Countries visited were France, England, Denmark and Germany. This forum heard from a number of speakers of the knowledge gained by tour participants and allowed Conference delegates to seek an understanding, from an Australian perspective, of European issues relevant to Australia. To understand the issues requires a knowledge of how road friction is generated and what part the surfacing plays. A background presentation covered the basics of skid resistance, the relationship between accidents and surface properties, and how specifications have been developed.
Litigation can involve multi-million dollar claims for single accidents.
Areas of concern for contractors were highlighted. New surface types can address the problems but may raise issues such as increased cost, and ownership of proprietary materials. Conference delegates participated in open discussion on relevant issues.