Turkey is preparing to host the World Congress of the International Road Federation (IRF) in October, which will determine the course of international road policies. The IRF World Congress will take place in Istanbul on October 15-18.

The “IRF World Congress,” held every four years by the International Road Federation based in Geneva, Switzerland, will be hosted in Turkey this time from October 15-18. The congress, organized in Istanbul under the sponsorship of the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure, will bring together the road industry, which has been a facilitator of growth and development for approximately 70 years, to discuss “mobility.” The theme of the congress, “Connecting for Mobility: Roads as Providers of a Sustainable Future for All,” will bring global leaders, industry experts, academics, and public-private stakeholders together for an exchange of ideas on these topics. The congress will also serve as a platform to explore innovations, engage in in-depth discussions, and introduce innovative ideas, research findings, and new techniques to the agenda of the congress. With these aspects, the congress is expected to outline the future direction of road policies.

SUMMIT OF THE TRANSPORT SECTOR TO CONVERGE
Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloğlu told AA correspondent that Turkey has hosted large scale events before and will host this congress under the Ministry’s auspices. Uraloğlu stated that the congress will bring together leading representatives of the road industry and aims to promote the improvement of roads and road networks, emphasizing safer, more environmentally friendly, and sustainable road transport and mobility. He expressed that Turkey has made significant investments in roadways and expanded the transportation network, increasing their new technological investments, especially in smart transportation revolution on roads.

Emphasizing that by 2035, one out of every two vehicles sold will be electric in the field of smart transportation, Uraloğlu said, “We are planning our investments accordingly in line with this development. We are modernizing our roads with smart signaling, variable messages and traffic signs, cameras, road sensors, meteorological information systems, and incident detection systems. With the major highway projects we have implemented, we bring our people together, making the distances closer.” Uraloğlu stated that they are rapidly continuing their efforts to develop an accessible transportation system that provides secure, accessible, economic, comfortable, fast, environmentally friendly, uninterrupted, balanced, and modern services, contributing to the country’s competitiveness and raising the quality of life of the nation.

“WE HAVE IMPLEMENTED MANY MAJOR PROJECTS IN THE ROAD TRANSPORTATION SECTOR
Uraloğlu emphasized that they have made investments that will increase the safety of the existing road network, reduce vehicle operating costs, and provide services to every corner of the country in every season. He stated that they have made many significant projects in the road transportation sector, emphasizing the mark made by the divided road movement with the investments made in Turkey’s Century in the field. Uraloğlu said, “We have implemented many large projects in road transportation. Recently, we have realized highway projects like Gaziantep-Şanlıurfa, Niğde-Pozantı, North Marmara, Istanbul-İzmir, and Ankara-Niğde. We will implement our projects for Antalya-Alanya Highway and Ankara-Kırıkkale-Delice Highway as soon as possible, and make them available to the public.” Uraloğlu stated that the congress will bring leading transportation organizations together to embrace innovation and collaboration to guide transformative change. Pointing out that Istanbul, which will host the IRF World Congress, is a branded city with its location and large transportation projects it has implemented, Uraloğlu stressed that, “We expect landmark decisions to be made in the field of transportation with a congress worthy of our city. We have prepared well and believe that it will be a beautiful congress process. The congress will support environmentally friendly, resilient, and sustainable transportation efforts worldwide, as well as encourage innovative solutions and actionable initiatives by bringing together different perspectives.”