Get involved in international best practice

Why are the Communities of Interest being established?A key lesson from the previous cycle was that knowledge management of the UK contribution to the World Road Association technical committees needed to be improved. To address this issue, the National Committee (WRA UK) sought to establish ‘communities of interest’ around the technical committees for the 2012-2015 cycle.

Who will be in the Community of Interest?
This is likely to include representatives of the relevant UKRLG Board, the four UK Overseeing Organisations, ADEPT, UK CEDR TCs, any corresponding members of the TC and other organisations/individuals who register a particular interest in the subject area.

How will the Community work?
It is intended that the WRA UK technical representative (click here for list of members) establishes a two-way exchange of information with his/her community of interest, providing updates on the work of the TC and seeking UK input through the WRA UK LinkedIn pages.

Register through an online survey
A few questions will also be asked to assess your involvement with other transport organisations.

To register your interest please complete the survey link here.
 

Keep up to date with preparations for Mexico

Make sure you follow all the updates to the work for preparing for the World Congress in Mexico here.

2011 World Congress now open for booking

Your prompt attention to registering for the Congress will benefit you in a reduced registration fee and enable you to have a larger choice for the technical visits. 

click here to book

Read Jim Barton's Editorial in Routes Roads Magazine

First Delegate and Chair of the Strategic Planning Commission, Jim Barton has written the latest editorial in Routes Roads Magazine - published in the 4th Quarter of 2010.  To read the article see:  http://publications.piarc.org/ressources/documents/RR348_Edito.pdf

New to 2010:  PIAR Technical Committee Reports

We are pleased to provide you information about the productions of the PIARC Technical Committees. Enclosed is a one-page summary of 5 technical reports that have been recently released. The reports are available free of charge in the PIARC Virtual Library as PDF file at: http://publications.piarc.org/en/.

SUSTAINABLE INTERURBAN ROADS FOR TOMORROW

Roads are fundamental infrastructure for the development of society, yet societal planning often takes place with little or no acknowledgement of the cross sector interactions. A crucial issue for the design and planning of interurban connections in the 21st century will be good cross sector coordination and cooperation which can be achieved with well developed planning processes.
 

The purpose of this report is to raise awareness of the complex issues, interactions and available solutions that surround the interurban road network.

The focus is on better planning and how to get the most out of the existing infrastructure. Trends and predictions for the future are identified along with recommendations on how to adapt to these changes.
 

The report examines operational management, access management and intermodal freight terminals. Trends and predictions are discussed with conclusions and recommendations made.
 

Case studies covering differing planning levels, operational management, access management and intermodal freight terminals are analysed and discussed with a brief summary included.
 

The interactions between integrated transport planning, regional planning and land use are examined. A four stage principle is proposed as a general approach to develop the road
transport system:

• Measures affecting transport demand and choice of transport modes.
• Measures for more efficient utilization of the existing road network.
• Improvements and minor rebuilding measures.
• New Investments and major rebuilding measures.

The needs and expectations of everyday mobility as well as economic considerations are discussed, as are the different types of travel environments. Subsequently, planning at different levels is also covered. The importance of broad and open interaction and communication between customer groups, key influencers, researchers and developers in the formulation of national transport policies is emphasised, with the impact of transport issues on citizens, businesses and society being taken into consideration.
 

This report can be accessed through PIARC’s Virtual Library at:
http://publications.piarc.org/ressources/publications_files/5/6163,2009R09.pdf

PRICING AS A TOOL FOR FUNDING AND REGULATION IN AN EQUITY’S PERSPECTIVE

Traditionally, instruments such as taxes, charges and tolls have been used for funding infrastructure construction and maintenance. In recent years, pricing has been used for regulatory purposes as a measure against congestion, for mitigating environmental impacts and for improving safety.
 

The question of whether road pricing could be a useful instrument and in which way it should be applied can only be sufficiently answered after clearly defining the objectives. Does the priority lie in improving the environmental situation? In creating more financial sources for infrastructure projects in the transport sector? Or is the main purpose to reach a better usage of existing infrastructure capacities and/or a general reduction in road traffic? Possible tools for different objectives are discussed in this report. This report, prepared by World Road Association (PIARC) Technical Committee C1.1 Road System Economics focuses on the discussion of equity issues associated with road pricing.
 

Road pricing concepts are discussed with differentiation between funding of road activities and regulation of road use. Possible objectives and particular road pricing instruments are discussed.

The core of the report is the discussion of the impacts of road pricing and distribution and equity issues that arise from these impacts. Resolution of these issues is the key to the public and political acceptability of road pricing.

Any theoretical benefits of road pricing are irrelevant if public and political opposition prevents successful application.
 

The report concludes with a set of case studies, drawing lessons and recommendations from them. The case studies included are:

• Preparation of Electronic Toll Collection in Slovakia
• Finland – A Country of Fiscal Taxation
• Sweden – A country of Congestion Charging
• Norway – The Land of Toll Rings
• Tolling in Hungary – History and Future
• Czech Republic – Tolling on Selected Roads
• The Netherlands – Pricing Initiatives Over 15 Years

Heavy vehicle charges in central European counties and charging technologies are also examined.
 

If a charging system is not accepted by the majority it will in general not be possible to implement or keep in operation. Successfully introduced schemes are advantageous for most, if not all parties. The intended use of revenue will strongly influence the perception of equity regarding pricing schemes and projects.
 

This report can be accessed through PIARC’s Virtual Library at:
http://publications.piarc.org/ressources/publications_files/5/3524,2009R05_WEB.pdf

LONG LIFE PAVEMENTS AND SUCCESS STORIES

Well established design methods for roads and pavements have now been in use for many years in many countries. Many pavements have reached or exceeded their original theoretical design life.
 

This report prepared by World Road Association (PIARC) Technical Committee C4.3 Road Pavements looks at successful pavement cases, comparing the actual performance with predictions at the time of original design and construction.
 

The study serves to detect areas of pavement exhibiting a longer life than expected with the objective of identifying the factors responsible for these variations. The factors found to promote better than expected performance could then be exploited for superior future pavement designs.

Papers were gathered with examples of pavements which lasted significantly longer than predicted at the design phase. Cases were analysed to determine the reasons for pavements whose life and performance exceeded expectation.

Guidelines for the design, construction and maintenance of ‘long life pavements’ were created.
 

Thus, the report includes the following elements:

• Definition of success stories.
• Comparison of case studies regarding the concept of long life pavements
• Brief overview of papers received.
• Different types and techniques which may account for examples of ‘long life
• pavements’.
• Conclusions and recommendations for future work in comparisons of true pavementperformance versus design methods.
   

Lessons learnt and discussions are broken into three pavement categories:

• Flexible pavements
• Semi-rigid and composite pavements
• Rigid pavements

Topics covered include pavement design, structure, construction, maintenance and repair.
 

Long life pavement strategies are suggested, with discussion regarding initial construction investment, whole of life cost, foundation, workmanship of both the granular and bituminous/concrete layers, consideration of freeze/thaw cycles, frost resistant materials and drainage. The shift in emphasis from new construction to maintenance is also broached upon.
 

It is concluded that pavement management and technical parameters are as important as economic and environmental aspects in the success of long life pavements. The significance of bearing capacity, base layers, quality assurance, construction contract documents, critical thicknesses are discussed, among other things.
 

This report can be accessed through PIARC’s Virtual Library at:
http://publications.piarc.org/ressources/publications_files/5/3604,WEB2009R06.pdf

PIARC CATALOGUE OF DESIGN SAFETY PROBLEMS AND POTENTIAL COUNTERMEASURES

The Technical Committee 3.1 Road Safety of the World Road Association (PIARC) has produced a Catalogue of Design Safety Problems and Countermeasures. It is particularly aimed at developing and emerging countries and countries in transition. The catalogue clearly presents well known design errors and suggests methods to overcome these.
 

The catalogue can be used either as a proactive safety tool to ensure the design faults do not arise in the first place or as a reactive safety tool to assist in designing cost-effective countermeasures to deal with a problem.
 

The catalogue is divided into 8 sections:
1. Function
2. Cross Section
3. Alignment
4. Intersections
5. Public and Private Services
6. Vulnerable Road Users
7. Traffic Signing and Marking
8. Roadside Features
 

These 8 sections correspond to those of the Road Safety Audits (RSA) and Road Safety Inspections (RSI) publications with the detailed checklists published to assist their procedures. The document provides guidelines on how to use the guideline as part of either the Road Safety Audit or Road Safety Inspection procedure.
 

Each section is divided into specific problem areas. The problem is outlined with a summary of crash types and affected users as a result. Treatment types are defined. The relative comparative costs of the suggested countermeasures are shown for assistance in prioritisation of works. Pictorial and diagrammatic representations are used throughout to provide clearer depiction of problems and solutions.
 

The catalogue’s presentation is colour coded such that the different sections are clearly discernable.
 

A table of potential crash savings is presented giving an indication of the potential reduction in incidents through successful implementation of the countermeasures presented in the catalogue.
 

This publication is not intended to be a detailed road safety design manual – it is a collection of common types of design failures with potential ways to overcome them. The detailed PIARC Road Safety Manual should be considered in conjunction with this catalogue and the treatments presented.

The catalogue’s content is provided in English only.  This report can be accessed through PIARC’s Virtual Library at:
http://publications.piarc.org/ressources/publications_files/5/6052,2009R07.pdf

TOOLS FOR TUNNEL SAFETY MANAGEMENT

Although history shows that the frequency of accidents in tunnels is generally lower than on open roads, the consequences have the potential to be particularly severe in terms of human injuries or death, damage to infrastructure and economic impact. This has been particularly reinforced by tunnel catastrophes in recent times, emphasising the need for improving
prevention and mitigation of tunnel accidents. This includes detection systems, procedures and preparedness of operation staff and emergency services.
 

This report is dedicated to the basic tools needed for management and decision support on road tunnel safety issues.  It defines the general demands on tunnel safety documentation, referring to each of the three different stages of a tunnel project: design-construction, commissioning, operation. An overview table provides a general description of the content of safety documentation in a structured layout. A checklist is also provided, providing more detailed information about specific subjects within each topic including comments and practical recommendations.
 

Incident data collection and analysis is essential for tunnel risk assessment and improvement of safety measures. The report defines ‘significant incidents and accidents’ and standards for the minimum level of detail to be recorded as well as the quality of input for risk analysis. The distinction between minimum datasets for statistics and reporting in contrast to detailed datasets to perform specialised analysis and improvement of safety measures is made. Requirements and recommendations for collection and analysis of
incident data are presented along with practical feedback from different countries and research projects.
 

Safety inspections are presented as a tool to assess current tunnel safety levels and define acceptable risk levels within a legal framework. It presents an organisational scheme based on the EU Directive 2004/54/EC. The contents of a safety inspection are given along with a comprehensive program outlining the necessary steps and preparation needed to carry out a
safety inspection. Scope and execution of inspections of existing infrastructure and systems, safety documentation and procedures, tunnel operation and finally deliverables of an inspection report are discussed and defined.
 

To ensure safety in road tunnels, the necessary structural, technical and organisational measures need to be put in place to minimise the occurrence of incidents and their impact in the event thereof. This report adopts a holistic approach with emphasis on the need to combine the necessary safety measures in an effective deployment of tunnel safety management.
This report can be accessed through PIARC’s Virtual Library at:
http://publications.piarc.org/ressources/publications_files/5/6169,2009R08.pdf

 

It's a Risk Business - WRA UK Conference

On 5 November 2009, the WRA UK held the national conference 'It's a Risk Business' in Copthorne, Birmingham.

The concept of the conference was 'In these changing times how do we deliver a consistent service to the travelling public?' Managers of our highways have to reassess their thinking on how they manage their networks more effectively including the change of emphasis on the use of road space, whilst still maintaining a safe and reliable service for the travelling public. Are we in a riskier business?

For more information on the conference or to download presentations please click here

 

New Members of Technical Committees

The WRA UK Secretariat received an excellent response to the request for nominations for UK representatives on Technical Committees. The new representatives will serve until 2011. Over 40 individuals from the UK have been appointed.

UK Representatives Nominations  

For more information please contact wra-uk@ciht.org.uk