TRL to cast spotlight on latest smart and safe mobile initiatives in 5th edition of the Qatar Transport Safety Forum

Prominent transport research firm to lead discussions on how to improve transport safety across Qatar’s rapidly growing transport network

UAE October 17, 2016

TRL (the Transport Research Laboratory), one of the leading global centres for innovation in transport and mobility, is set to cast the spotlight on the newest smart and safe mobile initiatives during their participation at the fifth edition of the Qatar Transport Safety Forum, an event aimed towards showcasing projects and initiatives to drive safety, sustainability and interconnectivity across the country’s transport network, which will be held from October 18 to October 19, 2016 at the St. Regis Doha, Qatar. During the exciting two-day event, TRL is expected to lead discussions covering the improvements in transport safety through design, speed management and better vehicle standards across Qatar’s fast growing and evolving transport network.

Akin Adamson, Director - Middle East, TRL

According to TRL, Qatar is currently investing substantial amounts in order to create a world-class, integrated, surface transport system in a relatively short period of time--catering to the needs of its population and visitors to forthcoming major events like FIFA World Cup 2022. To complement the development, Qatar's Ministry of Transport and Communications has started to utilise an integrated approach to transport through the implementation of key smart mobility initiatives. Based on their research and studies, TRL has made recommendations on how to address the country's transport needs, which include the development of safer road infrastructure; improvements in driver training and road user knowledge and behaviour; use of safer vehicles and increased efforts towards attaining sustainability.

“We are proud to be part of this year’s Qatar Transport Safety Forum, which has become a strategic venue to discuss key issues in transport safety,” said Akin Adamson, Director - Middle East, TRL. “We fully support Qatar’s exciting development journey and the initiatives it has implemented towards developing safer transport networks by utilising evidence-based road safety. During our presence at the forum, we are looking forward to discuss any aspect of transport policy or improvement and expect to learn more about some of the new initiatives happening across Qatar. Our aim is to be at the forefront of these discussions and play a leading role in several of the events sessions.”

TRL will be giving presentations and participating in sessions to highlight the efforts to explore safer roads--especially in how road design plays a significant role in keeping it safe. Phil Clarke Principal Consultant at TRL,  will be part of a panel discussion entitled 'Examining the role of speed in road safety,' while Tawab Kazemi, Technical Director, will give a presentation on 'Assessing the geometric design of roads to maximize road safety and efficiency.’ Finally, Dr Britta Lang, one of TRL’s transport psychologists, will be leading workshop sessions looking at driver training and behaviour.

The Qatar Transport Safety Forum is an annual event that is officially endorsed by the Ministry of Transport and Communications in Qatar and held under the patronage of His Excellency (H.E.) Jassim Bin Saif Al Sulaiti, Minister of Transport and Communications. The event serves as a high-level gathering of government, consultants, system contractors and global leaders to further drive road safety and smart mobility projects in the region.

Read More »

TRL announces new Student Award initiative

Leading transport consultancy and research firm to recognize UAE's smartest students and their proposals for sustainable traffic solutions at Gulf Traffic 2016

Dr. Britta Lang, Country Director -  UAE, TRL

September 20, 2016 : The Transport Research Laboratory (TRL), a leading transport consultancy and research firm, has revealed its latest initiative, the ‘TRL Student Award,’ which aims to tap into the creative skills of today’s younger generation in order to help solve practical, real life problems while also helping the country in its move towards more growth and development.

The initiative will award some of the country’s top student minds for their proposals of innovative and sustainable transport solutions in a special awards ceremony on the sidelines of Gulf Traffic 2016, which will be held from 13th to 15th November, at the Dubai World Trade Centre. Serving as the knowledge partner of the event, TRL wants to encourage new blood into the transport domain and recognise fresh and creative thinking by future professionals.

According to TRL, sustainable transport solutions are crucially important for dynamic and expanding countries such as the UAE, in order to enable the transport of people and goods in the context of work, education and leisure in a way that is sustainable in both the social and environmental sense. With this in mind, the ‘TRL Student Award’ will generate unique ideas from students for transport solutions that promote socially and environmentally friendly modes of transport, aiding the governments drive toward a fully sustainable, smart city. In addition, the breadth of the subject ‘Sustainable Transport’ means that different academic disciplines can participate and provide new perspectives and fresh ideas.  

“TRL is at the forefront of the future of transport and cutting edge of transport science,” said Dr Britta Lang, Country Director - UAE, TRL. “We take pride in our commitment towards technical expertise whilst also recognising the significance of promoting scientific development at every given opportunity. We decided to launch the ‘TRL Student Award’ to serve as a platform for showcasing innovation, opening up another avenue to demonstrate how ideas from today’s youth can bring the future of transport to life.”

All students must register and submit their entries by visiting http://www.gulftraffic.com/en/Awards/Awards2016/#award_trlstd. Entries should have a minimum of 800 words and maximum of 5,000 words. The deadline for submitting entries is on November 5, 2016.

“Transport is and always will be an essential part of our everyday lives and is central to sustainable development.  It enables access to employment, business, education, health services, and social interaction. We are highly positive that this competition will spur some highly creative and innovative ideas that can address issues covering the vehicles we use, transport infrastructure, energy source, the logistics of the transport system or transport planning measures to promote sustainability and traffic congestion solutions,” concluded Lang.

Read More »

TRL supports initiatives for green buildings and achievement of sustainable development driven by the Qatari government

 May 25,  13.41 PM IST || Pocket News Alert

TRL and Qatar Standards release a guidebook to help Qatari construction companies raise awareness and comply with new standards

May 25, 2016 - Transport Research Laboratory (TRL), a leading transport consultancy and research firm, has expressed its support for the initiatives implemented by the Qatari government towards green buildings and their achievements in sustainable development. The announcement follows the recent release of the book, 'Recycled Aggregate in Construction – Qatar Experience,' which is being positioned as a key example of a research-driven Qatari success story. TRL is looking to increase awareness of the book and its key findings in order to help construction companies in Qatar to comply with newly released and implemented construction standards and guidelines. TRL and Qatar Standards will also continue their support to the recycling industry through the certification of recycled materials to verify compliance of recycled aggregate with the approved standards.

The new guide is a collaborative project between TRL, Qatar Standards, Public Works Authority (Ashghal), Qatar University, and key stakeholders in the construction industry, with funding coming from the Qatar National Research Fund at Qatar Foundation. The 225-page book includes comprehensive data on the construction industry in Qatar and the potential of recycling initiatives--supported by a set of statistical tables and charts, photographs and case studies. It also showcases a range of studies that have been conducted in Doha and the UK between 2010 and 2015, focusing on the development of codes of practice and supporting mechanisms to convert the vast quantities of construction wastes into high-value construction products.

In line with the findings of the research, Qatar Standards has already updated the Qatar Construction Specification to permit the use of recycled aggregates in a range of applications, including structural concrete, non-structural concrete, concrete blocks, asphalt pavements, road sub-base materials and fill applications. However, it does not force clients and contractors to use recycled aggregates, so the uptake will be determined largely by the cost.

“The findings mentioned in this book show that recycled aggregates are significantly cheaper than imported ones - and raising awareness about this and promoting the wider use of recycled aggregates is very critical,” said Dr Khaled Hassan, Country Director, TRL. “TRL is committed to both increasing awareness of this new development and helping local companies in their move to the production of recycled aggregates that comply with new standards and guidelines. To help those companies looking to make the move, we will be offering independent audits to check the quality of the materials before Qatar Standards certification.”

The main outcome of the project is to make a change in the construction industry by maximizing the use of local resources, including recycled aggregate, and reducing reliance on imported materials. This was achieved through working in partnership during this project on the use of applied research to provide local evidence and solve current problems. To help drive more success and awareness, Qatar's Ministry of Municipality and Environment published the findings and outcomes of the project in a book titled, 'Recycling in Construction - Qatar Experience.' The project has already received positive response and awards, including two national and regional awards--the most innovative project of the year category of the Qatar Contractors Award (2013) and the Best Green innovation project in MENA category of the Green Mind Awards (2014).

Read More »

TRL forecasts autonomous vehicle technology to revolutionize GCC transport sector

April 11 2016,  01.15 PM IST || Pocket News Alert

Region needs to be prepared in terms of road infrastructure, legal framework and regulations to accommodate and support autonomous vehicles

April 11, 2016 - The Transport Research Laboratory (TRL), a leading transport consultancy and research firm, has predicted that the emergence of autonomous vehicle technology will revolutionize the GCC region's transport sector. The firm pointed out that there is a continuing global growth in the autonomous vehicles market, which is reflected in the growing number of manufacturers exploring the technology. In line with this, TRL has urged that the region needs to be prepared in terms of road infrastructure, legal framework and regulations that can accommodate and support autonomous vehicles.

According to the company’s senior executives, despite the skyrocketing number of manufacturers, no self-driving cars have been made available to the public. However, industry analysts have expressed confidence that by the year 2020, self-driving cars would then be publicly available. As such, authorities in the region have already started to study the development of this new technology. The move represents the region's preparation for autonomous vehicle technology -- which also includes the development of road infrastructure and encouraging manufacturers to create the appropriate environment for the introduction of driverless vehicles.

“The growing popularity of autonomous vehicle technology, combined with its potential as a safer and more secure means of transport, suggests that this new technology will eventually revolutionize the region’s transport segment,” said Akin Adamson, TRL’s Middle East Director. “TRL has over 50 years of experience in vehicle automation. So, it is well positioned to aid policymakers, government authorities and customers in this process by developing a program of activities, legal framework and regulations that can accommodate and support autonomous vehicles.”

One of the company’s latest endeavors is the Greenwich Automated Transport Environment (GATEway) project, an £8 million (AED 44 million) project funded by Innovate UK and Industry. TRL is leading the project which will investigate public perception, reaction and engagement with a range of different types of automated vehicles. As part of the project, three British companies are working in collaboration to develop new iconic automated pods for public trials this summer. Using entirely British engineering and software capabilities, Westfield Sportscars, Heathrow Enterprises and Oxbotica will develop pods capable of operating fully autonomously and safely on the streets of London in the Royal Borough of Greenwich.

The three companies, all of which recently joined the GATEway project as consortium members, will be working together to develop the existing Ultra PODS currently in service at the UK’s Heathrow Airport. Operating at Terminal 5 for nearly five years, these pods have already carried 1.5m passengers and completed 3m kilometres of fully automated operation. Led by Westfield Sportcars, these pods will now be adapted to navigate the streets of Greenwich without the need for dedicated tracks.

The shuttle trial, which is one of three automated vehicle tests within the GATEway project, will investigate public acceptance of automated shuttle vehicles within the urban mobility landscape. Other trials set to take place in the project include autonomous valet parking and automated deliveries.

“Last year, Dubai announced that the latest technologies in the field of smart mobility solutions will be considered for use in Expo 2020. Further the announcement highlighted, the emirate is now pioneering efforts in the region to be the first to map out a strategy and plan on how to utilize autonomous vehicle (driverless car) technology on to the emirate's road networks. The GATEway project is an exciting leap forward for the UK and TRL is very honoured to be leading this UK consortium and is also well positioned in bringing such initiatives and best practices to the GCC region,” concluded George Zakhem, Programme Manager, TRL - UAE.

TRL has a growing portfolio of innovative research projects in the field of connected and autonomous vehicles. Notable projects include MOVE_UK, Atlas,  Sentience, the testing of partial automation on UK roads; ADAPTATION, simulator research into behaviour of “non-equipped” drivers when driving in mixed and automated traffic; Heavy Vehicle Platooning Study for the Department of Transport and a £11m research programme to develop fully autonomous cars jointly funded by Jaguar Land Rover and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), will look at some key technologies and questions that need to be addressed before driverless cars can be allowed on the roads without jeopardizing the safety of other road users, including cyclists and pedestrians. Other projects include research into the business case for automated vehicles, implications for highways authorities and cybersecurity of automated vehicles.

Read More »