Skip to main content

International Safer Roads Conference focus on highway maintenance funding

UK road planners and engineers attending next month’s International Safer Roads Conference will find out how to avoid losing part of their highway maintenance funding from the British Government. In the Department of Transport document, ‘Gearing up for efficient highway delivery and funding’, Robert Goodwill, MP, the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Transport, warns that local authorities will be incentivised to take up asset management to make the most from allocated resources.
April 30, 2014 Read time: 3 mins
UK road planUK road planners and engineers attending next month’s International Safer Roads Conference will find out how to avoid losing part of their highway maintenance funding from the British Government.

In the Department of Transport document, ‘Gearing up for efficient highway delivery and funding’, Robert Goodwill, MP, the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Transport, warns that local authorities will be incentivised to take up asset management to make the most from allocated resources.

It is proposed that every highway authority will receive baseline funding, with additional funds, as much as 10%, for those with an asset management strategy in place.

The Roads Minister will be addressing the Conference, which is being held in Cheltenham, western England, from the 18 – 21 May 2014. UK delegates will be able to share best practice to help prepare a strategy to avoid losing any vital funding.
The underlying theme of the Conference is ‘saving lives through safer roads’ and delegates are travelling from around the world to share their experience and knowledge.

Dr Chris Kennedy, chairman of the organising committee, says they will be discussing the ever-changing issues of climate change and increasing traffic flows, as well as how types of vehicles place more pressure on existing materials and practices.

“The papers being presented also look at how to achieve more for less in what are challenging times”, he explained.

The 4th International Safer Roads Conference is co-sponsored by the Chartered Institute of Highways and Transportation, 1009 New Zealand Transport Agency and 3312 WDM Limited. Delegates will consist of engineers, practitioners, policy makers and other professionals from central and local governments, academics from universities and research organisations, consultants and contractors.

Dr Kennedy says the Conference will help encourage authorities to become more innovative to achieve best value in road and runway safety maintenance and practices.

“Studies have shown that driver behaviour can be linked with the road environment to produce innovative ways to reduce accident rates and these changes also need to use the appropriate surface materials.

“Many countries have been showing reductions in headline numbers of killed and seriously injured, but as the opening keynote speaker from the Dutch Institute of Road Safety will be discussing, these headline figures often fail to show that the number of vulnerable users continues to rise,” he said. “No country can afford to be complacent about its road safety record.”

Full details of the Conference can be found on %$Linker: 2 External <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-16"?><dictionary /> 0 0 0 oLinkExternal www.saferroads.org.uk Visite Safe Roads website false http://www.saferroads.org.uk/ false false%>

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Rockmore International brings A-series hammers to bauma
    April 19, 2013
    Rockmore International introduced its new A-series down-the-hole (DTH) hammers at bauma. The ROK 600A and 650A have been added to the company’s ROK range of hammers. The new 6inch-class (152mm) DTH hammers are the first models in the new A-class series. The A hammers feature new component designs that are said to demonstrate better performance and penetration rates suited to smaller compressors. “We are committed to developing new DTH hammer solutions that increase productivity and reduce drilling operatin
  • CDE’s AggMax 83 logwasher gets an upgrade
    February 12, 2013
    Sitting alongside the M2500 mobile washing plant on CDE’s stand will be the latest AggMax 83 portable logwasher, which will include a RotoMax RX80 logwasher; triple- deck Prograde sizing screen and horizontal dewatering integrated on a single chassis. The AggMax has found many applications ranging from the washing of limestone conglomerate material in Scotland and Austria, to construction and demolition waste recycling in England, iron ore processing in India and sand and gravel washing in Germany.
  • The Driving Safety Club in launches website
    August 12, 2013
    The Driving Safety Club based in the United States has launched a website aimed at saving lives and raising driving safety awareness. The website, www.TheDrivingSafetyClub.com, was created by The Driving Safety Club founder and president, former auto executive and New York musician, Tony Michaels. “I fear that if the general public does not change their attitude towards safe driving, all of our roadways will get more dangerous for each and every one who drives or travels on America’s highways,” said Michael
  • Mexico introduces new professional roles to address road safety
    June 24, 2013
    *Ana Maria de la Parra introduces the new external road operation supervisors and fatal accident appraisers who could make a vital contribution to improving the efficiency and safety of highways in middle-income countries like Mexico. Sometimes it is difficult to pin down the perception of a country like Mexico in the popular international mindset. Visitors travelling to Mexico City for the first time are often amazed by its size. They are also frequently taken aback by how unexpectedly advanced it is in te