Between December 2019 and September 2020 the “Motorways” and “Bridges” Magazine (ELAMED group) has organized four events called “Public Roads” Workshop Seminars.
Comprehensive implementation of municipal and district roads
This year’s edition of the event covered the subject of comprehensive implementation of municipal and district roads as well as pedestrian and bicycle routes.
“Public Roads” Workshop Seminars are cyclical trainings addressed to the investment management staff of cities, communes and districts. As part of the training, the effectiveness of selected technologies and their cost estimates are compared, and innovative solutions for local roads are presented.
In addition, the training enables the acquisition of knowledge in the field of determining pedestrian and pedestrian-bicycle routes, the choice of road and pavement surfaces, as well as their maintenance. During the Seminars the manager’s tasks are discussed: maintenance of road surfaces, pavements, road engineering structures, traffic safety devices and other devices.
Target group
Target group of the Seminars are the administrators of communal, district and voivodeship roads, the employees of city and commune offices as well as district starosts responsible for infrastructure investments in their region, people responsible for the maintenance of pavements, engineering structures, traffic safety devices and others, as well as the representatives of the managements responsible for the preparation of draft road network development plans and draft plans for financing the construction, maintenance and protection of roads and bridges.
The Seminars bring a great benefits of participating. The participants increase their qualifications and raise the level of technical knowledge. They develop the skills in managing co-financed projects and they increase their skills in defining tasks.
Our Representatives took part in the events. Thus, Jan Zieliński and Wojciech Smęt visited Ruciane Nida to participate in the “Public Roads” Workshop Seminars on 5-6th of February, 2020 for the North-East Poland (Voivodeships: mazowieckie, podlaskie, warmińsko-mazurskie).
In addition, Jan Zielinski participated in the event on August 19-20, 2020 for the North-Western Poland (Voivodeships: lubuskie, kujawsko-pomorskie, pomorskie, wielkopolskie, zachodniopomorskie) and Agata Ciołkosz-Styk and Wojciech Smęt went to Wrocław to represent the company on the August 25-26, 2020 in South-western Poland (Voivodeships: dolnośląskie, łódzkie, opolskie, śląskie).
Data-based decision making for effective sidewalk, pedestrian and bicycle management
On every of those events we were able to present a lecture about how to keep sidewalks and bicycle paths in good condition for years and about the methods and tools that support road managers in these activities.
The condition of the surface of many bicycle paths in Poland leaves much to be desired. Users complain about driving comfort, they do not feel safe. Monitoring the condition of the surface of the entire network of roads and paths entails enormous costs for the managers. This problem is faced by road managers of all categories, whether from small or larger towns. Tight budgets do not allow the bicycle infrastructure to be kept in proper condition.
The starting point for effective sidewalk, pedestrian and bicycle management is data-based decision making. This information and the resulting knowledge allows the manager to choose the right scenario. What is more, he can determine the necessary expenses.
Our experts explained how to optimize economic decisions in accordance with the principles described in the ISO 55000 Asset Management standard. Moreover they pointed out the key elements of the process.
During the events our electric scooters connected to the ASPEN system (Accelerometer System for Pavement Evaluation) were presented, as a practical part of the speech.
Obtaining information about the condition
The ASPEN application significantly improves the process of obtaining information about the condition of pavements, bicycle paths and roads. A smartphone mounted on e-scooters records vibrations and analyzes the collected data in order to assess the condition of the surface, to improve safety, ride comfort and to plan maintenance budgets. It is incomparably cheaper than standard diagnostic campaigns.
Heller Consult is successfully developing this effective solution as part of a research and development project co-financed by ESA (European Space Agency).
The Public Roads workshop seminar was an excellent opportunity for the audience to expand their technical knowledge, including the issues of determining pedestrian and pedestrian-bicycle routes, the choice of road and pavement surfaces, as well as their maintenance. Participants received many practical tips for managing and making informed decisions about infrastructure.