12 March 2019 | Valletta, Malta 

On 28^th February, the ERF held in the Intercontinental Hotel in Malta a Workshop on Road Safety, under the auspices of Infrastructure Malta, Malta Road Safety Council and Transport Malta.

Malta is planning to realise a massive investment in the coming seven years to enhance the quality of its road network and achieve major improvement of the safety level on its roads. The Workshop served as a platform for discussions and sharing of best practices between the public authorities and ERF members.  The one day event was organised following an invitation made by Infrastructure Malta.

This workshop, attended by 20 Maltese road safety engineers and specialists, covered topics related to road safety, i.e. the European Road Infrastructure Policy, Road markings, Traffic Signs, Road Maintenance and Mobility and Road Restraint Systems and Road Side Safety. The ERF was given the opportunity to share its expertise and knowledge which stem from the work done in dedicated Working Groups and EU funded projects.

“This Workshop is the starting point of a future closer cooperation between the ERF and Infrastructure Malta” stated Christophe Nicodème, Director General of ERF. “We are pleased that road authorities are taking into consideration the importance of Road Safety, and we are looking forward to seeing more and more states taking similar initiatives.”

17 July 2017 | Brussels, Belgium

In cooperation with the International Road Federation and the Transport Research Board, the ERF is pleased to announce the 2017 edition of the AFB20 (2) Roadside Safety Design Subcommittee on International Research Activities.

Following the evaluation of abstacts by the technical committee, the conference organisers are pleased to announce the release of the agenda which contains 15 presentations on road side safety, both from a research and a development/ implementation perspective. The presentations will be complemented by a roundtable discussion which will look into future challenges for roadside safety.

Location: Brussels, Belgium
Date: 21 September 2017

22 September 2015 | Istanbul, Turkey

On 15 September 2015, the AFB20 (2) Roadside Safety Sub-committee on International Research Activities held its third European workshop in Istanbul, Turkey.  Organised by ERF and the Technical University of Istanbul under the auspices of the TRB, the event lived up to the high expectations of previous years and gathered approximately 100 experts from all over Europe.

The morning session was dedicated to explore challenges currently facing the hEN 1317-5 and identify tangible solutions.  While there is an overwhelming consensus of the technical benefits of the EN 1317, its incorporation in the provisions of the Construction Products Regulation has led to certain implementation issues that need addressing.  To address these challenges, the AFB 20(2) Roadside Safety Subcommittee on International research Activities held a strategic session with the participation of road authorities, manufacturers and the European Commission.

The first sessions debated three major items: certification and market surveillance, additional requirements by certain road authorities when procuring vehicle restraint systems and the issue of re-testing and rectifying systems linked to the update of the hEN 1317-5.

Concerning certification issues, lack of clarity within the standard has led to cases of incorrect certifications that are creating situations of unfair market competition and putting road users potentially at risk.  In this respect, participants agreed on a dual course of action, i.e. strengthening the hEN 1317-5 in order to provide further guidance for certification bodies to reduce scope for error and at the same time, strengthen market surveillance by improving cooperation between the market surveillance authorities, notified bodies and the industry.  On the latter point, work has already begun on a market surveillance checklist that is to be jointly elaborated by all concerned parties and will be made available to relevant authorities in the 1st half of 2016.

With respect to requirements placed by road authorities for the marketing of products, it was noted that different authorities interpret the provisions of the harmonised standard differently.  CE marking for road restraint systems should in principle allow companies to market their products freely across Europe, however, several countries argue for the need of additional criteria to ensure maintenance and safety.  While it is clear that road authorities cannot ask for additional performance criteria when procuring systems (Court Case C-100/13), there is a still a grey zone with respect to what authorities can further require in order to optimise their maintenance needs without limiting competition.  Given that manufacturers are invested significantly in the development of new products with the perspective of an open European market, it is imperative to arrive at a common ground between the supply (the industry) and the demand (the road authorities).

Last but not least, with respect to the need for re-testing products following the updates of the new standards, it was made clear that, from a market perspective, it is not possible for companies to have to re-test all products with the revision of each standard due to high testing costs.   Given that this is not an issue that can solved in the standard, it was agreed that the industry should take the lead in developing a compromise proposal that will subsequently be put to consultation to interested parties.

The afternoon of the event focussed mainly on technical developments in the field of vehicle restraint systems.  Amongst others, the sessions focussed on the following items:

–      The status of implementation of EN 1317 in Turkey and passive safety support structures (EN 12767) in Europe.  Since 2011, Turkey has adopted the CE marking regime which means that all systems placed in Turkey must be certified according to the European rule.  Given that Turkey is a dynamic country which is currently expanding its road infrastructure, it is important for authorities to make the use of the latest market development to optimise cost and reduce the  consequences of accidents.   With respect to break away poles, it is a powerful road safety tool for road authorities which is not being sufficiently used and such, more action is needed to ensure better awareness and uptake of these solutions.

–        Selection of vehicle restraint systems on Europe’s: while Europe has common performance standards for safety barriers, its selection criteria differ largely.  As such, the SAVeRS project has sought to establish a common methodology for selecting VRS in Europe.

–       Status of in-situ barriers in Europe: while the pre-cast and steel barrier sector has seen significant development in recent, in-situ concrete barriers have long been based on a generic designs dating back to more 20 years.  However, in recent years, new developments have taken place that have allowed in-situ concrete barriers to achieve better performance in terms of ASI and better durability in terms materials and corrosion resistance. The introduction of the CE marking for in-situ barriers should accelerate innovation in the sector but this means that further guidelines should be developed in the standard to guide notified bodies on certification.

–      Developments in terminals: while significant progress has been made in the field of vehicle restraint systems, terminals remain an area where significant scope for improvement exists.  Recent development in the area of energy absorbing terminals point to the direction of strengthening the relevant provision of the European standard in order to eliminate loopholes and guarantee that terminals tested on the road do not present a hazard to users.

Find the agenda of the meeting here

For more information, please contact Mr. Konstandinos Diamandouros.

28 August 2015 | Brussels, Belgium

The European Union Road Federation is delighted to announce the Draft Agenda for the next European meeting of the AFB(20)2 Roadside Safety Design Subcommittee on International Research Activities.

The one-day meeting will be co-chaired by Mr. Rod Troutbeck and Mr. Michael Dreznes. The programme will develop in two sessions:

– A political session that will focus on the implementation of the hEN 1317-5 and explore how key stakeholders (manufacturers, road authorities and European policymakers) interpret the implications of the harmonised standard for vehicle restraint systems

– A technical session which will address implementation issues on roadside safety in view of recent development in the field of research

Venue

Tuesday September 15, 2015

Istanbul Technical University, Taşkışla Campus

Istanbul, Turkey

Registration fee: € 60 per person (cash at registration)

– Draft Agenda
– Directions to venue
– Registration link

For further information, please contact Konstandinos Diamandouros.

Participants to this event are encouraged to join the IRF and ERF for the Regional Europe and Central Asia Congress that will take place in Istanbul between 15-18 September and will bring together transportation professionals from all around the world to discuss infrastructure development in a promising and expanding part of the world.

22 April 2015 | Brussels, Belgium

Today, the ERF is launching an urgent appeal to authorities to seriously consider the current problematic functioning of notified bodies for the hEN 1317-5 for vehicle restraint systems and to take measures for improving the situation.

Since 1 July 2013, all vehicle restraint systems covered by the hEN 1317-5 have to bear a ‘CE marking’ according to the provision of the Construction Products Regulation No 305/2011.  In an open European market, notified bodies act as ‘passport issuers’ and thus have a crucial role to play to safeguard the integrity of the system.

Over the last three years, unfortunately, ERF and its members have come across numerous practices by certain notified bodies which are not in accordance the provision of law, distort the internal market for vehicle restraint systems and can conceivably put road users at risk.

‘We are seeing more and more of these cases, which is why we decided as a group to react and publish this position paper, which outlines a series of incorrect practices and proposes a series of measures to improve the current unsatisfactory status quo’, explains Konstandinos Diamandouros, Head of Office at the European Union Road Federation and responsible for vehicle restraint systems.

‘While it is understandable that some mistakes can occur when assessing the performance of products, what we are seeing today in the market cannot be explained by simple error’, explains Jeanne Forêt, Chairperson of the ERF Working Group on Road Restraint Systems.  ‘Most recently, we have even come across CE certificates, which have been issued by notified bodies that are not even notified to the hEN1317-5, a practice which is 100% illegal and cannot be a simple error’.

The next steps of the working group will be to raise awareness of the problems encountered in the market and take targeted steps for improving the situation.  Amongst others, this will consist of elaborating informational brochures which can assist road authorities in determining whether a certificate is genuine or not and proposing dedicated information sessions to interested parties.

‘We are ready to take the necessary steps to contribute from our side to improve the way notified bodies currently function’ explained Konstandinos Diamandouros.  ‘Nevertheless, it is essential that road authorities, national surveillance authorities and the European Commission clearly acknowledge the nature of the problem and start proposing tangible solutions’.

The ERF Position Paper is available in English, French, Italian, Polish and German. 

Contact person: Konstandinos Diamandouros, Email:  k.diamandouros@erf.be  / Tel: +32-2-6445877