17 May 2018| Brussels, Belgium

The European Commission releases the third set of actions to modernise European transport sector stressing the role of road infrastructure as key element of the road safety triangle complementing users and vehicles.

New actions of the mobility package include the revision of the Road Infrastructure Safety Management Directive and the General Safety Regulation with measures such as:

• Extension of current scope beyond the TEN-T network, in particular on the primary road network, which accounts for a high percentage of road fatalities
• Properly designed and maintained markings and signs, which could be easily and reliably recognised by both human drivers and vehicles equipped with driver assistance systems or higher levels of automation
• Development of general performance requirements to facilitate the recognition of road markings and road signs
• Inclusion of new safety features in vehicles, such as Lane Keeping Assistance (LKA) and Intelligent Speed Adaptation (ISA) to better interact with the infrastructure

While recognising the positive impact of the current legislative framework, especially on the TEN-T, the ERF highly supports the new vision of the European Commission which can definitely facilitate an even bigger reduction in fatalities and serious injuries to achieve desired road safety targets.

“The initial proposal is quite promising and we hope that Council and Parliament understand that to become global leaders in road safety, we not only need a regulatory support but also financial effort, in particular on primary roads that are not part of the TEN-T but carry similar traffic flow” said ERF Director General Christophe Nicodème. “Our organisation can be seen as a trustworthy partner to build and maintain a safer road network, more specifically through dedicated Working Groups which will continue contributing to adapt road elements to the new safety challenges”.

26 April 2018| Dubrovnik, Croatia

The US-based Transportation Research Board (TRB) is co-sponsoring a one-day workshop titled “Traffic Signs & Pavement Markings: International State of the Art on Policies & Research” organised on the opening day of the European Road Conference, October 22-24 2018 in Dubrovnik, Croatia.

The downward trend in global traffic injuries has been on pause since 2013, and is particularly notable in developed economies which had enjoyed a steady decline over the previous decade.

Numerous reports confirm that single vehicle accidents remain a particular cause of concern, accounting for 45% of European fatalities. Drivers unable to understand the road environment and make informed decisions are particularly prone to run-off road accidents. The problem is increasingly compounded with an ageing motoring population and under-investments in the maintenance of roadside safety assets. There is also a growing body of research evidence that the shift towards partial and full vehicle automation will trigger new design requirements which the sector needs to assess and prepare for.

This special interest session will share the international state of the art on the design and maintenance of traffic signs and pavement markings through a cross-sector panel of road agencies, research institutions and industry stakeholders.

The topics of the session are the following:

• Conspicuous signs/markings in all weather and road conditions
• Good practices in maintaining signs & markings
• Interaction between intelligent vehicles and signs/markings/delineation

For further information contact Ms Carmine Dwyer:

Sponsored by: