Over 30 Ministers Convene at the IRF World Congress 2024 to Forge Pathways for Sustainable Transport
The IRF World Congress 2024, organised by the International Road Federation (IRF) in collaboration with the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure of the Republic of Türkiye, took place from 15 to 18 October in Istanbul. The event attracted over 2,000 participants from more than 80 countries, including over 30 ministers, international organisations, and key public and private stakeholders.
A highlight of the Congress was the Ministerial Meeting held on the first day, which brought together over 30 ministers and representatives from international organisations to discuss transformative pathways for global transport systems. With a shared commitment to resilience, sustainability, and inclusivity, the discussions addressed core priorities essential to a rapidly evolving transport sector.
The need for resilient infrastructure, capable of withstanding climate pressures and supporting clean energy goals, emerged as a key theme. Achieving this vision will require innovative financing models and strong public-private partnerships to drive sustainable progress.
Inclusivity was another focus, with a call for transport systems that meet diverse community needs. Expanding pedestrian and cycling networks, enhancing public transit, and implementing low-emission solutions were all identified as crucial steps toward building connected and inclusive societies.
Technology’s role as a catalyst for change was also underscored, with tools like intelligent transport systems seen as essential for improving efficiency, conserving resources, and advancing decarbonisation efforts.
“We need policy, regulatory frameworks and incentives to fast-track the transition and the uptake of innovative technologies” expressed IRF President, Dimitris Mandalozis, during the Ministerial Meeting. “We all work to empower a sustainable mobility because empowering mobility means empowering people. Let’s not waste the opportunity to deliver value and a better future to everyone”, he added.
The Congress concluded with a unified call for the transport sector to prioritise resilience, accessibility, and environmental responsibility, helping shape a future where mobility is efficient, equitable, and accessible to all.
The International Road Federation (IRF) and the Asian Transport Outlook (ATO) Sign Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to Advance Sustainable Transport Solutions in Asia-Pacific
On the sidelines of the IRF World Congress, taking place from 15 to 18 October in Istanbul, Türkiye, the International Road Federation (IRF) and the Asian Transport Outlook (ATO) formalised their partnership by signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). This strategic agreement will enhance efforts to promote sustainable transport across the Asia-Pacific region by leveraging data-driven insights, innovative research, and collaborative capacity-building.
Founded in 1948, the IRF is a global not-for-profit organisation dedicated to improving road networks worldwide through knowledge sharing, advocacy, and strategic partnerships. Over the years, the IRF has been instrumental in advancing road infrastructure development and safety on an international scale. The ATO, initiated and supported by the Asian Development Bank (ADB), now also being supported by the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), plays a vital role in strengthening the transport knowledge base across Asia and the Pacific, providing governments with data-driven insights to shape policies that address key environmental and economic challenges. It focuses on fostering sustainable and inclusive transport solutions that drive economic growth while tackling environmental concerns.
This formalised partnership brings together two prominent organisations committed to addressing the significant transport challenges facing the Asia-Pacific region. Their collaboration will focus on joint research initiatives, capacity building, and the use of robust data to inform evidence-based policy-making that will drive improvements in the sustainability and safety of road networks.
The IRF and ATO have a history of collaboration, particularly in the transport data realm, including their work on the IRF World Road Statistics as well as ATO’s Green Roads Profiles. This partnership was highlighted during a joint session at the IRF World Congress on 15 October, which also celebrated the launch of the 2024 edition of the IRF World Road Statistics. During the Congress, both organisations further presented a co-authored paper, Navigating Change: The Evolving Landscape of the Road Sector in Asia, which explores how low- and middle-income countries in Asia are balancing infrastructure development, access expansion, and innovative economic approaches while striving to mitigate environmental impacts.
Commenting on the MoU, Susanna Zammataro, Director General of the IRF, said: “The signing of this MoU marks a significant milestone in our mission to promote sustainable and inclusive mobility across the Asia-Pacific region. By working closely with ATO and sharing critical data, we can devise solutions that address both the current and future challenges of sustainable road development.”
James Leather, Director, Transport, Transport Sector Office at the Asian Development Bank (ADB), expressed similar optimism: “This partnership with the IRF represents an important opportunity to accelerate sustainable transport in Asia and the Pacific. By combining our strengths in research, capacity building, and data sharing, we can support governments in crafting policies that meet today’s transport challenges while preparing for future needs.”
Through this collaboration, the IRF and ATO are poised to make significant strides towards greener, safer, and more inclusive transport systems across the Asia-Pacific region. Their efforts, driven by data and innovation, promise to deliver lasting benefits to both communities and the environment.
President Erdoğan Opens the IRF World Congress 2024 in Istanbul
The IRF World Congress 2024, organised by the International Road Federation (IRF) in collaboration with the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure of the Republic of Türkiye, officially opened today in Istanbul, with H.E. Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, President of the Republic of Türkiye, delivering the inaugural address.
In his speech, President Erdoğan underscored the vital role of infrastructure in shaping a nation’s development, highlighting its alignment with this year’s Congress theme, Connecting to Empower Mobility: Roads as Enablers of a Sustainable Future for All. “Road is civilisation” said President Erdogan. “Roads mean transportation, industry, production, tourism, trade, safety, development, and integration with the world. With this understanding, we have elevated Türkiye to a new level in transportation and infrastructure.” Watch the message here.
The Congress, which runs from 15 to 18 October, is attracting over 2,000 participants from more than 80 countries, including over 30 ministers, high-level international organisations, and key public and private stakeholders. Discussions and presentations will focus on reimagining transport systems to build a greener, safer, and more inclusive future.
In his opening address, IRF President, Dimitris Mandalozis, stressed the urgency of sustainability and coming together as a collective voice. “For over seven decades, the IRF has united public and private sector, fostering partnerships that deliver meaningful impact. This is the core of who we are and what we do as a Federation” he said. “Today, amidst global challenges our collective voice as a transport community and not just as a federation is more important than ever”. “Sustainability is not a choice – it is an imperative” he continued. “Let us seize this moment to raise a strong, united voice that says NO to road deaths and injuries and YES to a decarbonised, resilient and sustainable transport that leaves no one behind” Mr Mandalozis concluded.
Welcoming the international and the local guests, H.E. Mr Abdulkadir Uraloğlu, Minister of Transport and Infrastructure of Türkiye, said “Türkiye has witnessed an impressive infrastructure development in recent twenty years. It has managed to increase investment resulting in some of the highest values of PPP infrastructure deals and private infrastructure investment globally”. Emphasising in his speech the importance of sustainable infrastructure within national transport strategies.
The opening plenary continued with a high-level panel discussion featuring remarks from prominent international organisations, including the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), the International Transport Forum (ITF), the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), the European Investment Bank (EIB), and Turkish technology leader TOGG.
A Ministerial Meeting hosted by the Turkish Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure followed bringing together over 30 ministers from across the globe to explore practical strategies for decarbonisation and resilience in transport. The meeting focused on strengthening international cooperation, advancing intelligent transport systems, and investing in sustainable infrastructure as key pathways to building more resilient societies.
The Congress foresees a wide programme, including daily plenary sessions, special sessions, trainings, and five parallel technical tracks, accompanied by an exhibition spanning 5,000 square metres. Attendees will also visit on Friday key infrastructure sites in Türkiye, showcasing its commitment to sustainable transport solutions.
For more information about the IRF World Congress 2024 and upcoming sessions, visit irf2024.irfofficial.org.
Road Safety: Predictive models 3x more efficient vs. analysis of the past?
Data can accelerate a different future for #roadsafety. Vehicle data are collected 24/7 across the world. These trillions of datapoints, once translated into Mobility and Safety Insights, can help highways managers to implement predictive road management. This extensive UK study shows an efficiency improvement with a factor of 3.23 versus traditional retroactive analysis of the past via historical collision tracking.
In this second decade of action towards #VisionZero, data are readily available for road operators and municipalities to implement more prioritised and context-specific infrastructure work, thus avoiding allocating public resources blindly.
Since 2018, sensors are mandatory in new passenger vehicles. A modern car can contain up to 400 sensors. Vehicles have become a ubiquitous fleet of mobile trackers closely monitoring the road environment. A sea of inspectors, hundreds of thousands of road radars are checking all road sections in your area 24/7, whatever the weather, whether it is daytime, weekend or the middle of August.
These vehicle data represent an untapped data mine for road engineers who oversee road quality and safety. To validate the efficiency of these data insights, a large study was conducted in South-East England.
From 15 to 18 October 2024, in Istanbul, industry leaders, policymakers, and experts will converge to share insights, discuss trends, and showcase innovations shaping the future of road mobility.
- Goal: compare the predictive efficiency of 2 types of datasets: Can future crashes be predicted more accurately using connected vehicle data or looking at past collisions?
- Methodology:
- 3 months of vehicle data: 15 303 harsh braking clusters (first quarter of 2022)
- 100,000 km of road sections in South-East England, area of more than 60 counties
- 2 million harsh braking events
- 6.2 million vehicle traces
- total represents 134 million hours of driving
- Historical dataset: 263 455 events with Killed or Seriously Injured (KSI) over 5 years (2017 - 2021)
- 3 months of vehicle data: 15 303 harsh braking clusters (first quarter of 2022)
- Key results:
- A prioritised map of hotspots where collective abnormal driving behaviour (harsh braking events) have been observed. These events are a lead indicator of dangerous locations, according to the scientific literature. The RoadTrace™ algorithm uses these predictors to anticipate future collision locations, considering a severity factor for each harsh braking event (depends on frequency, acceleration and speed).
- Behavioural data improve collision prediction efficiency with a factor of 3,23 (vs. historical analysis of 5 years crashes). Not taking into account these available data now leads to extra budget spent.
Vehicle data could form an efficient basis to:
- Understand context and actual road behaviour in a variety of conditions.
- Rank risks identifying highly specific contexts enables prioritisation of infrastructure work. Hotspots that represent the biggest road safety risk can be tackled first. A key advantage when budgets are short and not all maintenance work can be implemented at once.
- Switch road management decisions from reactive to proactive: vehicle dataare the key ingredient that allows councils and cities to shift to Road Management 4.0. Leveraging technology is enabling decision-makers to make informed decisions about their network, anticipating future collisions.
A key step for road safety decision makers to unlock a step change towards #VisionZero.
Thursday 10 Oct – 13.00 CET!
Building Climate Resilient Road Networks with ORIS Materials Intelligence
Driving a Sustainable Future at the IRF World Congress 2024
As climate change intensifies, our infrastructure faces unprecedented challenges. Extreme weather events—hurricanes, floods, heatwaves—disrupt transportation, wreak economic havoc, and endanger lives. Around 50 million people in the world are killed or injured every year because the roads aren’t safe enough.
Digitalisation brings an opportunity in the climate crisis: harnessing advanced digital solutions and innovative strategies to design resilient road networks that withstand climate impacts and ensure reliable transport and societal stability.
ORIS Materials Intelligence, the first construction materials knowledge platform for low-impact infrastructure, is at the forefront of this transformation. Leveraging AI and data science, ORIS empowers the construction sector with critical insights for planning sustainable, resilient, and cost-efficient road networks.
With its powerful platform, ORIS helps point out scenarios to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions by up to a 50% reduction and the circularity of natural resources by up to 80%. These figures show road construction projects can indeed limit their impact on our environment and ensure sustainability.
Oris is excited to announce its participation in the high-level IRF World Congress 2024, a gathering of road and mobility professionals at the cutting-edge of the road sector.
From 15 to 18 October 2024, in Istanbul, industry leaders, policymakers, and experts will converge to share insights, discuss trends, and showcase innovations shaping the future of road mobility.
One of this year's congress themes, "Resilient Road Networks for Resilient Transport & Societies," aligns perfectly with one of the solutions Oris is developing, its Climate Resilience Methodology.
It embodies this vision by assessing climate risks and designing solutions to withstand extreme weather and long-term climate shifts while securing socio-economic impacts.
For ORIS, climate resilience represents our need to adapt to the impacts of climate change. For infrastructure, this means taking into account the current status of the network. The platform's goal is to assess its vulnerabilities regarding climate change, vulnerabilities that could ultimately impact the population nearby.
A multi-criteria platform like ORIS enables road designers to fully visualise a network’s vulnerabilities and act accordingly by making informed decisions.
ORIS methodology calculates a unified resilience score based on three key factors:
- Climate screening (heat, flooding, frost/thaw cycles),
- Infrastructure vulnerability (road condition)
- Social impact (user delay, surrounding population)
Climate screening identifies potential impacts, infrastructure vulnerabilities highlight weak points under climate stress, and social factors assess the broader societal significance.
In Central Asia, this solution appraised a regional network. In just a few weeks, 7.765 km of road networks were assessed to determine their most critical parts:
- 25% of roads were identified at a high to extreme risk of exposure to climate change
- 30% of the local population nearby could be affected
- Rising temperatures may weaken flexible pavement roads, especially with frequent freeze-thaw cycles
- Flood-prone areas were identified to pose threats to rural access to essential facilities
Join ORIS at booth 123 to learn more about the Paris Agreement, which focuses on strongly reducing greenhouse gas emissions to ensure we reach the 1.5-degree trajectory. In parallel, we need to act to adapt to the effects of climate change as they are already visible. This means we can't overlook road networks' climate resilience.
That’s why a platform like ORIS is strategic for decision-makers, our approach, participation in panel discussions, and exploration of case studies. Engage with Oris and their stakeholders to share ideas and explore potential collaborations.
The IRF World Congress 2024 isn't just about learning—it's about action. We urge all attendees to actively shape the future of mobility.
At ORIS Materials Intelligence, they believe that building a sustainable future is a collective journey.
This shows through the company’s commitment and values. ORIS has become a driven-mission company that takes action on 4 pillars:
- Provide digitised knowledge of the impact of the choice of construction materials used in infrastructure.
- Enable the construction infrastructure sector to measure and optimise the environmental impact of materials.
- Contribute to inclusive transport networks in line with global development objectives.
- Build equitable and balanced growth through an HR approach that cares about the well-being of its employees and a healthy relationship at work.
We look forward to seeing you in Istanbul, where we can work together to create a resilient and sustainable world.
Register now at irf2024.irfofficial.org and join us on this exciting journey. Let's act now for a sustainable road network, one road at a time.
Christian U. Haas, Umovity CEO Talks with IRF About the Future of Mobility Ahead of the IRF World Congress 2024
When two market leaders join forces, the results can be transformative. Umovity is a prime example of this synergy. By uniting the two industry-leading brands PTV Group and Econolite, Umovity offers a comprehensive approach to managing the entire mobility value chain, encompassing both software and hardware.
The International Road Federation (IRF) sat down with Christian U. Haas, CEO of both companies, in the lead-up to the IRF World Congress to discuss how they are revolutionising traffic management and what they will showcase at the IRF Congress in Istanbul.
Mr. Haas, in January 2023 PTV Group and Econolite joined forces under the new umbrella brand Umovity. How have things evolved since then?
Since launching Umovity, we’ve been on an exciting journey filled with new opportunities. Econolite is the leading provider of traffic management solutions in the U.S., while PTV’s traffic modeling and simulation software is globally recognised. The synergy between our two companies is vast. By harnessing the strengths of both companies, Umovity takes a holistic approach, providing the right solutions, hardware and software, needed to address the challenges and unlock the potential of the mobility and ITS sector.
What are the key challenges and opportunities facing the mobility sector today?
The mobility sector is at a critical juncture, with both unprecedented challenges and opportunities. Transportation accounts for a significant portion of global greenhouse gas emissions, and approximately 1.2 million people die each year in road traffic crashes. Urbanisation is creating overcrowded cities, increasing congestion, pollution, and reducing overall quality of life. City and traffic planners are being forced to rethink mobility strategies.
At the same time, transportation systems are becoming more complex with the introduction of new services and technologies. This complexity, however, also brings great opportunities. Advances in roadway sensors and cutting-edge software are generating vast datasets, which, when combined with technologies like artificial intelligence, are transforming traffic management. These innovations offer a path toward a more sustainable, efficient, and safer future.
That’s why the IRF World Congress is so important. It brings together global leaders, experts, and stakeholders to discuss these critical issues and drive the future of mobility forward.
What can visitors expect to see at the Umovity booth?
At the Umovity booth, visitors will experience state-of-the-art solutions for intelligent traffic management. We’ll showcase Econolite's adaptive traffic control systems, real-time traffic management software, controllers, cabinets, and sensor products. PTV Group will present its advanced simulation and predictive modeling tools. Some highlights include PTV Optima, our real-time traffic management software used in cities around the world, and PTV Model2Go, an innovative solution for rapid traffic model creation. We’ll also feature Econolite’s Evo Radar, a cutting-edge traffic sensor, and PTV Flows, an AI-powered tool for incident visualisation and congestion forecasting.
We’re particularly excited to discuss our new Dynamic Multimodal Network Management concept.
We are developing an integrated management, operational planning, and decision support system that will empower cities and organisations to shape and organise mobility in the best way possible across all modes of transportation. By leveraging data from diverse sources and incorporating innovative technologies, such as AI and model-based methodologies, we will build a unique and connected ecosystem, enabling dynamic mobility planning and control – real-time, and long-term. It’s a holistic approach that will significantly enhance the way cities organise and manage transportation.
Umovity has its Mobility Tech Update coming up in October. What can we expect from that event?
Historically, PTV has unveiled its software updates in October, and this year, for the second time, we’ll present the latest innovations from both PTV and Econolite at the Mobility Tech Update. Users can look forward to cutting-edge advancements and new product integrations within the Umovity Tech Suite. Many of these updates will focus on how data and AI can drive traffic management and mobility.
We’re also advancing our cloud strategy, ensuring scalability and seamless collaboration across our product portfolio. It’s an exciting time for us, and I encourage everyone to follow the Umovity LinkedIn channel so they don’t miss the keynote and the major highlights.
Umovity’s slogan, "Mobility for Humanity," is quite inspiring. What motivates you personally in this field?
Before I joined PTV Group five years ago, I didn’t fully grasp the profound impact mobility has on our daily lives. We often take it for granted, but ensuring that everyone has access to safe, efficient, and smooth mobility is a significant challenge. Mobility is a fundamental human need—it allows us to work, meet with others, and access essential services like education and healthcare.
What excites me is the role technology plays in simplifying mobility’s complexities and adapting it to the diverse needs of people around the world. The idea that our solutions can increase efficiency, accessibility, safety, and sustainability—by reducing congestion, accidents, and pollution—is a powerful motivator for me.
At Umovity, our global teams share a common mission: to improve mobility for humanity through innovative technologies that make transportation safer, more sustainable, and more efficient.
Christian U. Haas will be speaking at the IRF World Congress plenary session on 16th October. Visit this page for a full overview of the Congress Programme.
If you would like to schedule a meeting with the Umovity team at the IRF World Congress, please contact the IRF team at irf2024@irfnet.ch.
#SaferRoadsPledge Campaign Launches
The International Road Assessment Programme (iRAP), the International Road Federation (IRF) and the FIA Foundation have launched a #SaferRoadsPledge campaign calling on organisations involved in designing and financing roads to pledge their commitment to safer roads ahead of the 4th Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety.
From 17-20 February 2025, leaders from across the world will gather at the Ministerial Conference in Morocco. They will assess progress made in implementing the Global Plan for the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021-2030 during its initial five-year period, and generate support for the new vision of safe and sustainable mobility.
IRAP CEO Rob McInerney said, “Tragically, more than 3,200 people lose their lives on our roads every day. Road crashes are the leading cause of death for young people.
“We know road infrastructure rated 3-star or better for safety saves lives and prevents injuries, yet sadly less than half of roads assessed globally meet this standard. We have just five years to reach the UN global target of halving road deaths and injuries by 2030 and accelerated action on safer roads will be crucial.” he said.
The Global Plan for the Decade of Action for Road Safety recommends using Road Safety Audits and Star Ratings to lift the safety of roads and designs. UN Targets 3 and 4 include ensuring all new roads are built to a 3-star or better standard for all road users, and more than 75% of travel is on the equivalent of 3-star or better roads for all road users by 2030.
Road designers and financing institutions from the government and private sector are called on to commit their support for safer roads that enable more sustainable mobility. In support of the UN Road Safety Performance Targets 3 and 4, they are called on to commit to including Road Safety Audits, Inspections and Star Rating Assessments for new and improved road designs, and/or to undertaking crash-risk mapping and proactive safety assessments and inspections that target investment in safer infrastructure and safer speeds to meet at least a standard of 3-stars or better for all road users by 2030.
Evidence shows that lifting the Star Rating of a road by a singlestar can halve crash costs, and that safer 3-star or better roads for all will save lives and are cost effective. The independent study by Johns Hopkins University has found that iRAP partners worldwide have saved an estimated 700,000 fatalities and serious injuries through investment in safer road projects from 2016 to the end of 2024 using the iRAP tools.
Pledges made during the campaign will be presented to global leaders during the Ministerial Conference to support advocacy for, and investment in safer roads at the highest level.
They will also be presented at the IRF World Congress 2024 in Istanbul from 14-18 October, where safe roads and designs will be an important focus.
During the congress, a High-level Roundtable: Shaping the Future of Road Designs for Safe and Sustainable Mobility will convene leaders in road infrastructure development to tackle the challenge of closing the road safety gap by 2030. Participants will share best practices, along with roadblocks and opportunities to elevate safety in road design globally, seeking to forge consensus and accelerate progress towards the Ministerial Conference.
A special iRAP Practical Skills training will build the capacity of road designers in Audits and use of the enhanced Star Rating for Designs web app developed with support from the World Bank Global Road Safety Facility.
IRF Director General Susanna Zammataro said, “How we design and build/upgrade infrastructure can truly make the difference and help save precious lives. Safe road design - together with policy and capacity building to support it - is crucial to achieving safe and sustainable mobility for all. IRF encourages all design and financing agencies to join and support the pledge.”
FIA Foundation Executive Director Saul Billingsley said, “Hundreds of thousands of deaths and serious injuries are being prevented through safe road design, and upgrades. Now we need to see greater and uncompromising commitment from design agencies and financing institutions to deliver safer road infrastructure that meets the targets of the Road Safety Decade and the Sustainable Development Goals.”
Organisations and individuals can pledge at irap.org/pledge.
ABOUT IRF
The International Road Federation (IRF) is a global, independent, not-for-profit organisation with headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. Active since 1948, IRF is a membership-based organisation, representing leading corporate and institutional players drawn from the road and mobility sectors worldwide. Its mission is to promote the development of roads and road networks that enable access and sustainable mobility for all. Its approach is centred on key strategic components of knowledge transfer & information sharing, connecting people, businesses, and organisations, and working on policy & advocacy.
ABOUT iRAP
The International Road Assessment Programme (iRAP) is a registered charity with the vision for a world free of high-risk roads. The charity is active in over 125 countries and works with governments, development banks, mobility clubs, industry, research organisations and road safety NGOs to provide them with the free methodology, tools, training, and support to make their roads safer. iRAP’s Star Rating Methodology provides a simple and objective measure of the level of safety which is ‘built-in’ to the road for vehicle occupants, motorcyclists, bicyclists, and pedestrians. A 1-star road is the least safe and a 5-star road is the safest. iRAP’s Safety Insights Explorer is a valuable online resource unlocking the potential of the world’s largest road infrastructure safety database to explore the human and financial impact of road injury, how safe the world’s roads are, and provide the Business Case for Safer Roads. As at June 2024, 1.9 million kilometres of Star Ratings of roads and designs (including 1,638 schools) and 1.8 million kilometres of Crash Risk Mapping and have been performed by iRAP partners in 128 countries, informing the safety of 103 billion USD of road infrastructure investments. 73,000 people have been trained. iRAP is the umbrella programme for regional road assessment programmes including IndiaRAP, BrazilRAP, BrazilRAP Sao Paulo, AusRAP, ChinaRAP, usRAP, KiwiRAP, South Africa RAP, ThaiRAP, TanRAP, KSARAP and MyRAP. The charity’s tools and support are made freely available thanks to the support of major donor the FIA Foundation and current supporting donors Aleatica Foundation, 3M and Prudence Foundation.
ABOUT FIA FOUNDATION
The FIA Foundation is an independent UK registered charity which supports an international programme of activities promoting safe roads, clean air, and climate action.
FIA Foundation is the funder of iRAP’s core work.
Road Safety and Active Mobility Take Centre Stage at IRF Young Professionals Talks
The second episode of the International Road Federation (IRF) Young Professional Talks Series, held on 28 June 2024, focused on best practices and advocacy in road safety and active mobility. Themed “Next Generation on The Move: Integrating Road Safety and Active Mobility for Better Health,” this in-depth discussion highlighted key strategies for improving public health.
The webinar, conducted in partnership with the Global Youth Coalition for Road Safety and Youth for Road Safety (YOURS), featured an enriching discussion on the dynamic relationship between road safety and active mobility. One of the key points highlighted was the impact of a sedentary lifestyle, which can be mitigated by active travel such as walking and cycling. However, this also brought to light the current challenges in creating a safe environment for pedestrians and cyclists that need to be addressed. Stephen Kome, a Sustainable Development Goal champion of The Coalition, emphasised the health costs of physical inactivity, including the development of heart disease, obesity, and diabetes.
Laura Daniela Gomez, Capacity Development Manager at YOURS, highlighted the well-known yet often unaddressed car-centric approach to infrastructure development, which hampers the potential for walking and cycling due to the lack of safe walkways and cycleways. Gomez also shared Colombia’s best practice of having a Local Bicycle Board in its capital, Bogota, which oversees actions towards improving cycling conditions.
Lastly, Paola Becerra, winner of the Local Actions Award from the Global Youth Coalition for Road Safety, led a project in Mérida, Mexico. She established meeting spaces, mapped tactical urbanism initiatives, and conducted cyclist counts. This project underscored the practical challenges and opportunities in promoting active mobility.
The session, moderated by Tendekayi Marapara and Shashank Misra from the leadership team of the IRF Young Professionals Programme, aimed to generate momentum for the forthcoming IRF Young Professionals Summit. This event will be held face-to-face for the first time, taking place as part of the upcoming IRF World Congress 2024 in Istanbul, Turkey, from 15-18 October 2024.
Did you miss it? Watch the recording!
On the Road to Istanbul: IRF Young Professional Talks Series with SLOCAT Partnership
A discussion on new technologies and solutions versus optimisation of the current transport system was the main feature of the first episode of the International Road Federation (IRF) Young Professional Talks Series last 30 May 2024, an event amplifying the engagement of young professionals in transport in the upcoming IRF World Congress in Istanbul, Türkiye, on 15 - 18 October 2024.
The webinar with a unique debate-type structure was done in collaboration with the SLOCAT Partnership and Volvo Research and Educational Foundations (VREF) Young Leaders in Sustainable Transport programme.
The IRF Young Professional Leaders and the SLOCAT-VREF Young Leaders were mixed and divided into two groups, each presenting arguments along with literature and case studies for either adopting new technologies or optimising current systems
The debate underscored the role of new technologies as potential catalysts for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030 and meeting the Paris Agreement targets for limiting global temperature rise. On the other hand, the group advocating for optimisation highlighted the feasibility and cost-effectiveness of enhancing existing transport systems.
Participants concluded that optimising current transport systems with new technologies could be a prudent initial step rather than completely replacing them. They also emphasised the critical role of policy, noting that investments in new technologies must align with government policies and strategic directions to be effective.
Talking Decarbonisation with Autostrade per l’Italia
In anticipation of the IRF World Congress 2024, set to take place in Istanbul on 15-18 October 2024, the IRF is delving into some of the main themes of the congress through a series of initiatives. The first step of this "Road to Istanbul" is decarbonisation.
In an era of growing environmental concerns, the imperative to transform mobility into a greener and more sustainable model becomes increasingly urgent. Carbon emissions reduction emerges as a priority, reflecting the need to promote mobility that not only connects people and goods efficiently but does so sustainably, reducing environmental impact and improving people's quality of life.
2024 marks the centenary of the Italian motorway network, a milestone to celebrate and a starting point to discuss decarbonisation with Autostrade per l’Italia. We did so with Professor Ennio Cascetta, President of Tecne (Autostrade per L’Italia Group), at the occasion of the launch of a new series of IRF Executives Talks that will address several key themes of the World Congress in the coming months.
"Highways represent an opportunity to tackle the challenge of decarbonisation. Through targeted investments and technical innovations, they can play a crucial role in reducing carbon emissions in the transport sector," says Cascetta.
Digitalisation and decarbonisation are the two pillars of the so-called "seventh revolution" in the sector. The integration of advanced technologies in highway management facilitates efficiency and safety. Simultaneously, the transition to electrification and the use of biofuels such as hydrogen propel us in the right direction. Coupled with the realisation of eco-sustainable works, with construction sites based on the principles of the circular economy, we can truly make significant leaps forward.
"We must set achievable goals and therefore, as such, more stimulating," continues Cascetta, citing the data from the latest study published by Aspi, "The Revolution of Sustainable Mobility Starts from Motorways. Safe, Digital, Decarbonised."
