NEWSLETTER N°101
November 2021

PIARC is really happy to be able to convene its Mid-Term Meeting, with the involvement of all our Committees and Task Forces. It was due to take place in Prague, in the Czech Republic, but the pandemic has made this impossible, and we are organising it as a series of four online meetings.

The Mid-Term Meeting is a long-standing tradition of the Association and is a key part of our overall processes. It is a time in our four-year work cycle to pause, in order to review the progress on the expected deliverables, with workshops on each of our Strategic Themes. It is also a great opportunity to organize interaction between all our 20 Committees and Task Forces, so that they can share ideas and best practice [...]

>> Read more

Register for the XVI World Winter Service and Road Resilience Congress, a key event in the road sector 

26 November 2021

You can now dive into the Congress programme day by day to discover about session topics, keynote speeches, networking events and many more! Further details, as the minister’s sessions, exhibitors… will be revealed shortly.

Keynote speakers are now confirmed! We will count on the expertise of Dr. Jean Andrey to tackle the subject of Resilience and Max Perchanok, who will address the issue of winter service, the main topics of the Congress.

If you are working in the transportation sector you can benefit from the Partners Programme, an opportunity to share and showcase your work to delegates, decision-makers and professionals from all over the world. If you want to participate as a country, National Pavilions are open to PIARC country members.

>> Register now!
>> Further information

Innovation has been central to PIARC's November International Seminars 

November 2021

Several virtual and hybrid seminars and workshops were held in November. Check them out to discover the different perspectives explored in relation to the topic!

• Webinar on “Electronic Road Systems” – 4 November, organised from Paris
• Webinar on "Resilience and Innovation in Earthworks" – 2-4 November, organised from Sotchi (Russia)
• Webinar on "Innovative approaches for Asset Management Systems" – 18 November, organised from Paris
• Workshop on “Innovation and the Innovative Organization” (Hybrid: In-Person & Virtual) – 23 November, Seville (Spain)

And to round off 2021, more opportunities to learn with two more seminars in December. Register now!

• Webinar “Climate Change Adaptation and Road Network Resilience” – 6-8 December, organised from Kampala (Uganda)
• Webinar “Winter service on roads and other public places” – 13-15 December, organised from Kyiv (Ukraine)

>> Find them all in our calendar

PIARC was honoured with the "Enrique Balaguer, abriendo caminos" award for more than a century of dedication to the world of roads and road transport

22 November 2021, Madrid (Spain)

The Spanish Technical Road Association (ATC) awarded the "Enrique Balaguer, Abriendo Caminos” award to PIARC in recognition of "its extensive work in the dissemination of technology, permanently committed to the efficiency of the road network, road safety and respect for the environment".

During the event, the Spanish National Committee also awarded the winner authors for "Best article" and "Best young professional's article" from the national competition for the Calgary Congress 2022 Prizes, as well as other national awards.

PIARC participated in the 18th IRF World Meeting with two sessions 

7-10 November 2021 (Dubai)

At the invitation of IRF Global, PIARC's current President, Claude Van Rooten, and the elected President for the next cycle, Nazir Alli, participated in the IRF World Meeting in Dubai. Claude Van Rooten presented on "Transport beyond COVID-19: Resilient policies" during the ministerial plenary session. Nazir Alli delivered a lecture on "Road procurement and financing in the new era". 

During the event, Claude and Nazir met with the IRF presidency, taking the opportunity to talk about collaborations in the continuation of their good relationship over the years.

>> Read more about the event

Elected 2021 PIARC Honorary Members and President

October 2021

This year, PIARC Council decided to appoint as honorary members: Marc Tesson (France) and Bojan Leben (Slovenia) together with Óscar de Buen (Mexico) as Honorary President. This decision was based on their outstanding work and long commitment within the Association. Congratulations!

PIARC’s article “COVID-19: Key Lessons for the Road and Transport Community” selected to be part of a Policy Study on transport and COVID-19 

The article, written by Patrick Malléjacq, PIARC General Secretary, and José Manuel Blanco Segarra, Secretary of PIARC Technical Committee 1.1 “Performance of Transport Administrations”, has been included in the Policy Study “Mediterranean Transport and Logistics in a post-COVID-19 Era: Prospects and Opportunities”. The study was published in the framework of the “MedThink 5+5 network of Western Mediterranean think tanks” and coordinated by the European Institute of the Mediterranean (IEMed) and the Centre for Transportation Studies for the Western Mediterranean (CETMO).

>> More information on PIARC's activity regarding COVID-19 pandemics

PIARC UK’s webinar to support the young professional transportation sector is now available on YouTube! 

October 2021

The "Creating a vibrant young professionals’ sector" webinar was organized last October by Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation (CIHT) and PIARC UK National Committee to promote and support young professionals in the transportation sector, including opportunities to get involved in the UK and international work of PIARC. If you missed it, you can see it online on YouTube now.

>> Watch it now!

A busy quarter for the German National PIARC Committee. Have a look! 

• Publication in English of several publications
• D-A-CH Information Conference in Cologne
• Concrete Pavement Conference in Bochum 
• Asphalt Pavement Conference in Leipzig 

>> More information about the German National PIARC Committee

A new research study presents the need to make transport less fragile and more resilient to future challenges 

The HVT Programme awarded 20 research projects to gather evidence about the impact of COVID-19 on transport systems in low- and middle-income countries.To share the findings and recommendations from the research and to encourage new ideas to emerge, they hosted a Research Knowledge Exchange on Wednesday 1^st December, 13.00 – 16.00 GMT 

>> More information here

Automated Vehicles - Challenges and Opportunities for Road Operators and Road Authorities 

The report mentions 11 key challenges to tackle regarding social issues in order to make automation a success. 

In terms of responsibility, a new balance will need to emerge [...]

>> Read the report here

Disaster Management: The Effects And Management Of Covid-19 Whilst Looking To The Future 

No matter what the disaster is, no matter what the pandemic is, we as road administrators must minimize the disaster impacts to our transportation infrastructure. [...]

>> Read the note here

Smart Roads Classification 

Traditionally, road network classification systems have focused on two fundamentally opposite dimensions: mobility and accessibility. These classification systems have been adapted to the variable circumstances of countries or regions. [...] 

>> Read the PIARC Special Project here