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.”

10 November 2015 | Brussels, Belgium

Vertical signage is an essential element not only of a modern and well-maintained road infrastructure, but also of a safe and functional road network. Road signs help regulate traffic, provide crucial visual guidance, and give drivers important preview especially during night-time conditions.

Well maintained and efficient signage placement becomes even more necessary when taking into account the ageing population in Europe, in combination with the increasing cross-border traffic and the advancement of existing and new technologies. As the needs of European road users change over time, road infrastructure needs to keep up, if not lead.

In view of this, the ERF launches its Position Paper “Improved Signage for better Roads: An ERF Position Paper towards improving Traffic Signs in European Roads”. This ERF Position Paper is addressed to a broad range of stakeholders and seeks to identify key actions that ERF and its members believe should be prioritised so that traffic signs can continue serving the needs of Europe’s road users.

“Improved Signage for better Roads” Position Paper advocates, first of all, for authorities to  avoid or tackle the over-proliferation of traffic signs and to ensure that those installed display a clear message, in order to achieve better road safety and traffic flow, and good use of public resources. Road authorities need to set a multiannual maintenance action plan, either in the form of comprehensive Asset Management Plan, or the replacement of traffic Signs at fixed time intervals. Moreover, the ERF advocates for the need to adapt to the needs of an ageing driver population, by introducing a minimum maintenance standards for safety critical signs under the Vienna Convention. Last but not least, this Position Paper calls for all stakeholders involved to examine the benefits of greater harmonisation of signs within the Vienna Convention to maximise the safety benefits of new vehicle technologies (i.e. Inteligent Spee d Adaptation) as well provide for a more familiar environment for increasing cross-border traffic volumes.

The ERF Position Paper is available in English and German.