Registrations open for the 3rd International Road Surface Friction Conference 2011

The 3rd International Road Surface Friction Conference will be held on the Gold Coast, Australia on 15-18 May 2011.

The theme of the Conference is Safer Road Surfaces – Saving Lives, reflecting the undoubted contribution that effectively managing road surface friction can make to achieving positive road safety outcomes and making our road networks more forgiving.

Invited speakers include The Honourable Craig Wallace MP, Queensland Minister for Main Roads; Rob McInerney, Chief Executive Officer for the International Road Assessment Programme (iRAP); Superintendent Paula Rose, National Road Police Manager, NZ Police; and Matthew Lugg, Chairman of the UK Roads Board.

One of the highlights of the conference will be a technical demonstration day at the Queensland Government’s Mount Cotton test track on 17 May. Delegates will be able to witness many of the key concepts and underlying principles of road surface friction as they affect vehicle dynamics, across a range of vehicle types and ages, and under different road surface conditions.

This is the first time this event has been held in Australia and more than 250 delegates are expected to attend from Australia and overseas. Previous conferences were held in New Zealand (2005) and the United Kingdom (2008).

ARRB Group is hosting the conference, in association with the New Zealand Transport Agency and WDM Limited.

Mr Gerard Waldron, ARRB’s Managing Director, said, ‘We are proud to host this conference which will provide an opportunity for Australian practitioners to demonstrate their capabilities and knowledge and for international representatives to share their expertise.’

The main component of the conference will be held at the Hyatt Regency Sanctuary Cove, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. Early bird registrations close on 31 March 2011.

About ARRB Group
ARRB Group is Australia and New Zealand's only national road transport research organisation, whose members are Australian state and territory road authorities, the Australian Local Government Association, the Australian Government and the New Zealand Transport Authority.

Visit www.friction2011.com.au for updates on the Conference.

Important Queensland flood and cyclone update

Gold Coast Tourism (GCT) has advises our valued partners that the recent Queensland floods and cyclones have not directly affected the Gold Coast region.

Gold Coast businesses, attractions, roads, transport, and services are all running as usual and the Gold Coast is as ready as ever to welcome visitors.

We would like to encourage everyone to attend our conference and visit the area as tourism is a key Queensland industry and it is an important part of the state’s recovery.

If you would like to make a donation to the Flood Relief Appeal or the Cyclone Yasi Recovery please click on the links below:

http://www.qld.gov.au/floods/
http://www.redcross.org.au

Media Contact: Briarlea Green
Marketing Coordinator
ARRB Group Ltd
+61 3 9881 1555
www.arrb.com.au