The National Transport Research Organisation (NTRO), formerly the Australian Road Research Board, is an Australian not-for-profit company that provides independent, applied research and consulting services for Australian and New Zealand state road agencies and communities.
NTRO provides consultancy services in areas such as
road safety
Road traffic safety refers to the methods and measures, such as traffic calming, to prevent road users from being killed or seriously injured. Typical road users include pedestrians, cyclists, Driving, motorists, passengers of vehicles, and p ...
,
pavement engineering
Pavement engineering is a branch of civil engineering that uses engineering techniques to design and maintain flexible (asphalt) and rigid (concrete) pavements. This includes streets and highways and involves knowledge of soils, hydraulics, and mat ...
,
climate change adaptation
Climate change adaptation is the process of adjusting to the effects of climate change, both current and anticipated.IPCC, 2022Annex II: Glossary road network management, and future transport technology.
NTRO also carries out road condition surveys for Australian and New Zealand road owners such as State Roads' Agencies and local councils at traffic speed using specially equipped vehicles.
History
The NTRO was founded in 1960 as the Australian Road Research Board (ARRB), with the purpose of serving the research needs of its members (largely state road agencies), on a cost recovery basis. It is currently a not-for-profit company that carries out paid consultancies. Since the appointment of Chief Executive Officer
Michael Caltabiano
Michael Andrew Caltabiano (born 8 April 1964) is an Australian former politician who was a Liberal Party member of the Brisbane City Council from 1996 to 2005, and a Liberal member of the Legislative Assembly of Queensland from 2005 to 2006. ...
, there has been a substantial increase in research activities.
ARRB put its Vermont South headquarters on the market in 2017, its home since the early 1970s. The sale of this land was expected to generate significant revenue, with estimates ranging from $18 million to $25 million. The new head office is located in the former
Holden
Holden, formerly known as General Motors-Holden, was an Australian subsidiary company of General Motors. Founded in Adelaide, it was an automobile manufacturer, importer, and exporter that sold cars under its own marque in Australia. It was ...
site at
Fishermans Bend
Fishermans Bend (formerly Fishermen's Bend) is a precinct within the City of Port Phillip and the City of Melbourne. It is located on the south of the Yarra River in the suburb of Port Melbourne and opposite Coode Island, close to the Melbourne ...
in
Melbourne
Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...
.
In 2017, ARRB sold off its equipment manufacturing and international operations divisions. This new business i ARRB Systems Pty Ltd
In 2022, the Australian Road Research Board (ARRB) became the National Transport Research Organisation (NTRO), broadening its scope to cover all modes of transport in both Australia and New Zealand.
Governance
The NTRO is governed by a Board of Directors, all with backgrounds or positions in major transport organisations. The Board Chairman position is held by Peter Woronzow, and the position of Chief Executive Officer by
Michael Caltabiano
Michael Andrew Caltabiano (born 8 April 1964) is an Australian former politician who was a Liberal Party member of the Brisbane City Council from 1996 to 2005, and a Liberal member of the Legislative Assembly of Queensland from 2005 to 2006. ...
. Caltabiano said he would lead the group towards a focus on innovation, industry collaboration and the next-generation of road and transport solutions.
NTRO is in-part supported by its member organisations, who provide leadership and competitive funding. Member organisations include federal, state and local government bodies responsible for managing the nation’s transport and road networks.
Activities
In July 2015, the first trials of automated cars in the Southern Hemisphere were launched in
Adelaide
Adelaide ( , ; ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and most populous city of South Australia, as well as the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. The name "Adelaide" may refer to ei ...
by a consortium, consisting of NTRO,
Flinders University
Flinders University, established as The Flinders University of South Australia is a public university, public research university based in Adelaide, South Australia, with a footprint extending across a number of locations in South Australia and ...
,
Carnegie Mellon University
Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. The institution was established in 1900 by Andrew Carnegie as the Carnegie Technical Schools. In 1912, it became the Carnegie Institu ...
, the
Royal Automobile Association
The Royal Automobile Association of South Australia (RAA) is an Australian motor club. It offers various services, including vehicle inspection, insurance and roadside assistance to members.
The RAA operates its services on a break-even bas ...
Jay Weatherill
Jay Wilson Weatherill (born 3 April 1964) is an Australian former politician who was the 45th premier of South Australia, serving from 21 October 2011 until 19 March 2018. Weatherill represented the South Australian House of Assembly, House of ...
announced the trials, stating "Driverless cars have the ability to revolutionise transport in this country, and we want to be at the forefront of that paradigm shift."
NTRO, along with partners including
VicRoads
VicRoads is a government joint venture in the state of Victoria, Australia. In the state, it is responsible for driver licensing and vehicle registration. It is owned and operated through a joint venture between the Victorian government an ...
,
Keolis Downer
Keolis Downer is a public transport operator that operates bus, train, tram and ferry services in Australia. It is a joint venture between Keolis, the largest private sector French transport group, and Downer Rail, an Australian railway enginee ...
,
La Trobe University
La Trobe University is a public university, public research university based in Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia. Its main campus is located in the suburb of Bundoora, Victoria, Bundoora. The university was established in 1 ...
and the RACV, launched an autonomous bus (autonobus) trial at La Trobe University's
Bundoora
Bundoora is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, north-east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the Cities of Banyule, Darebin and Whittlesea local government areas. Bundoora recorded a population of 28,068 at the ...
campus in late 2017. The
electric bus
An electric bus is a bus that is propelled using electric motors, as opposed to a conventional internal combustion engine. Electric buses can store the needed electrical energy on board, or be fed mains electricity continuously from an external ...
will begin taking passengers in 2018, as a proof of concept of a 'last-mile' solution to mobility.