The Internet of Everything, solar roads in the Netherlands and Europe's cycling infrastructure are just some of the innovative concepts gleaned from the 2016 IPWEA International Study Tour. 

Andrew Ryan, Director for Infrastructure Services at the Sunshine Coast Council; City of Mandurah Coordinator Asset Management, Douglas Bartlett; and Gleb Kolenbet, Redland City Council’s Development Engineer, attended the event with IPWEA International Director, and tour leader, Chris Champion. 

The tour took participants to Santa Monica, Minneapolis, New York, Spain and the Netherlands, and saw them attend the US Public Works Conference. 

IPWEA International Director, and tour leader, Chris Champion describes it as the most informative tour yet, noting major innovations in the Netherlands, where the utilisation of public traffic is being reimagined to actually help generate power for transport, by using solar panels in the roadways.

Ryan says the integration of the Internet of Everything is set to a play a greater role in public works, and its greater implementation in engineering projects in the future was one of the major takeaways from the tour and the US Public Works Conference. 

Bartlett says he will take the learnings from the Netherlands cycleways project back to Mandurah, and promoting Bike Boulevards as a project in the city, as well as supporting a range of cycling infrastructure including bike sharing systems.

Summarising the tour, Kolenbet says: “The innovation and best practice theme was evident throughout the whole tour in technical presentations, tours and keynote speakers. I think this is because engineers realise that current economic climate is as such that we must think outside the square and often use what we have within a closed loop system to achieve the best results.”

To learn more the 2016 International Study Tour, look out for the next issue of inspire magazine, available to members from November 21.