Twelfth annual conference “Safe Road infrastructure” has been held on September 17th and 18th in Plovdiv City. The prestigious forum brought together again leading road engineers, designers, builders, road safety auditors, and representatives of industry organizations and institutions to discuss current challenges in the field. This year’s edition had a strong international focus, featuring participation from specialists from the Federal Highway Research Institute of Germany (BASt).
The forum was officially opened by the Chairman of the Management Board of the Bulgarian Branch Association Road Safety (BBARS), Dr. Nikolay Ivanov, PhD (Econ). Participants included Eng. Zhivko Nedev, Deputy Chairman of the Management Board of the Chamber of Builders in Bulgaria (BCC) and the Management Board of BBARS; Kapka Asenova, Executive Director of BCC; Eng. Stefan Chaykov, Chairman of the Management Board of the Bulgarian Branch Chamber “Roads” (BBCR); Commissioner Boyko Ranovski, Executive Director of the Road Transport Administration Executive Agency; Assoc. Prof. Gichka Kutova, PhD (Arch), Rector of the University of Architecture, Civil Engineering and Geodesy (UACEG); Prof. Markus Oeser, PhD (Eng), President of BASt; and Brendan Halleman, Senior Advisor at the International Road Federation (IRF).
Official welcome addresses to the participants in the forum were sent by Rumen Radev, Prime-Minister of Republic of Bulgaria; Michaela Dotsova, Speaker of the 52nd National Assembly of the Republic of Bulgaria; Eng. Lyubomir Kachamakov, Chairman of the Executive Board of the Bulgarian Construction Chamber, Dr. Vladimir Vutov, Eng., Chairman of the Board of Directors of “Stroitel” newspaper and Lyubomir Yosifov, president of the Association of Police Chiefs.
The photo is by the “Stroitel” newspaper
The conference confirmed that the road safety is a national priority and that the sustainable improvement of the road safety requires the joint efforts of the government, the scientific community, the business sector, and civil society.
During the forum, participants discussed current precautions and best practices for improving safety, as well as the latest European standards in the field of road safety. They exchanged expert opinions and ideas intending to find more effective solutions and reducing the risk of traffic accidents.
Following the integrated approach “Safe system” and the principle of shared responsibility for reaching the purposes of “Vision Zero”, the participants unanimously adopted a Final Declaration. It contains specific recommendations for improving road infrastructure safety and reflects the consensus reached on the main topics discussed during the conference.
The full text of the Final Declaration is available on the website of the Bulgarian Road Safety Industry Association – HEAR