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| Paul Nordengen (left) receives the SARF presidential chain from Dr John Sampson, past president of the SARF and chairman of the board of the Road Traffic Management Corporation. |
Paul Nordengen, an expert in infrastructure management systems at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), has been elected president of the South African Roads Federation (SARF) for 2008 and 2009. Nordengen has been closely involved with the SARF for many years - he represented the CSIR on the SARF Education Committee and Council for the past 17 years and chaired that committee for the past 11 years. He served as SARF vice-president in 2005 and 2006 and as deputy president in 2007. Nordengen was also honoured by the SARF in November 2005 for outstanding service to the federation.
The SARF is a non-political organisation dedicated to the promotion of the road transport industry in South Africa by dissemination of information, the promotion of sound policies and by education and training. It represents all bodies in South Africa with an interest in any aspect of the road industry, including road safety, driver education, vehicle operation, construction, maintenance and law enforcement.
During 2008, Nordengen believes the SARF should, among others, focus on making relevant and objective statements in the media on important issues relating to various aspects of the road transport industry in SA. “The federation will also work towards facilitating cooperation among stakeholders and role-players in the road transport industry with the aim of promoting understanding and developing solutions, and continue with its successful education and training programme (including the SARF bursary scheme) and the introduction of new courses,” he says.
At the CSIR, Nordengen manages a research group focusing on network asset management systems. A civil engineer by training, he specialises in heavy vehicle overloading and bridge management systems, overload control strategies, self-regulation in heavy vehicle transport and performance-based standards (PBS) for heavy vehicles. He was involved in the development and implementation of a self-regulation accreditation scheme for heavy vehicles in the timber industry, which addresses overloading, vehicle maintenance and driver wellness. The rules of compliance of this scheme have been developed into national standards for transport operators, consignors and consignees through Standards SA of the SABS. He also chairs the PBS steering committee, which aims to promote the improved efficiency and safety of road transport in South Africa through an innovative approach to heavy vehicle design.
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