Mrs Meredith Liddle; Prof Kasem Choocharukul collecting the trophy on behalf of BMA; and Miquel Nadal, iRAP Board Chairman

The International Road Assessment Programme (iRAP) has proudly announced Thailand’s Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) as a Finalist for the iRAP Gary Liddle Memorial Trophy in Prague today, presented to the world’s best performing road authority eliminating high-risk roads.

The new and perpetual iRAP trophy honours the lifelong public-sector and transport contribution of the charity’s former Board Chairman Gary Liddle AO who passed away earlier this year.

BMA has been using the globally recognised iRAP Methodology to create safer roads in Bangkok, working in close collaboration with iRAP, the national ThaiRAP Programme and local and international partners.

In announcing the finalists, iRAP CEO Rob McInerney said, “The calibre of nominations this year was very high and the judges have recognised BMA’s globally significant and proactive work as a city administration to improve road safety and Bangkok’s liveability. By the end of this year, a 500 km Star Rating assessment will be complete – the first time a local administration in Thailand has attempted such a large-scale road safety assessment – and 360 high-risk sites will have been upgraded.”

Bangkok governor Chadchart Sittipunt said, “We are very proud to receive this international recognition today. Ensuring road safety is a top priority for the BMA. The iRAP methodology is helping us to build capacity and data to understand risk on our road network for all road users and develop targeted engineering interventions and speed management to save lives. It’s also helping us monitor road safety performance over time, to evaluate the success of our efforts and inform future investment.”

iRAP’s Star Rating Methodology provides a simple and objective measure of the level of safety that is ‘built-in’ to the road for vehicle occupants, motorcyclists, bicyclists, and pedestrians.

BMA first utilised the model in 2016 under the Bloomberg Philanthropies Initiative for Global Road Safety (BIGRS) to understand and address road safety risk on the city’s roads.

Since then, BMA has collaborated with staff across its 50 districts to build capacity, conduct Star Rating assessments and develop Safer Road Investment Plans (SRIPS) to inform the implementation of safety countermeasures such sidewalks and bicycle lanes, barriers, improved intersection designs and speed management.

Speed limits have been reduced on nine strategic routes, a new standard has been developed for sidewalks which has seen line markings and traffic signals improved on 636 pedestrian crossings, and a new Road Safety Administration Centre is supporting coordination.

Star Rating for Schools (SR4S) is helping to create safer school journeys in the city.

Bangkok’s Road Safety Master Plan 2021-2025 includes iRAP key performance indicators.to support its vision to be “the city of safety with zero accidents”.

ThaiRAP Lead Professor Kasem Choocharukul said, “This recognition will significantly impact other road agencies in Thailand, particularly local municipalities and administrations who can learn from BMA’s leadership and improve road safety nationwide.”

The iRAP Gary Liddle Memorial Trophy winner was presented on Thursday 5 October during the iRAP Innovation Workshop, an official side event of the XXVIIth World Road Congress being held from 2-6 October at Prague Congress Centre, Czech Republic.

For more information:

• On the BMA’s road safety programme, click here.
• On all Trophy winners, click here.

– Ends –

Media enquiries

Download the press release

For iRAP:
Judy Williams, Global Programme and Communications Manager
Mob:     +61 400 782 204
Email:   judy.williams@irap.org

For BMA and ThaiRAP:
Prof Kasem Choocharukul, Chulalongkorn University
Mob:     +66(0) 89112 2780
Email:   kasem.choo@chula.ac.th

About Gary Liddle and the Memorial Trophy

Gary Liddle was a deeply respected transport industry leader, volunteer Trustee of the iRAP charity for nine years and Chair of the iRAP Board from 2017-2022. Prior to his passing with MND in 2023, his leadership and wisdom helped grow the charity’s impact to the point where more than 400,000 deaths and injuries had been saved by partners worldwide. Gary served the transport industry for more than 40 years. In that time, as well as supporting iRAP, he occupied senior leadership positions in the Australian road sector, including as Chief Executive of VicRoads, Deputy Secretary of the Department of Transport, Planning and Local Infrastructure (Vic), Chair of ARRB, Chair of Austroads and Chair of iMOVE, Board Member of Roads Australia and governing roles in both PIARC and REAAA. In 2017, Gary was made an Officer in the Order of Australia (AO) for “distinguished service to public administration in the Victorian transport sector through leadership in policy direction, infrastructure development, road safety and regulatory reform.” He was a strong and steadfast leader, generous and supportive mentor and committed advocate for road safety. Given his lifelong contribution to the public-sector and transport, iRAP is honouring Gary’s legacy with the Gary Liddle Memorial Trophy that will be awarded annually.  Nominations are open to any national, state or local road authority in the world that has utilised the iRAP methodology and/or tools to make their roads safer and communities more liveable. Infrastructure safety programmes/activities and associated evaluations must have been completed within the last 5 years. The award recognises life-saving impact, leadership in governance and public service, relevance, innovation, sustainability, collaboration and transferability to other jurisdictions.
https://irap.org/irap-gary-liddle-memorial-trophy/

About the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA)

The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration is the local government of Bangkok, which includes the capital of the Kingdom of Thailand. The Administration’s roles are to formulate and implement policies to manage Bangkok including transport services, urban planning, waste management, housing, roads and highways, security services, and the environment. BMA works with in partnership with local and international agencies to improve road safety including ThaiRAP, ThaiRoads Foundation, Road Accident Victims Protection Co Ltd, the Department of Highways, the Department of Rural Roads, the Department of Disease Control, AIP Foundation, World Health Organisation, 3M, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), World Bank Global Road Safety Facility (GRSF) and iRAP.
https://official.bangkok.go.th/page/19?lang=en

About the International Road Assessment Programme (iRAP)

iRAP is a registered charity with a vision for a world free of high-risk roads, influencing road infrastructure safety in more than 170 countries. iRAP and its partners work with the United Nations, World Health Organisation, governments, development banks, mobility clubs, industry, research organisations and road safety NGOs to provide evidence-based tools, training and support to help them make their roads safe. iRAP’s road safety Star Rating Methodology is free to use and provides a simple and objective measure of the level of safety which is ‘built-in’ to the road for vehicle occupants, motorcyclists, bicyclists and pedestrians. A 1-star road is the least safe and a 5-star road is the safest. iRAP works with partners to: inspect high-risk roads and develop Star Ratings, Risk Maps and Safer Roads Investment Plans; provide training, tools, and support that will build and sustain national, regional, and local capability; and track road safety performance so that funding agencies can assess the life-saving and economic benefits of their investments. iRAP and its partners have Star Rated nearly 1.5 million kilometres of roads and designs, and 1,229 schools, influencing the safety of USD$100 billion of infrastructure investment. Nearly 1.8 million km have been risk mapped and over 63,350 people have been trained globally. iRAP Safety Insights Explorer (https://irap.org/safety-insights-explorer/) sheds a light on the human and economic impact of road crashes, how safe our roads are, and the Business Case for Safer Roads in countries and the world.
www.irap.org