On 22 and 23 September 2014 UIC participated as an entitled member since 2010 in the 69th session of the UNECE Working Party 1 on road traffic safety in Geneva: http://www.unece.org/trans/roadsafe/wp1age.html
As part of item 2 of the agenda “Activities of interest to the Working Party” among various presentations on road safety awareness campaigns, UIC reported on the global success once again of the International Level Crossing Awareness Day campaign “ILCAD 2014” coordinated by Isabelle Fonverne at UIC. She invited participants to join ILCAD 2015 to be held worldwide on 3 June 2015 and officially launched in cooperation with TCDD in Istanbul, Turkey. We have no doubt that new countries and new partners will participate in this unique worldwide event. We have already received requests from newcomers. For more info on the past campaign, please visit: www.ilcad.org
We will soon be organising a meeting of the ILCAD Task Force to debrief on the ILCAD 2014 campaign and national campaigns organised on 3 June 2014 on this occasion in different countries. More info on the event launched at REFER, Lisbon can be found at: http://uic.org/com/uic-e-news/403
This will also be the occasion to exchange ideas on a collaborative basis to prepare ILCAD 2015: a new public to target, new communications media (posters, videos ...).
You are all most welcome to participate in this meeting foreseen on 14 November in Rome at the kind invitation of the UNECE WP1 Chairperson (at the Italian Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport).
For information on the day before on 13 November the ELCF (European Level Crossing Forum) http://www.uic.org/spip.php?article2874will hold its annual plenary meeting at the same place. This meeting is more dedicated to Engineering and Enforcement measures at level crossings. The ILCAD Task Force meeting will present Education and awareness measures across Europe and beyond. Should you wish to make a presentation, or simply participate in one or both meetings please contact: fonverne at uic.org
The UNECE WP1 on road traffic safety meeting in Geneva was also the opportunity to give an overview of the work of the Group of Experts on Improving Safety at Level Crossings (GE.1) created at UNECE at the initiative of WP1 and UIC. This group has a systemic approach to level crossing safety.
The kick-off meeting took place in January 2014, followed by a second meeting in May. A third meeting is foreseen from 23 – 24 October 2014, the next one being from 29 – 30 January 2015. To read the Terms of Reference and its work programme please visit: http://www.unece.org/trans/roadsafe/eg_level_crossings_03.html
Following a decision of the Group of Experts on Improving Safety at Level Crossings (GE.1) at its second session in May 2014 (ECE/TRANS/WP.1/GE.1/4, paragraph 4), the UNECE secretariat is undertaking a multi-faceted online survey to inform GE.1 on various issues related to level crossings and safety at level crossings. These aspects include economics, statistics, best/good practices, legislation, human factors, technology and enforcement.
The findings will be used to formulate a multidisciplinary strategic plan aimed at reducing the risk of death and/or injury at level crossings. The secretariat has distributed a link to the online survey to the permanent missions of UNECE member States. To find the questionnaire
http://www.unece.org/trans/roadsafe/eg_lxquestionnaire.html
At the WP1 meeting on 22 September IRU (the International Road Transport Union) in Geneva and UIC informed the WP1 at UNECE on their MoU (read UIC press release N° 21) on common guidelines on safety at level crossings for professional drivers that will be submitted to IRU members in two weeks. They should be finalised by the end of 2014 and presented to the 70th session of the UNECE WP1 (23 – 26 March 2015).
It was the opportunity for UNECE and UIC to show the film “Saving Lives at Level Crossings – A price too high to pay” that was co-financed by the Federal Office of Transport of the Swiss Confederation (FOT), UNECE and UIC and used for ILCAD 2014.
For info this film was very positively appreciated by all viewers: be at the ILCAD 2014 round table in Lisbon on 3 June, at the Global Level Crossing and Trespass Symposium in Urbana-Champaign, USA, early August, at UNECE and on internet and social networks.
Please watch: http://dai.ly/x1vlrv3
Saving Lives at Level Crossings – A price too... par f100002252234782
