110th REAAA Governing Council Meeting in Taipei

The 110th Road Engineering Association of Asia and Australia (REAAA) Governing Council Meeting was held at the Taipei International Convention Center (TICC) in Taipei, Taiwan from 9th–12th April, 2019. Over 150 delegates from over 10 countries attended this four-day event, which included the 7th Business Forum, the 15th Young Engineers & Professionals Meeting (YEP), the 110th Governing Council Meeting, a meeting of the Pavement Technology Committee (PTC), and a technical visit.

The 7th Business Forum was attended by about 160 delegates. The theme for the Forum was ‘Smart,sustainable and resilient roads with future engineer leadership’. The aim was to present and share practical technical applications, road and highway developments over the last 50 years, and to encourage emerging leaders from each country to share their experiences. The forum included four sessions: ‘Development of highway system in 50 years and beyond’, ‘Sustainable development for road and safety’, ‘The practice and application of smart roads’, and ‘The disaster risk management of resilient roads’.

The Business Forum was followed by the 15th YEP meeting, which was held at the Woolloomooloo restaurant in a casual cocktail dinner setting. About 80 delegates attended the dinner. Discussion centred on various engineering topics, including social and ethical issues in engineering, public transportation developments. The YEP representatives gave outstanding presentations; they agreed that there was a need to grow the existing professional network among member countries. The PTC meeting and the 110th REAAA Governing Council Meeting took place on the third day. Forty members attended the PTC meeting and 70 members attended the Council Meeting. The PTC will be conducting a survey to explore the methods of pavement structural design used in each country, including how the issues of resilience and sustainability are being addressed. Future meeting schedules were set dring the Council meeting. It was agreed that the 111th Council meeting would be held in Abu Dhabi in October, 2019, the 112^th meeting in Indonesia in the first half of 2020, and the 113th meeting in New Zealand in the second half of 2020. A total of 33 members participated in technical visits at two locations on the fourth day. The first visit was to the Directorate General of Highways, MOTC, where members visited the Highway Disaster Prevention Center and the Taiwan Highway Museum.

The second visit was to the Transit-Oriented Development: Taipei Bus Station. Productive discussions were held during the visits. During the visit to the Directorate General of Highways, MOTC, members learned about Taiwan’s road disaster prevention strategy and the history of Taiwan’s road evolution. The following passage is a brief introduction to the Highway Disaster Prevention Center and the Taiwan Highway Museum: The exhibits at the Taiwan Highway Museum tell the story of Taiwan’s road construction history chronologically. The Museum provides information and exhibits on different aspects of the 70-year history of the Directorate General of Highways (DGH), including new construction, maintenance, supervision, public transportation, and driver education. The exhibition commences with the launch of the DGH in 1946, and then every themed area covering 20 years of DGH history. The Museum preserves the highway culture for future generations and promotes exchange and innovation. During the second visit to the Transit-Oriented Development, members were informed that the Taipei Bus Station is one of the most successful BOT projects in Taiwan, including the positive effect that it has had on transport in the old western district of Taipei.