Call for Abstracts: IRF World Congress 2024
The International Road Federation (IRF) World Congress is set to convene in the vibrant city of Istanbul on 15 - 18 October 2024. With a legacy spanning nearly seven decades, the IRF World Congress stands as a beacon for celebrating the pivotal role of road and mobility sectors in fostering global growth and development.
Under the overarching theme, "Connecting to Empower Mobility: Roads as Enablers of a Sustainable Future for All," the congress promises a dynamic platform for global leaders, industry experts, academia, and stakeholders to converge, engage, and innovate. This rallying call emphasises the profound role of roads in fostering connectivity and mobility in all its forms while underscoring a commitment to shaping a sustainable future that is inclusive and resilient.
The call for abstracts is open to individuals, organisations, and institutions eager to showcase innovative ideas, research findings, and transformative projects. Abstracts, limited to 350 words, should align with one or more of the 11 congress themes, including Sustainable Roads & Transport Development, Inclusive and Accessible Mobility, Urban and Rural Roads, Innovative Technologies, CCAM, Funding and Financing, and many more.Notably, submission of a full paper upon abstract selection is optional.
Call for Abstracts Key Higlights
- Flexibility in Submission: Submission of a full paper is optional, with the limit for single abstracts being set at 350 words.
- Thematic Alignment: Submissions should address one or more of the 11 themes and 75 sub-themes of the congress, ensuring relevance and coherence with the Congress' focus areas.
- Publication and Recognition: Accepted full papers will be published and considered for the prestigious Best Paper Award, offering contributors a platform for recognition and dissemination of their work.
- Submission deadline: Abstracts should be submitted in English through the Abstract Submission Portal by 31 March 2024.
Useful Links & Resources
- More information about the IRF World Congress can be found here.
- Further details regarding abstract, submission guidelines can be found in the Abstract Guidelines.
- To submit your abstract, please visit the Abstract Submission Portal.
- For further inquiries, please contact us at irf2024@irfnet.ch.
Decarbonising Transport: Highlights from the 86th UNECE Inland Transport Committee
The 86th Session of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) Inland Transport Committee (ITC), convened from 20 to 23 February 2024, served once again as a pivotal platform for global stakeholders to address pressing issues surrounding decarbonisation in transportation.
The session opened with a High-Level Policy Segment which saw the participation of esteemed speakers from various UN Member States and organisations, including the International Road Federation (IRF). Moderated by ITF Secretary General, Mr. Young Tae-Kim, the first panel of this High-Level Policy Segment addressed "National Visions and Policy Ambitions to Move Towards Decarbonised Inland Transport by 2050”. IRF President, Anouar Benazzouz, was amongst the line up of esteemed speakers in the panel.
During his intervention, Benazzouz referred to some of the significant challenges – but also the opportunities – that the road transport sector is facing in reducing carbon emissions. While the lack of institutional capacity and the inadequacy of traditional funding and financial instruments were mentioned among the main barriers the sector is facing, Benazzouz referred to the adoption of new technologies, innovation and digitalisatoin as some of the opportunities.
“We have today the tools that can deliver significant results and impact. Not tomorrow, but now. Not aspirational goals but action” he stressed.
Ministers and country representatives adopted the Inland Transport Committee new Strategy on Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Inland Transport, a framework document that was welcomed by the IRF.
“We welcome the new ITC strategy and the commitment in there to ‘support the adoption of new technologies and innovations, including Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) and digital solutions” stated Mr Benazzouz while speaking at the High-Level Segment.
A long-standing partner of the UNECE, the International Road Federation (IRF) has contributed to the Inland Transport Committee Annual Sessions for the several decades. The annual meeting served as an opportunity for the Federation to reinforce dialogue and partnerships through a number of billateral meetings including with UNECE Executive Secretary, H.E. Ms Tatiana Molcean, and the UN Special Envoy for Road Safety, Mr. Jean Todt.
The conversation on transport decarbonisation will be brought back to spotlight at the upcoming IRF World Congress taking place on 15-18 October in Istanbul. The comprehensive programme includes also a closed ministerial Meeting that will evolve around the theme “Decarbonised and Resilient Transport for Resilient Societies and Economies”. For more information, visit this page.
Successful Completion of the 'ERMIS' Programme in Athens Promoting Road Safety for Juvenile Offenders
The 1st post-pandemic "ERMIS" programme, which was implemented at the premises of the OTEAcademy training center in Athens, was successfully completed on Saturday, 17 February, 2024. The "ERMIS" programme has been implemented by the Road Safety Institute (RSI) "Panos Mylonas" in collaboration with the Juvenile Probation Service.
The "ERMIS" programme is addressed to juvenile road traffic offenders who have been referred for training at the Institute by court decision requiring attending the programme as a correctional measure in order to acquire and consolidate knowledge of road safety and to raise awareness and develop appropriate skills for safe driving and lawful behaviour on the road.
In the theoretical part of the seminar, the lecturers were qualified instructors and psychologists of the Institute, specialised officers of the Road Traffic Police and Mr Athanasios Taratsas - Instructor of the MSF (Motorcycle Safety Foundation). The six-hour programme included additional experiential training using the Institute's modern equipment. This equipment included, among others: roll-over simulator, Belt-sledge, driving simulator, collision weight scale, alco-goggles. The programme concluded with a discussion between the participants and Mrs Demetra Korokida, Paralympic athlete and survivor of a road crash.
The trainees were enthusiastic about the experience of the seminar and the experiential training using simulators. Their touching interest and questions to all the facilitators and their positive comments during the evaluation of the programme once again highlight the value and importance of this initiative to shape responsible road users and reduce road deaths and injuries involving young people in our country.
The event was greeted by the President of the Institute, Vassiliki Danelli- Mylona, who addressed the children, visibly moved, saying: "20 years ago my life changed radically because of a road crash. I believe there is nothing worse than what happened to me and my family. I don't want other people to feel the loss that we are experiencing. At the Institute, we have been fighting for 19 years for a world without road crashes. I want you to see this seminar as an opportunity to rejoice in your right to life and allow your fellow human beings to do the same." Finally, the President of the Institute welcomed the Prime Minister's recent initiative to establish a Scientific Committee to develop a National Strategy for the prevention and treatment of juvenile violence and delinquency.
RSI would like to thank the OTEAcademy training center for supporting the holding of the seminar in its hospitable premises, as well as all the Institute's volunteers who contributed to the seminar.
AI Detection Technology Credited with Faster Incident Detection and Fewer Crashes on Peruvian Highway
A traffic manager in Peru has explained how an AI-enabled traffic monitoring system has helped make his roads safer, allowing him to more quickly respond to incidents and hazardous situations on the highway.
Francisco Chenguayen, Operations Manager of the Lima Expresa Toll Road made the comments during a webinar hosted by the International Bridge, Tunnel and Turnpike Association (IBTTA).
He was explaining the value of a road safety system installed on the Lima Express by British data analytics company Valerann, which detects more than 95% of all road incidents in under five minutes. This is achieved by ingesting multiple data sources including traffic cameras, roadside infrastructure, Waze and Google Maps, to detect anomalies and deliver accurate road traffic information in real time. The system facilitates preventative measures for road accidents management by detecting pedestrians and stopped vehicles in potentially dangerous zones.
“We used to detect only the alerts that the operators in the control room could detect through the cameras… and usually we were detecting 400 to 450 alerts per week,” explained Mr Chenguayen. “Now, with the implementation of Lantern, we have between 900 and 950 alerts per week.
“Also the detection time has decreased… because we use this data fusion in order to detect every event in the highway. We used to have events detected in 12 minutes on average, now the average is five minutes and there are events detected in even less time, and this is helping a lot”, he added.
The Lanternn by Valerann platform’s advanced analytics and AI capabilities enable accurate detection and identification of road incidents, allowing the road operators to assign resources more accurately and efficiently.
The webinar saw how crashes have fallen month-on-month by up to 25% since the introduction of the system in Peru, with an average reduction of 15%. This is being put down to the value fact it can predict where road collisions are more likely to take place before they happen, allowing warning signs to be set and emergency services to head to an area just in case.
“When we began working with Lima Expresa, we committed to it being more than just a collaboration; we made a commitment to saving lives,” commented Michael Vardi, CBO and co-founder of Valerann. “Since installation, we have shown we are revolutionising road safety and traffic management on major arteries in Lima and we truly are on a transformative journey.”
You can watch the whole webinar here.
Greening Transport: Keeping Focus in Times of Crisis
What are the most effective strategies to green transport? How to to mainstream gender in transport? These were some of the leading questions debated IRF Director General, Susanna Zammataro at the 2024 ITF Annual Consultations with International Organisations which took place from Tuesday 30 January to Wednesday 31 January 2024 at the OECD Headquarters in Paris.
A well-established appointment in the transport calendar, the consultations contribute to further refinement of the programme of the 2024 Summit on Greening Transport: Keeping focus in times of crisis and development of the scope of the 2025 Summit on Enhancing transport resilience to global shocks.
The power of digitalisation in ensuring financing for green and resilient linear transport infrastructure, the importance of upskilling and reskilling the workforce, the pro-active involvement of youth in transportation planning, were some of the key issues raised by IRF during the consultation and that are also part of the Call for Abstracts for the IRF World Congress 2024.
More info on the ITF Summit: https://www.itf-oecd.org/itf-2024-summit-greening-transport-keeping-focus-times-crisis
Advancing Cities Toward Climate Neutrality: New EU-funded Project MOBILITIES for EU Kicks Off
MADRID, 30th of January 2024 – the 29 partners of the new project MOBILITIES for EU, including the International Road Federation (IRF), met in Madrid to kick off their 5-year journey to accelerate the transition towards green urban mobility in European cities. It aims to demonstrate that innovative passenger mobility and freight transport concepts designed and implemented following participative and user-centred principles are cost-effective and feasible solutions to contribute significantly to the cities’ transformation towards climate neutrality.
The European Green Deal aims to make Europe climate-neutral by 2050. Cities account for a major share of emissions and therefore have great leverage in achieving the ambitious European goal. Their journey towards climate neutrality can secure co-benefits such as reduced air and noise pollution, improved health and well-being, and reduced urban environmental footprints. Within the framework of the European Commission’s Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities Mission, 112 European cities have committed themselves to achieve climate neutrality much earlier: by 2030. Transportation is a key aspect of this journey, being the second-largest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions and accounting for over 30% of total energy use.
MOBILITIES for EU demonstrates innovative urban mobility solutions that can accelerate the transformation of the urban transportation sector, embracing electrification, automation, and connectivity as central themes to reach this goal. Seven European cities, the majority of them having committed themselves to reach climate neutrality by 2030 as part of the 112 Mission Cities, represent the core of the project.
They are divided into Lead Cities and Replication Cities:
Two Lead Cities, Madrid (Spain) and Dresden (Germany), demonstrate the effectiveness of 27 innovative mobility solutions in eleven pilot actions. The 27 solutions tackle innovation both in vehicles and in overarching infrastructure. Examples are autonomous mid-size e-buses for the transport of around 20 persons or the development of a Sovereign Mobility Decentralised Data Ecosystem for automated driving. Demonstration includes a design phase, the deployment of the solutions and their evaluation to assess their impact and relevance for future up-scaling and replication.
Under the lead of the International Road Federation (IRF), five Replication Cities – Ioannina (Greece), Trenčin (Slovakia), Espoo (Finland), Gdansk (Poland), and Sarajevo (Bosnia & Herzegovina) – intend to replicate the Lead Cities' processes, designing their own adaptations for the tested solutions.
The implementation of new urban mobility solutions can only be effective if they meet the needs of urban residents and other local stakeholders. Therefore, Urban Transport Labs (UT-Labs) that involve these stakeholders are established in all seven project cities and play a vital role in the project. The Labs are integrated in all project phases, especially in the co-design of pilot activities and in the planning of up-scaling and replication activities beyond the project period.
Julia Vicente Gómez, MOBILITIES for EU project coordinator and renowned expert in the field of urban transformation towards climate neutrality, conveyed her excitement about the project:
“The big strength of MOBILITIES for EU is its holistic approach. The demonstration of 27 innovative urban mobility solutions for both passengers and freight as well as tackling the big area of mobility infrastructure will provide crucial insights to everyone working in the field of electric, automated and connected mobility. A key component for me is the establishment of local Urban Transport Labs in our project cities. Through the Labs, we gather the wide variety of perspectives across sectors and professions. In the end, we can only achieve climate neutrality in our cities if we work together, break silos and design innovation centred around actual urban needs.”
The project is set to run over the next five years during which the technologies will be deployed and monitored by a project consortium that includes 29 esteemed institutions from nine European countries and covering the diverse perspectives from academia, industry, and the public sector. MOBILITIES for EU is funded under the framework of Horizon Europe – the European Commission’s research and innovation funding programme, in collaboration with the two European partnerships CCAM and 2ZERO.
Project Coordinator
Julia Vicente Gómez, CARTIF
julvic@cartif.es
Main Press Contact
Regine Wehner, Steinbeis Europa Zentrum
regine.wehner@steinbeis-europa.de
