On February 7, 2024, the Karlsruhe Exchange of Experience in Road Operations 2024 took place at the Institute of Road and Railway Engineering. As moderator of the event, Dr.-Ing. Matthias Zimmermann welcomed numerous guests from the field of road operations.

Dr. Katja Bett and Ms. Fiedler, who focused on the future of learning in the road maintenance service, kicked off the event. Constant further development and changes in the technical and legal framework conditions as well as the age-related retirement of experienced people in the road maintenance service make targeted learning indispensable. Ms. Bett and Ms. Fiedler therefore presented recommendations for action from a didactic, technical and strategic perspective.
FS100 technology in winter road maintenance offers many advantages - yet it is still met with reluctance by many road and freeway maintenance depots. Dipl.-Ing. Drazan Bunoza therefore presented the results of the research project "Widespread introduction of FS100 technology on federal trunk roads". The advantages of FS100 technology, such as the reduction of salt ingress into roadside vegetation, are offset by a lack of technical equipment in the vehicles available in the maintenance depots or a lack of staff training.

After a coffee break, which was used to make and maintain individual contacts, the second block of lectures began, which was dedicated to road maintenance on cycle paths.

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Thorsten Cypra presented the WinRad research project, which describes the sustainable promotion of cycling in winter through optimized winter road maintenance. Cyclists are significantly more exposed to the weather than motor vehicle drivers, which leads to a significant change in the modal split, especially in winter. In order to make cycling an all-year-round means of transport for many, sensible winter service planning is also required, which, for example, prioritizes the early clearance of cycling infrastructure facilities.
The FGSV working paper on the operation of cycling facilities (AP BeRad) also covers other operational service issues on cycling facilities, such as structural maintenance or green maintenance, in addition to winter service. According to Prof. Dr.-ing. Christian Holldorb, standardization of the requirements is necessary simply because different cycle path connections must be safe and comfortable along a route, even if they are maintained by different authorities.
The series of lectures was concluded by Prof. Dr.-Ing. Rainer Heß, who emphasized the importance of cycle path maintenance for everyday bicycle use. One of the findings was that the maintenance service has a decisive influence on how users decide which mode of transport to use. Littering of cycle traffic facilities with garbage, broken glass and leaves as well as a lack of green maintenance and winter service are reasons for which users particularly often report a need for improvement.

A compact overview of the topics and the presentation slides can be found on the corresponding event page on our website:

Karlsruhe exchange of experience in road operation 2024