ERF Annual Report 2011 by Altitude Design

Annual Report 2011

2version-AR_2012.indd 1

12/03/12 16:11

Sponsored by :

2version-AR_2012.indd 2

12/03/12 16:12

Contents I. INTRODUCTION.............................................................................................................................................................................................. 4 Foreword from the President........................................................................................................................................................... 4 Foreword from the Director General ................................................................................................................................................ 5 ERF Seminar: « Engineering and Financing Safe and Sustainable Roads ».......................................................................................... 6

II. ERF PROGRAMME ACTIVITIES ...................................................................................................................................................................... 7 Road Safety Programme ................................................................................................................................................................. 8 Sustainability Programme ............................................................................................................................................................. 12 Intelligent Roads Programme ........................................................................................................................................................ 14

III. ERF RELATED FORA ................................................................................................................................................................................... 17 ENBF - European Noise Barrier Federation .................................................................................................................................... 18 ENRA - European National Road Association Forum ....................................................................................................................... 18

IV. COMMUNICATION/ PUBLIC RELATIONS ...................................................................................................................................................... 19

2version-AR_2012.indd 3

12/03/12 16:12

I IntRoDUCtIon

Annual Report 2011

Foreword from the President During my second year as ERF President, it has been a pleasure to see the ERF present in many political and institutional events, fora, congresses and conferences all over the world, highlighting its essential role as one of the major European stakeholders of the Road Infrastructure sector. At the same time, the ERF has confirmed its presence not only in Europe, but also outside the old continent, by establishing and fostering fruitful contacts with international organisations and companies. 2011 has also seen the launch of the SMART ROAD concept, which explores and highlights the many positive attributes of roads and proposes a road transportation model that is adapted to the needs of the population and plays its rightful role in the framework of global transport. The year 2011 was also characterised by a nice economic stability for the ERF, with a balanced mix of membership and participation to projects. This excellent performance for 2011 makes me look at the future of the ERF with great confidence and optimism.

Jacobo DĂaz PiĂąeda President 4

2version-AR_2012.indd 4

12/03/12 16:12

Foreword from the Director General 2011 has been a very exciting and active year for the ERF and I am quite pleased to present you with this second edition of the new styled version of the ERF Annual Report. The road infrastructure sector, like all other economic sectors in Europe, has been particularly hit by the current political and economic situation. The budgetary constraints and the uncertainties regarding the economic growth in Europe have severely impacted public investments in all areas of major economic activity. In the face of this negative outlook, the ERF has not only succeeded in maintaining its activities to their superior level, moreover it has increased them by incorporating new activities, new members and new areas of inﬂuence. In terms of new activities, 2011 has seen the launch of 2 new Working Groups (WG) on Work Zone Safety and Road Asset Management. These new WG’s have highlighted the high interest of the profession for the issue of road safety, in particular on zones of road works and the preservation of the road infrastructure as an essential economic asset. For the first time in its life, the ERF accounts now more than 50 members. Moreover new members from outside the EU (Turkey, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia) have decided to join the ERF, mainly because of its leadership and experience in the specific field of road restraint systems and the European norms (EN 1317) The ERF has also intensively participated to the activities developed in the framework of the EU Polish Presidency and strengthened its presence in the Adriatic-Ionian area, with the launch of a Regional Working Group Programme. All these activities are highlighted in this 2011 ERF Annual Report and I am confident that you will find it interesting and informative.

Christophe Nicodème Director General 5

2version-AR_2012.indd 5

12/03/12 16:12

Annual Report 2011

ERF Seminar: “Engineering and Financing Safe and Sustainable Roads” The two-day ERF Seminar held in Warsaw on 25 and 26 October 2011, constituted a landmark event for the road sector in Poland. The seminar, entitled Engineering and Financing Safe and Sustainable Roads and organised in cooperation with the Polish General Directorate for National Roads and Highways (GDDKiA), saw the participation of around 60 stakeholders from all over Europe, mainly from Poland. A representative of the City of Warsaw welcomed the attendants and thanked the ERF and GDDKiA for organising this event. Christophe Nicodème, ERF Director General, who opened and moderated the seminar, brieﬂy presented the ERF and its main activities. The four dedicated sessions addressing Road Safety, Intelligent Transport Systems, Sustainability and Road financing & Preservation, were animated by well experienced panellists coming from different countries and road sectors. The successful event was closed by Mr Maciejewski, deputy director of GDDKiA, and was followed by a technical visit to the Polish motorway S8 Marki – Modlinska under construction. It is a major road in Poland which, when completed, will run along the route Wrocław - Łódź - Warsaw - Białystok.

2version-AR_2012.indd 6

12/03/12 16:12

II eRF PRoGRAMMe ACtIVItIes

2version-AR_2012.indd 7

12/03/12 16:12

ROAD SAFETY PROGRAMME ERF Panel Discussion at the European Parliament

Annual Report 2011

The ERF organised in November a Panel Discussion in the European Parliament to raise awareness of the importance of connecting road infrastructure financing and safety following the latest political movements in transport at EU level. Endorsed by MEP Michel Dantin, the event brought together representatives of the EU institutions and industry who had the opportunity to discuss about the new policy orientations for the TEN-T, presented by the European Commission a few days earlier. During the debate, moderated by Director General Christophe NicodĂ¨me, panellists agreed on the key role of roads as a link between different modes of transport.

Mr Jean Eric Paquet, Director of the European Mobility Network (DG MOVE) explained the rationale behind the future orientations, describing them as a tool for shaping the future European policy of transport infrastructure. The role of the roads will be fundamental for establishing the necessary backbone that will interconnect the other transport modes in the core network.The objective is to reach a fully functional transport system in Europe by 2030. The ERF was represented by Vice-President Rik Nuyttens who described the challenges facing the road infrastructure industry in Europe, e.g. the ageing of the population, the focus on vulnerable road users and the increased demand for mobility. Representing the new ERF WG on Work Zone Safety, Luca Felappi insisted on the need to harmonise and create common standards in regulations for safety in work zones across the Member States. Further information can be downloaded from the following link: http://www.erf.be/index.php?option=com content&view=article&id=356:erfholds-a-successful-political-debate-about-road-safety-and-road-infrastructure-at-the-european-parliament&catid=1:press-release&Itemid=2

2version-AR_2012.indd 8

12/03/12 16:12

Working Groups

 Road Markings and Signs

 Road Restraint Systems Working Group

In 2011, the ERF was informed that the RAINVISION project, which seeks to evaluate the impact of wet-night visible markings on driving behaviour in view of an ageing population, has been accepted for co-financing by the European Commission. Following a long negotiation, the project was officially launched in January 2012 and will report back in two years.

At a time of tight public finances, road restraint systems can be a cost-effective solution for improving road safety on our roads. In this context, the Road Restraint Systems Working Group worked in 2011 to produce a policy statement that highlights in a simple and clear way, the contribution road restraint systems can make to increase levels of safety on our roads, especially on the secondary network. The Policy Statement will be launched in March 2012. In addition, the Working Group continued its work on a dedicated website on road restraint systems that aims to become an authoritative point of reference for users, policymakers and experts at European level. The website will be officially launched in February 2012. Last not least, the Working Group was actively involved in the correct implementation of the EN 1317, which as of 1 January 2011, has become legally binding in all Member States. Amongst other things, the Working Group dealt with the update of the supporting standards 1, 2, 3 of the EN 1317 as well as the correct application of the CE marking in the Member States.

The RAINVISION project will also feed into the workings of the Road Markings and Signs Working Group, which will launch its activities alongside the RAINVISION project. Amongst other topics to be touched upon, the working group is expected to discuss how to increase the use of wet-night visible marking by public authorities as well as to investigate how road markings and signs need to be adapted in order to interact with intelligent vehicles, the concept of ‘roads that cars can read’.  Work Zone Safety Road maintenance is essential for preserving a high quality and safe road network. Given that road infrastructure is subject to ever increasing demand for transport, it seems unavoidable that, in the future, works on road maintenance and extensions will occur on a higher frequency than in the past. Nevertheless, despite the overall progress being made in the area of road safety, road works remain particularly hazardous zones as they represent an unexpected change to the usual driving environment. Preliminary research by the ERF has found that safety signs, markings and barriers in work zones are different in EU countries although all aim to transmit the same safety message. In order to examine this topic more vigorously, the ERF launched in March 2011 a new Working Group with the objective of indentifying best practices in work zone safety and looking into possibilities of harmonisation in work zones regulations across the EU. Up-to-date, this WG has been very active and at this moment there are two main lines of action to improve visibility of the problem at EU level: raising awareness at the EU decision-making level and contributing to wider standardisation at CEN level. The new WG has held 4 meetings this year and has produced, amongst other results, a matrix of regulations in five different countries: Spain, France, Germany, Italy and Austria. The WG will continue carrying out more focussed research on national guidelines, legislations and practices in order to compare discrepancies between countries in three areas: approach to works zone, activity area and termination area. 9

2version-AR_2012.indd 9

12/03/12 16:12

Projects

Annual Report 2011

 ROSA (ROad SAfety for motorcyclists) - “On the road, stay alive together”

The ROSA Project finished with a final conference in March 2011 at the European Parliament, where the “European Handbook on Best Practices in PTW Safety” was presented. In addition to other two conferences in Germany and the Netherlands, the ERF was responsible for the organisation of the final event endorsed by MEP Ms Inés Ayala Sender (S&D-Spain). The conference gathered MEPs, representatives from the European Commission, stakeholders, industry and research centres. In addition, important personalities participated as panellists such as the President of the FIM, Mr Vito Ippolito and the General Director of Traffic of Spain, Mr Pere Navarro. The symbolic presentation of the Handbook to the European Authorities was delivered by two pilots representing the motorcycle community, i.e Héctor Barberá and Xavier Simeon. The event had an important media impact bringing together press agencies, television channels, newspapers and specialised magazines from different countries. During its one year life span, the ROSA consortium gathered opinions from users and safety experts to compile the Handbook of best practices aimed at policy-makers in order to improve current legislation on vulnerable users. The Handbook is divided in different sections which represent the various factors in motorcycle safety: infrastructure, vehicle, human factor, motorcyclist equipment, enforcement and education.

From left to right: Ms Isabelle Kardacz (EC), Mr Brian Simpson (MEP), Mr Giacomo Agostini (15 times FIM World Champion), Mr Antonio Cancian (MEP), Mr Héctor Barberá (MotoGP pilot), Mr Xavier Simeon (Moto2 pilot), Mr Vito Ippolito (FIM) and Ms Inés Ayala (MEP)

The Handbook, methodology, videos and press kits can be downloaded from the following link: www.rosaproject.eu

2version-AR_2012.indd 10

12/03/12 16:12

 WhiteRoads - “For a better and safer road network in Europe” AEC (Spanish Road Association) and ERF are still in search of the best road sections of the Trans-European Road Network (TERN) from an infrastructure perspective. During 2011, the consortium has worked closely to gather data from all Member States. The task has been developed well and results will become available very soon. WhiteRoads is an innovative project aiming at identifying the safest road sections of the TERN called White Spots: stretches of road where no accidents have occurred from 2004-2009. In addition, the project will provide road safety experts with infrastructure design and maintenance guidelines based on an analysis of the characteristics of these road sections.

[

sitive Safety rst po The fi ch to Road a appro

]

During the data collection phase, the consortium has been able to get in contact with national authorities from all the Member States. This project will bring a positive and constructive contribution to the improvement of road safety in Europe. The first results will be published at the beginning of 2012, followed by 2 workshops (Brussels and Madrid) and a final conference in Brussels where the project’s final results and Safety Guidelines will be presented to the European Commission and stakeholders. You can visit and check the ﬁrst results in the following link: www.whiteroads.eu

proach”ro: p e ] p a + e th “ s WhiteRoad fe r ro a d [n e tw o rk in E u

r and sa F o r a b e tt e

the sections of safest road identify the es of road Project is to Spots: stretch ective of the called White the Project , N) ition (TER k The main obj add Networ years. In ce ean Road the last five maintenan Trans-Europ occurred in re design and idents have tions. infrastructu se road sec where no acc experts with teristics of the road safety of the charac will provide lysis ana an based on guidelines

road ts the presen atform for tion re a pl Federa r g as ues fo n Road pe actin iss io y F Un ilit ro ER in Eu ropean on mob The Eu ure sector d research an ruct ation infrast ue, form te entities. iva dialog pr d an public ww.erf.be/ /w http:/

✗

✓

on ative impact us. c have a neg serio ance are vy road traffi e. s and hea road mainten maintenanc ther change tions of bad Extreme wea Road safety implica levels in road s. investment road surface nt to ensure proper It is importa

e approach t, despite  Innovativ the TERN tha gister sections of

d ture, re those roa d infrastruc t will locate similar roa ” in clear The Projec ffic flow and “white spots nsity of tra are called the same de ad sections e ro hos ents. T ots”. k-sp ac fewer accid “bl lled the so-ca opposition to

nce experie g large tin brings vel conduc l retera le itutiona ional la Car st at in de rn d pañola nal and inte rammes an AEC Es ón ci at natio search prog Asocia ty fe sa e, re in road l assistanc ca fety. techni ad sa .com/ es in ro retera activiti ww.aecar /w :/ http

✗

✓ eme driving during extr ts. the night and s prevents acciden guide us in s and sign road signs in marking kings and l of quality Road mar A good leve conditions.

ed co-fund OVE) oject M

htm

n. : ndex_e mission OVE) fety/i an Com oad_sa GM Europe fety Unit (D transport/r u/ Sa .e ad pa Ro ro /ec.eu http:/

analysis ope and tions in Eur st road sec higher ying the be rised by a characte s at identif aim t jec ent stretches The Pro o the adjac m t the comparing s. ent cid volume of ac

 Effective

Euro by the

✗

✓

lts

rative resu he Project will enable t The ve analysis requency. a comparati er accident f king of such d will serve ible for a low an ons ist The underta ckl esp rs r and ite roads che t the facto nce wh ligh na igh of a inte to h rm design, ma g ill take the fo during the plementin conclusion w authorities well as com al tool for works as as practic al road net CE. nt of nation 2008/96/ tive manageme irec y D id down b guidelines la

 Compa

is a Pr (DG ission Roads White pean Comm

e roads.

hite www.w

approa ped from en develo afety has be , user and ent of road s astructure the improvem reate alysis of infr Traditionally, Project will c after the an ds ive Roa ect e persp . The White a negativ he accident ty. nditions in t to road safe ch roa pp vehicle co e a e a positiv for the first tim

 Positive

l for drivers. safety leve a minimum for all users. riers ensures safety requirements of road bar consider Installation should also Road barriers

2version-AR_2012.indd 11

12/03/12 16:12

SUSTAINABILITY PROGRAMME

Annual Report 2011

ERF-STOA Workshop Road transport sector at the forefront of efforts for a quieter Europe On 23rd November, around 100 interested stakeholders from all over Europe gathered in the European Parliament in Brussels to take part to the ERF-STOA Workshop “Paving the way for a quieter Europe”. The successful event, hosted by Salvatore Tatarella, Member of the European Parliament and Member of the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety Committee, was a unique opportunity for EU policy makers, industry representatives, NGOs and experts in the field, to share opinions and ideas about how to achieve a systematic approach that reduces traffic noise and ensures a quieter and healthier environment for Europe’s citizens. The events was opened by Mr Tatarella, who expressed his deep interest in the topic of traffic noise and the effect it has on millions of Europeans. The first session laid down the European framework of the current noise related legislations with the intervention of two representatives from the European Commission. Furthermore, the point of view of NGOs and research centres were expressed, emphasising the need for the industry to undertake additional efforts to reduce noise even further. The second session was dedicated to industry’s representatives who illustrated the advanced solutions implemented in their sectors (tyre, road surface, noise barriers). This session was closed with the presentation of the URF French publication “Silence on roule”. During its closing remarks, Christophe Nicodème, ERF Director General pointed out the important advances achieved so far by the road and automotive sectors and their willingness to cooperate further. He rounded up the conference by saying that “real and tangible objectives in terms of noise reduction can only be reached with shared responsibility and common efforts from all the actors involved”.

2version-AR_2012.indd 12

12/03/12 16:12

Working Groups  Noise Working Group

 QUIESST – (QUIetening the Environment for a Sustainable Surface Transport)

The ERF Working Group on Noise brings together organisations active in the areas of road surface design, acoustic sound walls and traffic management technologies. The Working Group occasionally invites external guests from different sectors in order to provide the topics of specific interest. In 2011, the Noise Working Group met twice: on 20 January in Brussels and on 29 April in Paris. External guests were occasionally invited to gather opinions and share ideas from different fields. The work mainly focused on: • studying and monitoring the development of the EU Directive 70/157/CEE on permissible sound level and the exhaust system of motor vehicles recently amended. • monitoring the development of the Commission review of Directive 2002/49/EC (European Noise Directive) • supporting and contributing to the promotion of the URF publication “Silence on roule”

Focussing on surface transport noise abatement (including road and rail), QUIESST adopts an innovative holistic approach that will allow to control the actual global effectiveness, to reduce ground transport noise, to minimise the number of people exposed to noise, to reduce the level of noise exposure and to make Noise Reducing Devices (NRDs) more sustainable. In its second year of activity, QUIESST carried out important and intense research activities (including laboratory and on-field tests). The main results will be disclosed at the end of the project (October 2012).

The Working Group main outputs were:

As dissemination leader, the ERF promoted the project at different events by delivering presentations and distributing the QUIESST leaﬂets. Furthermore the ERF continued to inform the ENBF forum about the QUIESST activities and actively contributed in gathering information from the ENBF members useful for research purposes.

• Production and distribution of a Press Release calling for “A holistic approach to reduce Traffic Noise”

The ERF, as the responsible for the organisation of the QUIESST Final Workshop to be held next year, already started the preparatory work.

• Participation and intervention at the event “Quiet Please: The Future of EU Noise Policy’ held by Transport & Environment on 25 May. The intervention aimed at pointing out the efforts in terms of noise reduction already made by the road industry and calling for a holistic approach.

Stay tuned on the QUIESST website for more information : www.quiesst.eu.

• Organisation of a successful Workshop held at the European Parliament under the heading “Paving the way for a quieter Europe”

2version-AR_2012.indd 13

12/03/12 16:12

 Sustainability Working Group

Annual Report 2011

The road infrastructure sector is committed to fulfilling environmental goals set by the European Union in order to decarbonise transport. Our industry has developed applications and techniques able to improve the protection of the environment. The WG on Sustainability works actively to build a bridge between industry and authorities to develop sustainable solutions, while still providing the best quality service in terms of safety and mobility to road users.

Intelligent Roads and Financing Programme Projects  SCUTUM

The WG on Sustainability held a meeting in June to discuss among other issues the environmental impact of the White Paper on Transport presented by the European Commission a few months before. In addition, the ERF Secretariat has contacted the Working Group on Construction of the EMAS (Community Eco-Management and Audit Scheme) to identify possible lines of cooperation and improve visibility of sustainable developments made in our sector. EMAS is a voluntary initiative designed to improve the environmental performance of companies and organisations from both the public and private sector. The Working Group on Construction is responsible for developing reference documents which can be used as technical sources on how to achieve a high environmental performance through the application of best green practices.

On 9 November, SCUTUM held its Final Workshop in Rome, hosted by the EasyWay Annual Forum and on 6 December 2011, eni, the leading Italian oil company involved in the project, hosted the final internal meeting of the project, in the presence of Ms. Fiammetta Diani from GSA and team members. In less than two years, SCUTUM has become the landmark European experience for the deployment of EGNOS applications in the road transport of dangerous goods, and its results have gone beyond research.

Another important event on sustainability took place in September. The Polish Presidency of the EU organised a high level conference on Sustainability and Green Corridors in Szczecin (Poland). The event gathered high level representatives from governmental bodies, local authorities and the European Institutions. During one of the sessions, ERF Director General, Christophe Nicodème, presented the association’s position, together with some important progresses achieved by the road infrastructure industry for making the road more sustainable.

SCUTUM led to the adoption of EGNOS in a real business case and to the market release of a product based on EGNOS , namely LCS, a Telespazio (SCUTUM coordinator) product. The project has also widely promoted EGNOS’ added value in land transport and mobility applications, and it has also developed a European technical specification for commercial services based on EGNOS. SCUTUM’s results have been recognised to be interesting for other road applications and they will possibly pave the way for the introduction of EGNOS in other transport sectors, primarily railway.

The conference’s principal objective was to boost politically the Green Corridors initiative which envisages the reorganisation of current transport chains in a manner that maximises logistical efficiency, while minimising the environmental impact. The ERF’s intervention was warmly welcomed as bringing some new ideas to the forum.

The publication “EGNOS in dangerous goods” and a movie were produced to promote SCUTUM’s main concepts and results. The ERF had a central role in this project, namely as dissemination leader contributing to a wide and deep project promotion activity as well as CEN Workshop SCUTUM’ chair. www.scutumgnss.eu

2version-AR_2012.indd 14

12/03/12 16:12

 FOTsis (European Field Operational Test on Safe, Intelligent and Sustainable Road Operation)

I2V, V2I & I2I technologies (the FOTsis Services), in order to assess in detail first their effectiveness and second their potential for a full-scale deployment in European roads. More specifically, FOtsis will test the road infrastructure’s capability to incorporate the latest cooperative systems technology at 9 Test-Sites in four European Test-Communities (Spain, Portugal, Germany and Greece), providing the following services: S1: Emergency Management S2: Safety Incident Management S3: Intelligent Congestion Control S4: Dynamic Route Planning S5: Special Vehicle Tracking S6: Advanced Enforcement S7: Infrastructure Safety Assessment

Most cooperative systems to date have been implemented from a vehicle perspective. FOTsis (European Field Operational Test on Safe, Intelligent and Sustainable Road Operation) is a integrated project co-funded by the European Commission that aims to address this gap by conducting a large scale field testing of the road infrastructure management systems needed for the operation of seven close-to-market cooperative

The project kicked off in April 2011 and will run for a total of 42 months. The role of the ERF will be to support the project dissemination in various ways. More information at www.fotsis.eu

2version-AR_2012.indd 15

12/03/12 16:12

 Road Asset Management Working Group Road transport is the backbone of the European economy and a source of unprecedented socio-economic wealth for Europe’s citizens. To ensure the continued mobility of goods and people across Europe, it is essential to preserve Europe’s road infrastructure. With a total of 5,5 million km, the EU road network constitutes one of Europe’s largest community assets. However, chronic underfunding and lack of maintenance risk at jeopardising in a short time this huge asset, which has been built over the past 50 years at great expense and effort. Most of Europe’s roads are ageing rapidly and reaching the end of their life cycle. We are now experiencing a critical point in time, where a continuation of status quo may entail a permanent and irreversible loss of this important asset.

• Define the necessary requirements in terms of funding, in order to preserve and maintain a high quality road infrastructure network across Europe • Propose guidelines aimed at establishing maintenance programmes on short, middle and long term basis, in order to prevent the depreciation of the road asset • Approach road authorities and European Institutions to promote the need for an integrated approach of Road Asset Management • Help road authorities across Europe make right decisions for future road infrastructure maintenance and preservation projects

In this context, the ERF has decided to set up a working group on Road Asset Management, with the following objectives:

The ERF RAM WG kick-off meeting took place on April 7th and the second WG meeting on September 5th.

• Analyse the latest trends in road maintenance and financing across Europe and identify the most critical areas

The next steps will be the collection of data from EU countries and the elaboration of a road map for next year (with a debate session to be organised in the EP).

• Develop a methodology enabling an estimation of the asset value represented by the road infrastructure in Europe

2version-AR_2012.indd 16

12/03/12 16:12

III eRF ReLAteD FoRA

2version-AR_2012.indd 17

12/03/12 16:12

Annual Report 2011

ENBF

During this year, the European Noise Barrier Federation (ENBF) widely promoted its activities and became the European reference for noise barrier industries, associations and experts. Its members, who have increased to 13, met twice: on 14 April and 29 September in Brussels. The work of the ENBF focussed on: • Problems revolving around the technical approvals and CE certificates in some European countries • The new regulations for Construction Products (CPR) and for the accreditation of Notified Bodies (NBs) • Contacts with the GNB Sector group SG04 • Contacts with the rail sector • Support to the EU co-funded project QUIESST The main outcomes of the ENBF for 2011 were: • Contact established with Mr Vicente Leoz Argüelles, Head of Unit at the European Commission responsible for construction, pressure equipment, and methodology, who was invited to one of the ENBF meeting to exchange opinions on the new CPR and NBs accreditation • Stimulated the set up of a new WG on «noise reducing devices» within SG04 Circulation Fixtures Sector Group, where the ENBF is represented. • Investigated the Polish noise barrier market and acted in order to improve the ambiguous situation in Poland. www.enbf.org

ENRA The European National Road Associations Forum is an independent Forum dedicated to the National Road Associations, under the umbrella of the European Union Road Federation. The ENRA Forum met on 18th October 2011 in Hotel Croatia in Cavtat (Dubrovnik), in the framework of the 5th National Congress of the Croatian Road Society Via Vita. This event, attended by more than 300 participants, was a unique opportunity to gather the members of the ENRA Forum. The topics addressed during the meeting were mainly related to the issue of the maintenance and preservation of the Road Infrastructure (Road Asset Management), as well as the positive contribution that National Road Associations, in co-operation with the ERF, can bring to the defence of the road infrastructure in Europe, particularly in these times of financial uncertainty and budget constraints. The meeting was also an opportunity to gather new participants and present the future working programmes in which the ERF is currently involved or will develop in the near future (e.g. the Whiteroads project, the SMART Road concept, the European Road Initiative…) This meeting was followed by a high level event, organised by the Croatian Road Society, Via Vita, with the support of the ERF. This session consisted of a Round Table on the Adriatic – Ionian Corridor. This meeting gathered representatives of Road Societies and authorities of all the countries along the Adriatic-Ionian corridor, as well as neighbouring countries (Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Montenegro, Albania, Greece and Hungary). During the session, representatives from Road Societies and Authorities had the opportunity to present the state of the art of the road transport infrastructure in their respective countries. They insisted on the importance and the relevance of the Adriatic-Ionian corridor for the economy of the region, and the necessity to complete it as soon as possible, in order to provide the area with a road infrastructure network capable to provide users with the necessary mobility in terms of service, capacity, efficiency and safety. At the end of the round table, the ERF and the participants decided to explore in the future the possibility of bringing the issue of the Adriatic-Ionian corridor to the EU institutions, by organising in Brussels a dedicated event, with the support of the ERF, during 2012.

2version-AR_2012.indd 18

12/03/12 16:12

IV CoMMUnICAtIon /PUBLIC ReLAtIons

2version-AR_2012.indd 19

12/03/12 16:12

Defending the role of road infrastructure – Presentation to external stakeholders events

Annual Report 2011

The ERF is regularly invited to speak at external events to share its expertise and its vision of the road infrastructure sector. The 2011 events include:

Articles in Specialised Press The ERF continued to contribute regularly through its column to World Highways, Strade & Autostrade, Thinking Highways and Intelligent Roads.

• Road Users Charging session, 8 February, Brussels, Belgium

Newsletters, Press Releases

• IRF Meeting, 8 – 12 May, Bucharest, Romania

The ERF publishes 4 newsletters regularly throughout the year, devoted to its diverse activities:

• General Assembly Pro-Mobilitaet, 25 May, Berlin, Germany • General Assembly Road Federation Belgium, 16 June, Brussels, Belgium • Delegation of Ministry of Transport of Macedonia to Brussels, 21 September, Brussels, Belgium • World Road Congress PIARC, 26 – 30 September, Mexico DF, Mexico • AFESP Seminar on Urban signs and markings, 14 October, Porto, Portugal • 5th Road Congress VIA VITA, ENRA Forum, Adriatic-Ionian Corridor roundtable meeting, 17-19 October, Dubrovnik, Croatia

   

Policy & Action Intelligent Roads Engineering Safer Roads Voice of the European Road

All the newsletters are available for free consultation and download on the ERF website, with the exception of Policy & Action, which is reserved to ERF Members only. The ERF released as well a number of press releases on developments in a variety of road-related topics, available on the ERF website

• RSMA Annual Conference 17 November, Leicester, United Kingdom • TEN-T days, 29 – 30 November, Antwerp, Belgium • European Road Initiative Meeting, 7 December, Brussels, Belgium The ERF team participated to many others events

2version-AR_2012.indd 20

12/03/12 16:12

Publications This year ERF issued a 10th edition of â&#x20AC;&#x153;European Road Statistics 2011â&#x20AC;?. This annual publication provides with the key data in the road transport sector and throughout the years has become the tool of reference for policy makers and major stakeholders.

The ERF wants to convey the message that a sound, safe, efficient, properly financed and maintained road infrastructure is the sine qua non condition for providing global mobility and promoting economic development, whilst reducing the environmental impact of road transport and increasing the welfare of our citizens.

The 10th edition of the European Road Statistics 2011 builds its reputation on the enormous success of the previous editions and establishes itself as a cornerstone tool to interpret the current road transport picture in Europe and consequently to support policy makers and stakeholders taking appropriate and informed decisions based on factual data.

The ERF is convinced that this 10th edition of the European Road Statistics will provide useful and reliable information and will continue to demonstrate the importance of road transport for our society.

10 TH

ITIO

2011

ERF

by: Sponsored

stics

Road Stati

th Edition ics - 10 d Statist opean Roa 2011 Eur

European

AM 1/9/12 9:42

011.indd 1

Cover-ERF-2

2version-AR_2012.indd 21

12/03/12 16:12

Membership Development

The ERF is pleased to welcome 7 new members in 2011.

Annual Report 2011

Effective Members: Bulgarian Branch Association Road Safety (Bulgaria) Union Routière de France (France) Associated Members: Ameeri Industries (Kingdom of Bahrain) Cologne University of Applied Sciences (Germany) Gruppo Massara (Italy) Kirac Galvaniz A.S (Turkey) Ministry of Transport of Saudi Arabia

List of ERF Members Effective Members Asociación Española de la Carretera (Spain) Bulgarian Branch Association Road Safety (Bulgaria) Centro Rodoviário Português (Portugal) Dansk Vejforening (Denmark) Hrvatsko Društvo za Ceste (Croatia) Österreichische Gesellschaft für Strassen und Vekehrswesen (Austria) Pro-mobilitaet (Germany) Road Federation Belgium (Belgium) Suomen Tieyhdistys (Finland) The Association of Consulting Engineers of Bosnia and Herzegovina Union Routière de France (France) Associated Members 3M Europe, S.A. (Belgium) Abertis Infraestructuras (Spain) Ameeri Industries (Kingdom of Bahrain) ArcelorMittal (Luxembourg/India) Asebal (Spain) Association of European Glass Bead Manufacturer (Belgium)

AXIMUM (France) Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo en Automoción - CIDAUT (Spain) COLAS (France) Cologne University of Applied Sciences (Germany) Confederation of Organisation in Road Transport Enfocement - CORTE (Belgium) Delta Bloc GmbH (Austria) Efkon AG (Austria) Eurometal ABEE (Greece) European Noise Barrier Federation - ENBF (Belgium) European Intermodal Association - EIA (Belgium) Eupave (Belgium) Eurovia (France) Galva Union (France) Gruppo Massara (Italy) Highway Industries Confederation Ltd. - HIC/RSMA (UK) Hill & Smith Ltd. (UK) Kirac Galvaniz A.S (Turkey) L.I.E.R - Laboratoire d’essais INRETS des Equipements de la Route (France) Marcegaglia (Italy) Ministry of Transport of Saudi Arabia Saferoad RRS Gmbh (Germany) Prismo Limited (UK) Safe German Guardrail Technology - SGGT (Germany) Syndicat des Equipements de la Route - SER (France) Snoline S.P.A. (Italy) Solosar (France) Studiengesellschaft für Stahlschutzplanken e.V. (Germany) SWARCO Holding GmbH (Austria) Telegra d.o.o. (Croatia) Telespazio S.p.A. (Italy) TERTU (France) TUBOSIDER S.p.A. (Italy) Union des Syndicats de l’industrie Routière Française - USIRF (France) Volkmann & Rossbach (Germany)

2version-AR_2012.indd 22

12/03/12 16:12

2version-AR_2012.indd 23

12/03/12 16:12