Australian Road Research Board

Australian Road Research Board (ARRB) is an Australian research agency that provides independent, applied research and consulting services for Australian and New Zealand state road agencies and communities.[1]

ARRB produces research in areas such as road safety, pavement engineering, climate change adaptations, road network management, and future transport technology. It also has commercial operations that provide consulting services, collecting data on roads using trucks arrayed with precise sensor equipment.[2]

History

ARRB was founded in 1960, with the purpose to serve the research needs of its members (largely state road agencies), on a cost recovery basis.

ARRB put its historic Vermont South headquarters on the market in 2017, its home since the early 1970's.[3] The sale of this land was expected to generate significant revenue with estimates ranging from $18 million[4] to $25 million[5].

In 2017, ARRB appointed new state technical leaders in both Queensland and Victoria/Tasmania, Matthew Bereni and Samantha Taylor respectively. It also spun off its equipment manufacturing and international operations divisions. This new business is ARRB Systems Pty Ltd. [6][7]

Governance

The Australian Road Research Board is governed by a Board of Directors, all with backgrounds or positions in major transport organisations.The Board Chairman position is held by Peter Duncan, and the position of Chief Executive Officer by Michael Caltabiano.[8]

ARRB is in-part supported by its member organisations, who provide leadership and funding. Member organisations include federal, state and local government bodies responsible for managing the nation’s transport and road networks.[1]

ARRB also operates with these same organisations under the collective banner of Austroads.[9]

Research

In July 2015, the first trials of driverless cars in the southern hemisphere were launched in Adelaide by a consortium, consisting of ARRB, Flinders University, Carnegie Mellon University, the RAA, Cohda Wireless and Bosch. Premier Jay Weatherill announced the trials, stating "Driverless cars have the ability to revolutionise transport in this country and we want to be at the forefront of that paradigm shift." [10]

In 2016, research published by Dr Charles Karl, ARRB national technical leader of congestion, freight and productivity, found older Australians preferred sitting in traffic congestion to catching public transport. Conversely, Australians aged 18-24 overall would rather catch public transport than wait in traffic.[11]

ARRB, along with partners including VicRoads, Keolis Downer, La Trobe University, and RACV , launched an autonomous bus (autonobus) trial at La Trobe University's Bundoora campus in late 2017. The electric bus will begin taking passengers in 2018, as a proof of concept of a 'last-mile' solution to mobility.

Events

In 2017, the ARRB Gala Dinner and Awards night was held on 21 July, with guest speaker Amanda Caples, PhD.[12]

In 2018, ARRB is hosting the 28@th ARRB International Conference over 30 April to 2 May 2018, followed by the 8@th Symposium on Pavement Characteristics (SURF) over 2 May to 4 May 2018, in Brisbane, Australia, with Olympic racing cyclist Anna Meares guest speaking.[13]

Immediately prior to these events, ARRB is hosting the inaugural ARRB Transport Hack, a hackathon event themed around the future technologies of transport, in Fortitude Valley, Queensland[14]

References

  1. 1 2 "ARRB Group Limited - ITS Australia". ITS Australia. Archived from the original on 13 February 2018. Retrieved 11 February 2018.
  2. ↑ directory.user (21 June 2017). "Australian Road Research Board Group Limited". www.directory.gov.au. Archived from the original on 12 February 2018. Retrieved 11 February 2018.
  3. ↑ Naughtin, Paddy (23 March 2017). "Australian Road Research Board to sell off its Vermont South headquarters". Whitehorse Leader. Archived from the original on 24 March 2017. Retrieved 12 February 2018.
  4. ↑ Pierson, Natasha (9 March 2017). "Australian Road Research Board checks out of Melbourne's east & unlocks infill development opportunity". CBRE Media Centre. Archived from the original on 2 April 2017. Retrieved 12 February 2018.
  5. ↑ Lindsay, Nicole (24 May 2017). "Townhouses likely on ARRB site sold to property developers for more than $25m". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 22 February 2018. Retrieved 21 February 2018.
  6. ↑ "Bereni to lead ARRB in Queensland". FullyLoaded.com.au. Archived from the original on 22 February 2018. Retrieved 21 February 2018.
  7. ↑ "ARRB welcomes new State Technical Leader VIC/TAS | Logistics, Trucking & Transport News | Prime Mover Magazine". www.primemovermag.com.au. Archived from the original on 22 February 2018. Retrieved 21 February 2018.
  8. ↑ "Caltabiano named ARRB Group CEO". FullyLoaded.com.au. Archived from the original on 12 December 2017. Retrieved 11 February 2018.
  9. ↑ Gardner, Elaena. "National Partnerships - Austroads". Archived from the original on 19 March 2018. Retrieved 11 February 2018.
  10. ↑ "First driverless car trials in Southern Hemisphere to be held in Adelaide". ABC News. 21 July 2015. Archived from the original on 26 August 2017. Retrieved 22 February 2018.
  11. ↑ Carey, Adam (13 April 2016). "Australian commuters would rather sit in traffic than on a train, survey finds". The Age. Archived from the original on 22 February 2018. Retrieved 22 February 2018.
  12. ↑ "Australian Road Research Board Gala Dinner & Awards Night 2017 | ADVI | Australian Driverless Vehicle Initiative". ADVI | Australian Driverless Vehicle Initiative. Retrieved 11 February 2018.
  13. ↑ "NACOE | NATIONAL ASSET CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE | 28th Australian Roads Research Board International Conference". nacoe.com.au. Archived from the original on 13 February 2018. Retrieved 11 February 2018.
  14. ↑ "ARRB Hack-a-thon". Eventbrite. Retrieved 11 February 2018.

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