23rd World Road Congress

Fact Sheet• 100th anniversary of PIARC• 126 countries, 34 African countries• More than 5000 delegates & exhibitors, 48 South

Africans• More than 200 exhibitions, 16 national pavilions

(including SA)• 80 Ministers of Transport (including SA)• 3 plenary sessions (opening, Ministers’ & closing

sessions)• 4 strategic direction sessions• 18 PIARC committee feedback sessions• 19 special sessions• 5 workshops• 48 half-day sessions = 24 full-day equivalents in

3.5 days• 16 technical visits during Congress• 1 social event (gala diner)

Subjects• Sustainable development• Disaster mitigation• Urban intermodality• Road safety• Management of congestion• Evolution of road

administrations• Governance & integrity• Safety in road tunnels• Vulnerability of road systems

to climate change• Network operations• Road system economics• Airfield pavements

• Risk management• Road asset management• Road maintenance• Mobility for vulnerable users• Vehicle-road interaction• Responding to HR challenges• Earthworks, drainage &

subgrade• Rural roads & accessibility• Bridges & related structures• Road pavements• Integrated urban transport• Freight transport &

intermodality

The choice for Sustainable Development

“The choice for sustainable development has been partof the very make-up of the French government sinceMay 2007, when road issues were delegated to theMinistry of Ecology, Sustainable Development andSpatial Planning … We must satisfy the legitimateaspirations of populations concerning mobility andquality of life, without further thwarting the planet’s

potential and without reaching the stage of exhaustingour resources, rendering every sort of development

impossible for generations to come.”

Jean-Louis Borloo, Ministre d’État

Some Facts – Gore-y details• Over the last 10 years, climatic catastrophes

have caused 0.9 million deaths, disrupted 2.6 billion people and financial losses exceeding $210 billion

• Highest ever recorded average temperature in France in 2006

• By 2050, 40% reduction in ice barrier, causing sea level rise that will affect 1.2 billion people and create 200 million climatic refugees

• Required to reduce CO2 emissions by 20%, compared to 2002 benchmark, within 10 years

Changing road user behaviour

• Raising of transport costs (taxation & tolls)– Encourage users to use road space more rationally– Promote a rebalance towards less polluting modes of

transport– Significantly improve alternative choices and render

them attractive to users– Urban tolls found to be an effective means to reduce

congestion and pollution– Accepted that raising road charges may have

undesired consequences on a country’s economic and social fabric

Actions by decision makers• Appropriately respond to four key challenges:

the environment & climate change, congestion, access & mobility, and safety

• Curb transport consumption:– Promote other modes of transport & implement

efficient inter-modal facilities– Use electronic toll collection systems– Information systems (ITS) to optimise the usage of

existing infrastructure• Additional line item in tender to assess

environmental damage caused by proposed construction methods/materials (e.g. $/tCO2)

Adaptation of technologies• Shift in focus: resistance of structures

sustainability of engineering structures

• Reduce CO2 emissions and energy consumption:– Warm, half-warm & cold processes

• Recycling– Use up to 60% of recycled asphalt (50% on A28) with

new plant at a production rate of 300t/h– Re-use of existing pavement materials– Incorporation of building rubble & industrial by-products

Technical Innovation• “Green” technologies

– Making use of natural raw materials that are renewable:

• Bio-fluxes to reduce viscosity of bitumen (by-products of renewable natural fats that polymerises with bitumen)

• Bio-cleaners with superior solvent power to protect/clean equipment (replace fuel oil type products)

• Bio-emulsifiers• Bio-road markers• Bio-binders • Bio-fuels

– “De-polluting” roads:• “Active Asphalt”: surfacings which induce a negative charge

and thus able to attract suspended particulate matter• Photocatalystic coatings (TiO2) which neutralise NOx

Reduction in Future Costs• Preservation of infrastructure:

– Greater focus on maintenance– Proper management of assets

• Long-life pavements:– Concrete solutions– High-Modulus Asphalt (HiMA)

Concluding Remarks

• From an industry point of view, sustainable development should not be perceived as a new series of constraints hampering our activities but rather as a broadening of our field activities and development

• Sustainable development rapidly becoming a new multi-billion industry with innovation being a major catalyst

• 1908-2007: “the Oil Age” – next 100 years?