Skip to main content

RSMA hosts 16th and largest conference in Nottingham, England

The Road Safety Markings Association (RSMA) this week held its 16th and largest annual conference at Eastwood Hall in Nottingham, England. Under the title ‘Roadmarking 2013 Safety Through Innovation’, the event on 13-14 November included a host of presentations from leading transport and specific road marking industry figures based in the UK and Europe dealing with technological and practical innovations relating to road marking-led road safety. Jenny Moten, divisional director for Network Services at th
November 15, 2013 Read time: 3 mins
RSSThe 5149 Road Safety Markings Association (RSMA) this week held its 16th and largest annual conference at Eastwood Hall in Nottingham, England.

Under the title ‘Roadmarking 2013 Safety Through Innovation’, the event on 13-14 November included a host of  presentations from leading transport and specific road marking industry figures based in the UK and Europe dealing with technological and practical innovations relating to road marking-led road safety.

Jenny Moten, divisional director for Network Services at the 2309 Highways Agency (HA), outlined how the Government policy paper ‘Action for Roads’, which includes changes to the running of the HA and a commitment of US$44.924 billion (£28 billion) for road maintenance between 2015 and 2020, may change the road marking sector and the work of the HA within it.

Conor Fitzgerald, engineering inspection at the National Road Authority (NRA) in Ireland, described the approach the NRA takes on road markings and how positive monitoring by contractors is being used to underwrite the performance of their network, while also limiting costs, during tough economic times.

Other key speakers were Dr Lisa Dorn, research director at Driver Metrics, who is leading a team of psychologists working with the private and public sector on research concerned with driver behaviour; and Tobias Lotz, development engineer, driver assistance technologies, at 3423 Ford, who spoke about that while innovations in in-car technology are rapidly improving safety levels for drivers, it must be compatible with basic highway infrastructure to make the most of these advances.

A wide variety of workshop sessions looked at projects including 777 TRL’s InRoads and Safer Cycling Innovations; Michael Gatscha, of Neurotraffic, Austria, talking about driver reaction in wet/night conditions; and the Dark Skies initiative and research in Galloway Forest Park in Scotland.

Meanwhile, a host of leading road marking sector firms such as the 7819 Hitex International Group, the event’s main sponsors, 152 3M, 173 Borum, and 1658 Hofmann were among exhibitors during the conference, showcasing their latest machines and technology.

The two-day conference also incorporated Safer Surfacing 2013, and, for the first time, the Annual RSMA Health and Safety Forum Event.

On the importance of the conference, RSMA national director George Lee said, “In the last few years we’ve taken a much broader and more international approach to the event. It’s such a melting pot of different ideas and different initiatives that actually play out in every different aspect of our industry.”

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • The radically changing face of UK highways management
    May 14, 2014
    The British Government policy paper ‘Action for Roads: A network for the 21st century’ sets out radical change to the strategic way roads are funded and managed – including plans to turn the Highways Agency into a Government-owned company and a pledge to invest over €33.4 billion (£28 billion) in roads maintenance between 2015 and 2020. Jenny Moten, Highways Agency divisional director for Network Services, gave a keynote presentation on the new approach to strategic highways management during the Road Safet
  • Fugro Aperio stage 12th DIPA conference in Birmingham, England
    July 16, 2012
    The 12th Developments in Pavement Assessment (DIPA) conference organised by Fugro Aperio was taking place today in Birmingham, central England. DIPA is Britain’s only highways event dedicated to pavement assessment, covering the latest policy, best practice and survey technology developments. Speakers include pavement experts from local government, consultancy and research, and the data collection sector.
  • Future road safety solutions
    September 4, 2019
    The UK’s Transport Research Laboratory (TRL) has proposed a number of solutions that could help boost future road safety.
  • FEHRL holds successful infrastructure research event in Brussels
    June 22, 2015
    FEHRL recently held the FIRM15 event in Brussels, focussing on innovative maintenance of transport infrastructure In all some 110 transport infrastructure research experts from Europe and beyond met for the 2015 FEHRL Infrastructure Research Meeting (FIRM15) at the Diamant Centre in Brussels, Belgium. These professionals discussed the overall theme of 'Innovative maintenance of transport infrastructure: Faster, cheaper, more reliable, safer and greener'. Throughout the two-day conference, several solution