ARSC 2023 Speakers

Dave Cliff

CEO, Global Road Safety Partnership

Dave Cliff began in his role as the CEO of the Global Road Safety Partnership (GRSP) in April 2017.

The GRSP operates road safety related projects, professional road safety leadership education (in partnership with Johns Hopkins University), advocacy and grants programmes and a large road policing capacity building programme.  GRSP operates in over forty countries globally and is based in Geneva, Switzerland with satellite offices in Malaysia and Hungary.

Dave was previously the Assistant Commissioner: Road Policing for New Zealand and had a range of criminal investigation, general duties and road policing roles.

Dave was appointment an Officer of the NZ Order of Merit (ONZM) in the 2012 Royal Honours for leading the police response to the Christchurch earthquakes and other policing initiatives as the Canterbury District Commander and received a second Royal Honour in 2013 as a Member of the Order of St John (MStJ).

Abstract

Professor Jan Theeuwes

Professor of Cognitive Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

Jan Theeuwes (PhD 1992, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam) worked at the TNO Human Factors Institute in the traffic behavior group conducting human factors research for various national and international government agencies, and automotive companies. In 1999 he became a full professor at the VU Amsterdam, where he built a new research group. He developed a new approach to road design known as “Self-Explaining Roads”, indicating that roads should be designed in such a way that road users immediately know how to behave and what to expect on these roads (Theeuwes & Godthelp, 1995). This notion became the leading principle in road design worldwide. He was one of the authors of a book called “Designing Safe Road Systems” (Theeuwes et al., 2012), which is used as a handbook at many DOTs worldwide. Jan Theeuwes has been a principal advisor to the Dutch Department of Transportation (DOT/RWS) on road design issues. In 2010 he was elected member of the Royal Dutch Academy of Science (KNAW). He received two European Research Council (ERC) advanced grants of 2.5 million euro each (2012-2019). His basic and applied research has had a large impact on the research community (H-index 91; > 38000 citations).

Abstract

Chris Koniditsiotis

Advisor and Consultant

Chris is an advisor and consultant with 37+ years of experience in the broad industry sector of infrastructure, transport and digital transformation.   Chris’ expertise lies in implementing public policy and private sector initiatives into sustainable operational practices.

Chris has a solid technical foundation and a spirit of stakeholder engagement in an increasingly complex public/private sector environment that necessitates integrated and seamless solutions to implementation.  Since mid-2021, Chris has been responsible for implementing a series of Austroads national safety initiatives.  Before entering the consultancy world, Chris held several corporate positions, including Chief Executive Officer of Transport Certification Australia and Project Director for a large-scale World Bank project.

Chris holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees, has undertaken senior leadership and management programs, is a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, has held several board directorships, and is the current President of the International Society for Weigh-in-Motion.

Abstract

Liz Waller

Head of Road Safety with Transurban

Liz Waller is Head of Road Safety with Transurban, one of the world’s largest toll-road operators with roads in Australia, the USA and Canada.  Liz leads a specialist team that works across the group to embed the safe system approach in designing and building new roads, operating and maintaining assets, and developing and communicating driver behaviour change programs. Liz works closely with research institutes on improving safety for vehicle occupants, including children, and new vehicle and road safety technologies. Before joining Transurban, Liz spent almost 10 years with the Transport Accident Commission (TAC) as Manager, Road Safety Strategy and Programs. Previously she spent four years with VicRoads road safety division. Before her road safety career, Liz worked in general management roles in technology starts-ups and management consulting. Liz is an Executive Council Committee Member for the Australasian College of Road Safety and a member of the US Transportation Research Board’s (TRB) Committee on Vehicle User Education, Training, and Licensing.

Abstract

Austroads Plenary Session

Austroads: Picking up the Pace

This plenary session will showcase eleven recent examples of successful road safety activities implemented by road and transport authorities across Australia and New Zealand. The session will involve presenters from across the Austroads membership and will be moderated by Austroads’ Program Manager Road Safety & Design, Michael Nieuwesteeg.

Moderator:

Michael Nieuwesteeg, Program Manager Road Safety & Design, Austroads

Speakers:

Nicole Middleton, Unit Manager, Road Safety Policy, Department for Infrastructure and Transport, South Australia

Anna Bray-Sharpin, Principal Advisor – Speed, Infrastructure and Urban Mobility, Waka Kotahi (New Zealand Transport Administration)

Melony Czajor, A/g Assistant Secretary – Targeted Infrastructure Programs, Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts, Australia

David Moyses, Manager Road Safety, Main Roads Western Australia

Terri-Anne Pettet, Manager Road Safety, Western Australian Local Government Association

Belinda Owen, Director, Road Safety and Active Travel, Transport Canberra and City Services, Australian Capital Territory

Kate McDougall, Traffic Coordinator, Eurobodalla Shire Council, New South Wales

Yasmin Maskiell, Manager Policy and Projects, Department of State Growth, Tasmania

Chris Jones, Manager Safer Roads and Speed, Department of Transport and Planning, Victoria

Bernard Carlon, Chief, Centres for Road Safety & Maritime Safety, Transport for New South Wales

Pantelitsa Rigas, A/Manager – Road Safety, Department of Infrastructure, Planning and Logistics, Northern Territory

Nicole Downing, A/Executive Director, Policy, Safety and Regulation, Department of Transport and Main Roads, Queensland

Supporting Safe Road Use & Driver Licensure Among First Nations Peoples

Due to continuing complex impacts of colonisation, First Nations peoples are six times more likely to be involved in a road crash, almost three times more likely to be in a fatal crash, and 1.4 times more likely to suffer serious injury. Contributing factors include higher rates of rural-remote residence, older vehicles, passenger overcrowding, lack of seatbelt use, alcohol use, and unlicensed driving. Unlicensed driving means exposure to road safety education and driving experience gained in low-risk environments provided by the graduated licensing system is foregone, setting up early vulnerability to road trauma and a future of potential high risk behaviours. Culturally appropriate education programs and other initiatives to support road safety in communities are important in reducing this over-representation of First Nations people in road trauma.

Presenters in this session represent management of Queensland initiatives that address road safety for First Nations Peoples, especially young people. Presenters and their guest end-users will share their insights and lived experiences working together to enhance safe mobility for all. The presentations will be followed by a performance of Back on Track, a road safety play by the JUTE Theatre Company.

Chair:

Dr Gina Masterton, Queensland University of Technology Indigenous Australian Postdoctoral Research Fellow

Presenters:

Caitlin Rofe, Indigenous Driver Licensing Unit, Queensland Transport and Main Roads

Matthew Slatcher, Department of Transport and Main Roads

Steven Page, FOGS / ARTIE Academy (Former Origin Greats / Achieving Results Through Indigenous Education)

Monica Stevens, JUTE Theatre Company

Rob McInerney

Chief Executive Officer, International Road Assessment Programme (iRAP)

Rob McInerney is the Chief Executive Officer for the international Road Assessment Programme (iRAP), a registered charity with the vision for a world free of high-risk roads.  With RAP projects and programmes now active in over 120 countries worldwide, Rob works closely with key development bank, political and technical leaders from each country to build local capacity and deliver large scale and long-term road safety benefits through the provision of safer road infrastructure as part of their own RAP programmes. Over US$100 billion of investment has now been made safer through these iRAP partnerships globally.

Rob was awarded the “Alex Award” for Road Safety in 2022, ITE Transport Profession Award in 2022, IRF Global Road Safety Award in 2017, Fellowship of the Australasian College of Road Safety in 2015 and received the Prince Michael International Road Safety Award in 2014 and again in 2020 in recognition of the work of iRAP globally. In addition to his current charity work he has career experience in local government, state government, consultancy and innovative research.

Adam Gardiner

Director, Safetek Solutions

Abstract

Christopher Davis

Principal, Vision Zero Australia

Chris is the Principal of Vision Zero Australia and, for nearly 30 years, has been an active road safety practitioner. He has previously worked at the Transport Accident Commission as the Safe System Lead, where he developed an action plan to guide the TAC on their Towards Zero strategies for local government. At Mildura Rural City Council, where he worked for 20 years, Chris successfully led the development and implementation of Mildura’s speed strategy, including a shift of all residential streets from 50 to 40km/h, and the CBD to an Area 30 km/h speed limit. It was also at Mildura Council that Chris developed an innovative, low-cost roundabout that features consistent, safe system entry speeds of below 20km/h. In 2020, the roundabout was awarded the 3M ACRS Diamond Road Safety Award. Chris’ experience and recent engagement activities afford him a unique insight into local government and Australia’s Vision Zero endeavours.

Abstract

Bernard Carlon

Bernard Carlon is currently the Chief, Centre’s for Road Safety and Maritime Safety. Bernard joined Transport for NSW in 2012 as the Director, Strategy and Policy and has led the Centre for Road Safety since 2015 and Maritime Safety since 2016. He is also member of the Austroads Safety Taskforce, the National Level Crossing Committee. Bernard has previously worked in Health, Police and Environment sectors at the executive level in policy, communications, program delivery and regulation.

JUTE Theatre Company Play – Back on Track by Isaac Drandic

JUTE Theatre Company initiated the ‘Dare to Dream’ program with the intention of featuring new theatre works by, about and for First Nations peoples. The Back on Track play and residency program is road safety themed, spreading strategic road safety messages in regional and remote, predominantly First Nations, communities. JUTE commissioned a First Nations playwright, Isaac Drandic, to write the play. For each tour, JUTE’s First Nations Creative producer assembles a team of First Nations creatives to rehearse and produce the play and theatre-based residency program.  During the tour, the team stays in each community for a week. After the initial school performance of the play, they work with a group of students for four days to instill confidence and other new skills and create their own road safety themed stories. The students then get to perform their own version of Dare to Dream: Back on Track at the end of the week back to their peers and community. Where possible, the Dare to Dream cast also performs a second show in community for the general public.

Synopsis of play

Eric is a 10-year-old boy who dreams of becoming a dare – devil motor-cross champion just like his hero, Chad Reed. Eric lives with his grandmother (nan), who has laid down the law about motorbikes and road safety. Nan insists Eric wear a crash helmet and he is not allowed to practice with other kids. Eric wonders how is ever going to be a champion with such tough rules. Nan has good reason to be cautious; both Eric’s parents died a few years back in a car crash when someone threw a rock at their moving car. Eric alone survived the crash because he was wearing a seat belt. One night Eric’s cousin Dennis tempts him to sneak out and ride the practice tracks…without his helmet. How off-track can he go? Between playing it safe and taking risks, Eric has to find a way of making his dream come true; which means getting back on track and listening to his own instinct – and his nan.