|
 Photographed at the congress were (left to right) Prof David Cebon (Cambridge University), Prof João Widmer (Universtiy of São Paulo), Chris Winkler (University of Michigan Transport Research Institute), Anders Lundström (Scania, Sweden and President of the IFRTT), Paul Nordengen (CSIR Built Environment) and Gil Guedes (ABCR). |
Paul Nordengen, a senior researcher at CSIR Built Environment, recently visited Brazil as part of a delegation from the International Forum for Road Transport Technology (IFRTT). Nordengen is currently IFRTT Vice-President: Developing Countries.
The IFRTT delegation was invited to give presentations on a number of roads issues at the 5th Brazilian Congress of Roads and Concessions, held in Campinas from 4 to 6 October. Nordengen and Prasanth Mohan of the Department of Transport gave a presentation on the Road Transport Management System (RTMS), a self-regulation accreditation system for heavy vehicle transport operators, consignors and consignees that has been implemented in South Africa.
 The IFRTT delegation visited a sugar mill to observe operations and vehicle configurations. In some cases, 30 m road trains are used to transport cane from the fields to the mill. Brazil has approximately 300 sugar mills compared with 14 in South Africa. |
A 2006 paper on this subject, co-authored by Nordengen and Francois Oberholtzer from the Institute for Commercial Forestry Research, was recently awarded a certificate of commendation as runner-up for the South African Institution of Civil Engineering’s annual award for best conference paper presented during the previous year.
Nordengen also gave a presentation on the performance-based standards (PBS) initiative for heavy vehicles, which is being rolled out in South Africa. “The purpose of introducing PBS vehicles is to improve transport productivity by reducing the costs associated with transporting products and raw materials, and minimising the cost of delivery to customers,” he explains. “A significant spin-off lies in the enhanced safety features inherent in the design of these vehicles. Whereas the traditional prescriptive approach focuses on the mass and dimensions of vehicles, the PBS approach addresses a range of critical vehicle performance issues.”
The participation of the IFRTT delegation marked the first time the Brazilian Congress of Roads and Concessions hosted international speakers. “The overseas visitors generated a significant amount of interest and discussion, and we will definitely consider inviting international speakers more often in future”, says Gil Guedes, technical director of the Brazilian Association of Toll Concessionaires (ABCR), who organised the conference.
The ABCR has 39 members (concessionaires) and is responsible for approximately 10 000 kms of toll roads in Brazil.
News contributed by: Deidre Lotter, CSIR Communication
|
