The Road Tunnel Operator Association
THE BRITISH TUNNELLING SOCIETY
"to promote the art and science of tunnelling through creativity"
"Exchange knowledge and techniques on roads and transportation"
A welcome from our Chairman Peter Bishop
The tragic events of 24th March 1999 are etched in the minds of every Tunnel Engineer throughout Europe. On that terrible day 39 people, including Fire-fighters, perished in the Mont Blanc Tunnel between France and Italy and in the process issued a stark wake up call to the entire Tunnel Operators community. Safety systems and procedures were reviewed and upgraded; new European and UK legislation enshrined the standards expected.
With an already enviable safety record UK Tunnel Operators resolved to ensure they were right at the forefront of any development work and so formed the Road Tunnel Operators Association to not only represent the interests of all the various Operators but to act as a focal point for research and technical expertise, setting performance standards and most importantly, training control staff and personnel throughout the industry with a nationally accredited qualification.
Thus, I am very proud and honoured to be the third Chair of this learned and burgeoning organisation whose raison d’etre is to ensure users of Tunnels in the United Kingdom and Eire can have complete confidence in those who manage these wonders of modern engineering whether they are a few hundred metres long or several kilometres.
In recent years the Association has forged valuable links with our French, Dutch, Austrian and even Australian counterparts not to mention the British Tunnelling Society and the Institute of Civil Engineers. The exchange of ideas and information has proved invaluable as we seek to be as good as we possibly can. I trust you will find our web site just as enlightening.
Peter A. Bishop
R.T.O.A. Chairman