EDITORIAL
Dear Reader,
It is my great pleasure to present to you this last edition of the IRF CROSSROADS for the year 2021. It’s that moment when we have the chance to pause and look at all that has been achieved throughout this challenging year. It is also that moment when we have the opportunity to say thank you since without the support of our members and our partners we could have not been here today looking back at an extremely positive year for the International Road Federation.
We have expanded our reach, grown our network, and lined-up over the past months an incredible number of events and opportunities to learn, exchange knowledge and expertise, connect, and forge partnerships that deliver.
The only thing we have all been missing is the opportunity to meet up in person. We will redress this next year, and you will soon read more about the plans we have for 2022.
I want to acknowledge the teams in Geneva and Athens for the tremendous efforts done, and the excellent work delivered this year and express my thanks to all of them and my gratitude to each and every one of you, our members, and our partners. All this work has been accomplished with you.
Partnerships are and will remain central to our work and who we are as a Federation.
While I wish you good reading, I take the opportunity to address to you, your colleagues, and your loved ones a Happy Holiday Season, and all the very best for the New Year and above all with HEALTH to all of you and your loved ones.
Best wishes,
Bill M. Halkias
President
Private Sector Road Safety Coalition Launched in Pakistan
Coordinated by the IRF, a group of leading private sector companies active in Pakistan have entered into a partnership to use their combined knowledge and expertise to reduce road deaths and injuries in the country. The initiative is the result of the partnership between TotalEnergies Foundation and the IRF, aiming at establishing private sector road safety coalitions in a number of countries around the world.
Preparation for the High-level Meeting on Road Safety 2022
A one-day event in preparation for the UN General Assembly High-Level Meeting on Global Road Safety was held on 3 December 2021 at the UN Headquarters in New York. IRF Director General, Susanna Zammataro, joined Ministers and important stakeholders from the sector to discuss road safety investment. Proceedings of the event are now available online.
FRONTIER Webinar on Smart Mobility
The EC-funded FRONTIER Project, of which IRF is a partner, will be hosting an online webinar on “Building the Future Smart Mobility” on 17 January 2022 at 10-12 am CET. The webinar will share the solutions and innovations to be developed by the project which focuses on building the next generation network and traffic management for future mobility. Registrations are open.
International Traffic Safety Conference 2022: Call for Abstracts
IRF is pleased to support the 2nd International Traffic Safety Conference, organised by the Qatar Transportation and Traffic Center (Qatar University), and the National Traffic Safety Committee (NTSC). ITSC 2022 will be hosted on 21-22 March 2022 in Doha, Qatar under the theme “Towards a World-Class Safe and Sustainable Transport and Traffic System for Developing Countries”. The deadline to submit your abstracts is set for 31 December 2021.
Performance-Based Contracts: Africa Regional Seminar & Workshop
IRF is pleased to support the Africa Regional Seminar & Workshop being organised by the Tanzania Road Association (TARA) in collaboration with Tanzanian Road authorities on 13-17 December 2021. The objective is to provide detailed tools, examples, and practical knowledge for successfully implementing performance-based contacts.
Road Safety at Level-crossings Flyers Published
In the framework of the UN Decade of Action for Road Safety, the International Road Federation (IRF), the International Union of Railways (UIC), and Operation Lifesaver Estonia have partnered to raise awareness on level crossing safety amongst light vehicles’ drivers. Two safety flyers showing actions to be taken and information to consider at level-crossings by light vehicles were published and are available online.
IRF President Addresses the 48th Edition of the ASECAP Days
On 12 October 2021, the General Meeting of the International Bridge Tunnel & Turnpike Association (IBTTA) unanimously elected IRF President, Mr. Bill Halkias, as Member of the Association’s Board of Directors. Mr. Halkias will become IBTTA’s 2nd Vice President in 2022 and 1st Vice President in 2023, leading to IBTTA’s Presidency in 2024.
Environmental E-ROADS: Integrated Adaptive Ecosystems
IRF Director General, Susanna Zammataro joined high-level speakers at the event organised on 15 December in Venice by Concessioni Autostradali Venete in collaboration with The Greenway Group – of which IRF Member Ecogest is part – and the Engineering Board of the City of Venice. The focus was on Infrastructure response to climate change and offered the opportunity to present the innovative project “Kassandra”.
New CRISPS Webinar: Epoxy Modified Bitumen
Aiming at presenting some early findings from the “Climate resilient sustainable road pavement surfacing (CRISPS)” research programme, this new webinar hosted by IRF covered an introduction to the Epoxy Modified Bitumen performance from laboratory test, trials, and applications to date. It also provided the methodology used for calibrating HDM-4 deterioration models using Long-term Performance Programme data and laboratory results.
IRF Supports Tomorrow.Mobility World Congress
Tomorrow.Mobility World Congress (TMWC) celebrated a pilot edition on 16-18 November in parallel with Smart City Expo World Congress (SCEWC), welcoming over 36,000 attendees. The International Road Federation was pleased to support the event and was represented by Gonzalo Alcaraz, IRF Senior Manager Membership & Innovation, who discussed active mobility in the Session “Just Move – and Stay Healthy!”.
UN SG Report on Road Safety Recognises IRF’s Work
The 2021 United Nations Secretary-General’s report on improving global road safety, prepared by the World Health Organization in consultation with the United Nations regional commissions and other partners in the United Nations Road Safety Collaboration has been released in November. We are pleased to see IRF’s work and that of its members and partners acknowledged several times in the report.
Journal of Mega Infrastructure & Sustainable Development: Call for Articles
IRF is pleased to collaborate with the Journal of Mega Infrastructure & Sustainable Development which provides a platform to critically examine the theory and practice of international mega infrastructure developments. The latest issue of the journal has been released and the call for articles for the next one is now open.
Cultural Diversity in Traffic Safety: 7th GIFTS Symposium in Japan
IRF was proud to support, again this year, the 7th GIFTS Symposium organised by the International Association of Traffic and Safety Sciences (IATSS) based in Japan. IRF Director General, Susanna Zammataro, joined other eminent speakers on 18 November to discuss the Cultural Diversity in Traffic and Building of Safe Societies. The recording of the event is available on the event page.
SuM4All at COP26: Electromobility – An Opportunity for ALL Countries or Only a FEW?
In the framework of the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26), the SuM4All partnership hosted a side event to discuss its recently released paper “Electromobility in the Global South: An Equitable Transition Toward Road Passenger Transport Decarbonisation”. The discussion paper and the recording of the side event are available online.
Successful World Day of Remembrance 2021
The World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims, commemorated this year on 21 November, is an international Day to remember the many millions of road traffic victims. IRF and its members supported the day through various activities, including personal messages of support from the IRF President, IRF Director General, and IRF Intern, Moses Horne. All the videos are available online.
Gonzalo Alcaraz Appointed IRF Deputy Director General
Gonzalo Alcaraz, IRF Senior Manager Membership & Innovation, has been appointed by the IRF Executive Committee as Deputy Director General. The announcement took place during the IRF Board Meeting held on 23 November. In his new role, Gonzalo will help strengthen the leadership team within the Secretariat bringing a forward-looking and innovative mindset, which is so critical in the new Mobility and Transport landscape.
IRF India Chapter Webinars 11th and 12th
The IRF India Chapter hosted its 11th Webinar on 17 November 2021 on the subject “Strengthening Emergency Care System along the National Highways/Expressways – a National Priority”. Webinar 12th, the last of the year, was hosted instead on 15 December under the theme “Sustainable Development with Road Safety”.
NTUA Prof. George Yannis at the top-2 Road Safety Scientists in Europe, 2021
NTUA Professor George Yannis was ranked 2nd most productive European Scientist in Road Safety Research (11th globally and at the top 0.1% of all Scientists in the field), according to recent rankings from Expertscape‘s PubMed-based algorithms for the last 10 years. NTUA Road Safety research productivity was ranked 4th in Europe (and within the top 40 Universities globally).
Streets for Life Campaign Presented with Prince Michael International Road Safety Awards
The Streets for Life #Love30 campaign, organised under the auspices of the UNRSC for the 6th UN Global Road Safety Week by the WHO, FIA Foundation, YOURS and the Global Alliance of NGOs for Road Safety, has been presented with a 2021 Prince Michael International Road Safety Awards.
Holcim Nominated for the Prince Michael International Road Safety Awards
IRF Member, Holcim, was nominated for the Prince Michael International Road Safety Awards for their standardized road safety at work programme. The programme applies to all the company’s and regular transporter drivers, and since its launch in 2016, it has resulted in a 74% reduction in at-fault road fatalities for the Group worldwide.
PE “Roads of Serbia” Supports WDoR 2021
IRF Member, Holcim, was nominated for the Prince Michael International Road Safety Award for their standardized road safety at work programme. The programme applies to all the company’s and regular transporter drivers, and since its launch in 2016, it has resulted in a 74% reduction in at-fault road fatalities for the Group worldwide.
Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting
9 – 13 January 2022 – Washington D.C, USA
FRONTIER Webinar: Building the Future Smart Mobility
17 January 2022 – Online
2nd International Traffic Safety Conference
21 – 22 March 2022 – Doha, Qatar
29 March – 1 April 2022 – Amsterdam, The Netherlands
40th Annual Southern African Transport Conference 2022
4 – 7 July 2022 – Online
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