV), Road Traffic Safety Council - Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport, Division for Road Traffic - Kosovo Police, International Road Federation (video presentation), IRU Academy (video presentation), OSCE-Kosovo, European Council for Transport Safety (ETSC), AptiDrive Limited, College of Applied Technical Sciences "Tempulli" and the Road Safety and Transport Research Institute.
In line with previous years, the recommendations provided by national and international experts were shared publically in order to be considered as actions that need to be taken to ensure a safe road environment for all traffic participants.
São Paulo State Highway Authority wins the Evonik Road Safety Award 2018
For more than 50 years, Evonik – a world leader in specialty chemicals and the inventor of MMA cold plastic road markings - has been at the forefront in efforts to improve road safety and disseminate best practices in the field. On 18th December 2018, Evonik bestowed the 3rd edition of the “Evonik Road Safety Award” in the city of São Paulo, Brazil.
The Road Safety Award is designed to support sustainable road safety initiatives, as part of the company’s corporate and social responsibility. It acknowledges and rewards the contributions to road safety of public authorities worldwide. The prize is bestowed by Evonik upon identification of the winner by an independent jury of internationally recognized experts in the field of road safety, transportation and city design.
The jury consisted of Susanna Zammataro, Director General of the International Road Federation in Geneva, Dr. Suzy Charman, Executive Director of the Road Safety Foundation in the United Kingdom, Prof. Dr. Marcus Oeser -Head of the Chair-Professor for Pavement Engineering & Director of the Institute for Pavement Engineering at RWTH Aachen University in Germany and Rudolf Keppler, former deputy leader of the section “Street Equipment” at the German Federal Highway Research Institute (BASt) responsible for road markings and member of various technical committees in the road marking sector.
Key criteria for the winning project/initiative are its contribution to road safety (60%) and sustainability (20%) as well as its innovative character (10%) and potential replicability (10%). The Evonik Road Safety Award is endowed with €10,000 and granted in the form of a sponsored road marking application, a donation of traffic safety related items, or a donation to a non-profit organization.
A comprehensive and solid research approach
This year, the panel of international road safety specialists chose the project “Assessment of more visible road markings - Roads in the state of São Paulo” of DER-SP as winning initiative. With the project, DER-SP is aiming at reducing the number of road accidents by implementing effective systems to evaluate the performance of safety elements applied on the roads.
The jury acknowledged the solid research approach and claimed that the initiative is an excellent example of data-based decisions and interventions. Furthermore, the panel concluded that the findings are practical and useful to prove that highly durable horizontal structured road markings retain its retroreflectivity for a longer time, especially at night and under wet conditions. This directly improves road safety and enhances the visibility of the markings even in conditions that are critical to drivers.
The three-year study conducted by DER-SP assessed several technical features relating to the visibility of commonly used road markings both in dry and wet conditions consideringoccurrences and maintenance interventions, and statistics of road traffic accidents in the period.The retroreflectivity levels of the structure and multidots cold plastic systems were about 130% higher, even after three years of use, when compared to flat hot road marking systems, and such a retroreflectivity index was far above DER-SP’s minimum requirements, even in wet conditions.
The award ceremony in Brazil
The award ceremony took place in the city of São Paulo and was attended by the Secretary of Logistics and Transportation of the São PauloState, representatives of DER as well as the Fundo Social de Solidariedade do Estado de São Paulo(Fussesp) and other government officials. During the ceremony, DER’s CEO,Mr. Raphael do Amaral Campos Junior, pointed out that the markings resulting from the structure and multidots cold plastic road marking system showed a superior performance when considering reflectivity in low visibility conditions, such as at night or in wet conditions. “The outcome was positive as we recorded no accident with fatalities, a goal towards which DER has been working hard over the years. The award is also the fruit of the initiative launched by DER-SP through its Technology Committee, which is always on the lookout for new products and techniques capable of improving road safety and providing driving comfort to the users of our roads,” he said.
The prize of €10,000 was donated to Fussesp, a local charity organization which engages in non-profit social work with the aim of improving the quality of life of the poorer population of the state of São Paulo.
The call for applications for the Evonik Award 2019 will start in the first trimester of 2019. Check IRF website www.irfnet.ch for updates.
IRF addresses automation in transport at UN Inland Transport Committee
Automation in transport was the theme of the high-level segment that opened the 81th session on the Inland Transport Committee of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) in Geneva on 19th February. IRF was invited to share its view with the Ministers and 400 other representatives of governments and key transport stakeholders from over 70 countries present at the meeting. The HLS concluded with the adoption of a resolution on Enhancing Cooperation, Harmonisation and Integration in the Era of Transport Automation.
In her keynote speech, Mrs Cora Van Nieuwenhuizen, Minister of Infrastructure and Water Management of the Netherlands, stressed that road safety comes at the top of the list when we look at automation, and that “If we want to give smart mobility wings, then our infrastructure has to be right”. Addressing the high-level segment, Susanna Zammataro, IRF Director General said “The development of a comprehensive global/regional policy framework on automation in transport is of critical importance to guide national and local authorities in addressing these issues. High-level dialogue with industry and academia is equally important in this process. We believe that UNECE is well placed to foster the collaboration needed for the development of long-term, people-oriented transport outcomes”. IRF DG concluded by underlining that “We need to put people back at the centre in planning for our mobility systems. Access and affordability are two key issues and so is people’s engagement in decision making processes”.
Aiming at capitalising on the potential of automation in inland transport and to accelerate the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, Ministers and Vice Ministers of transport and representatives from 31 countries adopted a resolution on “Enhancing Cooperation, Harmonization and Integration in the Era of Transport Automation.". Other countries from Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America and the Middle East have also expressed their interest in signing the resolution.
Later on during the week, the Inland Transport Committee also reached consensus and adopted its 2030 Strategy. This new strategy is meant to create a worldwide framework for inland transport that is safe, sustainable, accessible, and a benefit to all societies.
Dcouments, pictures, press releases and proceedings can be accessed here: http://www.unece.org/trans/events/2019/itc81_2019.html
