One Year On: IRF Joins FEDORA Consortium to Drive the Project's Next Phase
30 June - 1 July | Budapest, Hungary - International Road Federation (IRF) Project Manager Iona Kirkpatrick participated in the 2nd General Assembly of the FEDORA Project in Budapest, Hungary, joining consortium partners to review progress and shape the next phase of the Horizon Europe initiative.
Held one year after the project's launch, the General Assembly provided an opportunity for partners to assess achievements across the project's work packages, exchange technical updates and coordinate upcoming pilot, deployment and impact activities.
Kirkpatrick presented updates on IRF's contributions to several key work packages, highlighting the organisation's role in ensuring that FEDORA's research delivers practical value for transport authorities, policymakers and the wider mobility community.
As part of 'Dissemination, Scale-up, Standardisation and Exploitation', IRF outlined progress in strengthening the project's communication, stakeholder engagement and knowledge transfer activities. The presentation highlighted achievements including growing visibility through the FEDORA website and social media channels, participation in conferences and industry events, scientific dissemination and preparations for future workshops and international cooperation activities.
Kirkpatrick also shared updates on IRF supporting international cooperation and transferability activities. Among the upcoming milestones is a dedicated FEDORA workshop at the IRF 2026 Annual Conference in Geneva, alongside engagement at other major mobility events to expand the project's reach and encourage wider uptake of its innovations.
In addition, IRF formally launched work on 'Lessons Learnt, Deployment Roadmap and Policy Recommendations'. The presentation introduced an initial regulatory analysis covering the project's six pilot countries -Austria, Spain (Basque Country), Cyprus, Denmark, Italy and Hungary - to identify common frameworks, national differences and best practices that will inform future policy recommendations.
As demonstrations progress, IRF will work with partners to evaluate the transferability of FEDORA's solutions and develop recommendations for policymakers at European, national and local levels.
IRF Lead Trainer Miguel-Angel Serrano Santos Appointed Chair of the Society of Road Safety Auditors
22–23 June | Manchester, United Kingdom - The International Road Federation (IRF) congratulates Eur Ing Miguel-Angel Serrano Santos, IRF Lead Trainer and internationally respected road safety expert, on his appointment as Chair of the Society of Road Safety Auditors (SoRSA), following the Society’s Annual General Meeting.
Miguel-Angel assumes the role as Libby Sands, one of SoRSA’s founding members and a longstanding advocate for professional excellence in road safety auditing, formally retired from the Society. The handover marks an important transition for the organisation as it continues to strengthen professional standards and advance safer road infrastructure across the United Kingdom and beyond.
The 2026 SoRSA Conference and Annual General Meeting brought together road safety practitioners, engineers, auditors and policymakers from across the industry. Participants gained the latest insights into industry standards for conducting road safety audits, explored emerging approaches to improving safety for vulnerable road users through interactive workshops, and contributed to professional discussions shaping the future of the discipline. The event also provided valuable opportunities for networking, collaboration and continuing professional development as part of SoRSA and CIHT membership requirements.
Miguel-Angel brings more than two decades of international experience in transport planning, road safety, and traffic engineering to his new position. A Chartered Civil Engineer and graduate of the University of Granada in Spain, he has built a distinguished career spanning Europe, the Middle East and Africa, leading initiatives that have improved road safety performance and strengthened institutional capacity.
As Lead Trainer for the IRF, he has delivered internationally recognised training programmes in road safety and traffic management, equipping engineers, government officials and transportation professionals with practical tools to improve road safety outcomes. His expertise has supported projects across multiple continents, helping organisations implement effective safety strategies and sustainable transportation solutions.
In addition to his work with IRF, Miguel-Angel serves as Vice-President of ASEVI, the Spanish Association of Road Safety Auditors, and as Senior Road Safety Specialist for the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS), where he contributes to infrastructure development aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
His previous leadership positions include Road Safety Manager at Gloucestershire County Council in the United Kingdom, Technical Director with MSV Global in Qatar, Senior Road Safety Engineer for Ashghal, Qatar’s Public Works Authority, where he served as Road Safety Coordinator for the FIFA World Cup 2022 and Road Safety Expert for Saudi Arabia’s National Road Safety Center, supporting the development of national road safety auditing frameworks.
Miguel-Angel holds several distinguished professional qualifications, including Chartered Engineer (CEng MICE), Chartered Manager (CMgr MCMI), Fellow of the Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation (FCIHT), Fellow of the Society of Road Safety Auditors (FSoRSA), and Fellow of the Spanish Association of Road Safety Auditors (FASEVI).
His appointment as Chair of SoRSA reflects both his professional expertise and longstanding commitment to advancing safer roads through evidence-based auditing, capacity building and international collaboration. As road safety challenges continue to evolve, his leadership is expected to support SoRSA’s mission of promoting excellence in road safety auditing while strengthening the profession’s contribution to reducing crashes and saving lives.
Rethinking Congestion: How Innovation Is Unlocking Hidden Capacity in Road Networks
18 June | Online - The International Road Federation (IRF) convened infrastructure leaders, technology experts and road operators on 18 June for the latest edition of its Circle of Excellence webinar series, exploring how innovation is helping road agencies optimise infrastructure performance and improve traffic flow without relying solely on costly network expansion.
Hosted by IRF Head of Advocacy and Outreach Alice Yiu, the webinar, “Optimising Infrastructure Performance and Traffic Flow through Innovation,” showcased award-winning projects and emerging solutions that are transforming how transport infrastructure is planned, managed and operated.
The webinar featured presentations from recipients of the IRF 2025 Awards, each demonstrating a distinct approach to improving mobility, safety and operational efficiency.
Reconnecting Communities Through Underground Infrastructure
Zhang Zhihang, Senior Engineer at the Beijing General Municipal Engineering Design & Research Institute Co., Ltd, presented the Beijing Eastern Sixth Ring Road Underground Reconstruction Project.
The project relocates a 16.3-kilometre section of the Sixth Ring Road underground, addressing long-standing challenges associated with noise, emissions and urban fragmentation. By moving traffic below ground, the project has enabled the creation of a 14-kilometre linear park above the tunnel, transforming former roadway space into a new public amenity.
Beyond its engineering achievements, the project demonstrates how transport infrastructure can support broader urban development goals by improving connectivity, enhancing environmental quality and creating valuable public space.
Active Traffic Management Delivers Capacity Gains
Sun Fuling, Dean of the Digital and Intelligent Transportation Research Institute at CIECC Huake Transportation Construction Technology Co., Ltd., presented the implementation of Active Traffic Management (ATM) on the Nansha Bridge, a critical transport link within the Greater Bay Area.
Faced with growing traffic volumes, congestion and safety challenges, the project introduced a closed-loop traffic management system integrating real-time monitoring, analysis, decision-making and operational feedback.
The results have been significant. Road capacity increased by 17.3 percent, average travel speeds improved by 52 percent, travel times were reduced by 34 percent and traffic accidents decreased by 25 percent. Importantly, these gains were achieved without major physical expansion of the bridge infrastructure, demonstrating the value of intelligent operations and coordinated management.
Sun emphasised that successful implementation depended not only on technology but also on building trust among investors, operators and public authorities through clear evidence of economic and social benefits.
Simplifying Incident Management Through System Integration
Representing Austrian technology company Evon GmbH, Daniel Seewald presented an integrated incident management solution developed for Austria’s motorway operator ASFiNAG.
The platform consolidates tunnel operations and open-road traffic management into a single system, integrating more than 170 tunnels, 2,200 kilometres of motorway and approximately 6.5 million data points.
By automating documentation, harmonising incident reporting and streamlining operator workflows, the solution reduced documentation time by 75 percent and cut reporting workloads by half. The system enables operators to focus more attention on incident response and traffic management while improving the quality and consistency of operational data.
The project highlighted how digital integration can improve not only traffic operations but also organisational efficiency within road agencies.
Emerging Technologies Expanding Operational Capabilities
The webinar also featured contributions from IRF members showcasing additional innovations in traffic management and incident detection.
Paolo Guarnieri of Movyon presented a dynamic traffic flow management system deployed on a heavily trafficked motorway corridor near Milan. Using artificial intelligence, radar, laser scanners and connected traffic management technologies, the system dynamically opens and closes emergency lanes to optimise capacity while maintaining safety. The solution helps reduce congestion, improve traffic flow and lower vehicle emissions.
Dimitrios Zavantis of egis introduced an AI-based incident detection platform implemented on Kazakhstan’s BAKAD ring road around Almaty. By leveraging existing Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) infrastructure, the system identifies abnormal traffic patterns and potential incidents without requiring additional roadside equipment. The approach enables faster incident detection, reduces operational costs and improves network performance through better situational awareness.
Shared Lessons for the Road Sector
Despite addressing different infrastructure challenges and operating in diverse environments, the projects presented during the webinar shared several common themes.
Speakers consistently emphasised the importance of proactive management, data-driven decision-making and collaboration across agencies and stakeholders. Rather than focusing on infrastructure expansion alone, the projects demonstrated how innovation can unlock additional capacity, improve safety and enhance sustainability by optimising existing assets.
