[280511.EN.BIZ] OECD International Transport Forum 2011 Summit: Volcanic Ash Focus

TRANSPORT Ministers from the 52 member countries of the OECD's International Transport Forum (ITF) are meeting in Leipzig for a three-day summit on the future of global mobility.

The strategic think tank of the OECD (Organisation of Economic Cooperation and Development) will provide panel discussions on the theme of "Transport for Society" with a particular focus on another ash cloud that has again threatened air traffic over northern Europe in little more than a year since the 2010 volcanic eruption in Iceland.

ITF secretary general Jack Short said that transport systems are easily disrupted by natural and man-made disasters so development of these complex yet potentially fragile infrastructures are essential for the end users.

"They need to be further developed to evolve with growing demand. And transport systems need to become more interconnected to give users more and better choices," he said. "This is what the debate in Leipzig is all about: How to put the user - us - at the centre."

Source :HKSG, 26.05.11.