Apr 9, 2013 | News
The 2012 iRAP Asia Pacific Star Performer award recognizes action by the Karnataka State Highway Improvement Program (KSHIP) and the World Bank to ensure that safety is built-in to designs for new roads and major upgrades, prior to construction.
The winners of the 2012 award were announced during the recent Global Road Safety Partnership (GRSP) Asia Seminar and International Road Assessment Programme (iRAP) Workshop in Manila, and a special ceremony will also be held during a Global Road Safety Facility engineering workshop in Bangalore in June.
Karnataka was the first jurisdiction in the region to commit to setting minimum Star Ratings for new road designs.
The commitment is consistent with the Commission for Global Road Safety recommendation that desired design speeds for new roads should be subject to achieving minimum safety ratings.
The steps taken to date include:
- The World Bank initially set a target of three-stars for road safety demonstration corridors included in a loan package. The Government then extended this target to include more than 500km of annuity roads.
- Road safety inspections were carried out and baseline Star Ratings calculated for the existing roads.
- Detailed supporting data, including road crash investigation data, were collected on selected roads to help establish a full understanding of the situation.
- Consulting engineers and road authority engineers used Star Ratings to test the safety impact and suitability of various safety options for the annuity, such as ‘raised pedestrian crossings’.
- Designs were developed based on optimised Star Ratings and which met local design standards and budget and environmental requirements.
- With assistance from ADB, local engineers undertook on-site reviews of countermeasures identified by iRAP for the safe demonstration corridors. This work will shape subsequent designs, but also serve as a guide for other countries implementing iRAP recommendations.
Overall, the annuity road process resulted in designs with significantly better Star Ratings than the existing roads and standard designs.
For example, the percentage of road rated one-star or two-stars for vehicle occupants would be reduced from 86% to 2%. For pedestrians, the percentage of high risk roads would drop from 100% to 12%. It was estimated that the new designs would result in 55% fewer deaths and serious injuries than currently occur.
The work in Karnataka is part of a larger program of iRAP assessments in India, designed to help reduce the estimated 231,000 road deaths that occur each year. During the past three years, almost 6,500km of roads in seven States have been assessed and more than 100 engineers have participated in training. Star Ratings are now being used to help improve the safety of designs on numerous road corridors.
iRAP in India is being delivered in partnership with Public Works Departments and local firms, and is supported by the Global Road Safety Facility and Bloomberg Philanthropies. iRAP’s activities are enabled by funding from the FIA Foundation and the Road Safety Fund.
The annual iRAP Asia Pacific Star Performer award is given to organizations that have embraced the iRAP vision for a world free of high-risk roads. Previous winners come from Malaysia, Vietnam, New Zealand and the Philippines.
Apr 4, 2013 | iRAP Asia Pacific Workshop, Presentations, Resources
The 5th annual iRAP Asia Pacific Workshop will be held on Thursday 4 April, 2013 in Manila.
As in previous years, the workshop will be held as part of the GRSP Asia Road Safety Seminar (2-3 April, 2013). The 2012 event brought together hundreds of people from more than 20 countries.
iRAP workshop participants will include road authority engineers, policy makers, automobile association staff, researchers and consultants. People will have the opportunity to:
- share their experiences in undertaking iRAP assessments
- learn about the latest iRAP model and software developments (http://vida.irap.org)
- find out about our the online training platform, RAPcapacity (http://capacity.irap.org)
- hear about innovative data collection and analysis techniques
- get the latest information on infrastructure safety techniques.
For more information, visit www.grspasia.org or email greg.smith@irap.org.
Mar 21, 2013 | News
With the support of the GRSF and Bloomberg Philanthropies, opportunities to help make roads in Brazil, China, Egypt and India safe are being found.
In Brazil, the ‘Orange Angel’ vehicle has arrived to join the ‘Brazilian Angel’ vehicle in surveying priority roads.
In China, assessment results for two cities in Yunnan are being finalized now and assessments of rural roads in Shaanxi are underway. Plans are also being shaped for assessments of roads in Dalian city.
In Egypt, the Minister of Transport has endorsed plans assessments of high-risk roads.
In India, baseline Star Ratings are now available for roads in Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Karnataka, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Assam and Haryana, and road designs are also being assessed with the goal to achieve at least 3-stars for all road users.
Mar 21, 2013 | News
The University of Birmingham is now offering a hands-on iRAP course for road safety engineers, managers, and other road sector professionals.
The first course, delivered in collaboration with iRAP, includes practical exercises, discussions and exposure to the iRAP software. The course will be delivered over five days (2-6 September 2013) in state-of-the-art teaching and learning facilities.
By the end of the course, the participants are expected to have acquired an understanding of the following:
- The fundamentals of the iRAP approach to risk assessment and mitigation.
- The concepts of risk mapping and performance tracking.
- The concept of star rating based on inspection data and road designs.
- The principles of developing a safer roads investment plan.
- The iRAP software.
To enrol in the course, visit: http://www.birmingham.ac.uk/students/courses/cpd/civil-engineering/irap.aspx#CourseOverviewTab.
Mar 19, 2013 | News
iRAP was recognised for its contributions to road safety at the annual FIA Region IV American Awards.
iRAP Regional Director, Julio Urzua, was recognised by FIA for his work on the creation and implementation of road safety initiatives for 2012, reaffirming motoring clubs commitments in strengthening the synergy between mobility and motorsport.
By the end of 2012, iRAP assessments had been undertaken in Argentina, Belize, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama and Paraguay.
Mar 19, 2013 | News
As part of efforts to curb tremendously high numbers of road deaths and serious injuries, the Asian Development Bank (ADB), Bangladesh Roads and Highways Department (RHD) and iRAP have assessed roads that form the backbone of nation’s transport system.
The assessments occurred as part of the ADB’s first ‘road safety pipeline project’, which will ensure that the most urgent and cost-effective road safety programs are adopted as an integral part of the road safety policy of the Government.
During the project, it was estimated that deaths and serious injuries on the 1,300km of roads assessed cost more than US$300 million each year.
The majority of roads assessed are rated in the highest risk bands: 1- or 2-stars. The reasons for this are clear and include the fact that 80% of the roads where pedestrians are likely to use the road have no formal footpaths.
However, Safer Roads Investment Plans prepared in the project make the solutions equally clear. Construction of some 75km of footpaths on N4, for instance, could prevent more than 3,000 deaths and serious injuries over 20 years and save US$40 million in crash costs.
The project technical report is available for download.
Mar 19, 2013 | News
The two-year SENSOR project brings together 14 countries and builds on outstanding cooperation between automobile clubs, universities and road authorities.
Most countries in South East Europe are constructing new roads or rehabilitating existing roads to achieve mobility benefits. SENSOR enables these countries to use iRAP techniques to target investment so that they can raise the overall level of safety performance of routes in a measurable way.
SENSOR is co-financed by the South East Europe (SEE) Transnational Cooperation Programme and the European Union.
Mar 8, 2013 | News
For any road authority that has completed an iRAP assessment, the IRF’s “Road Safety Across Six Continents Seminar” can help put life-saving plans into practice.
The IRF’s Safer Roads by Design training program is among the most comprehensive in the world, and helps road authorities understand what can be done to meet their commitment to reduce deaths during the Decade of Action for Road Safety.
The training program focuses on four main topics: Roadside Safety, Work Zone Safety, Vulnerable User Safety, and Road Safety Audits.
For more information on the next program, to be held on April 21-26, 2013 in Orlando, USA, visit: http://www.irfnews.org/home/ or email: Mike Dreznes (mdreznes@irfnews.org).
Feb 20, 2013 | News
Each day, more than six children die on their way to school in Mexico. iRAP is partnering with Safe Kids Mexico to help create safe environments for children to walk to and from school.
A pilot project is now being undertaken at a school in Mexico City, where a series of serious crashes in neighbouring streets have prompted calls for action.
Working with the University of North Carolina, iRAP is developing a tool that will eventually enable communities around the world to Star Rate roads around their schools and generate safety countermeasure plans.
The project is being supported by the Road Safety Fund.
Feb 15, 2013 | News
FIA President Jean Todt and FIAA President Nitin Dossa recently saw first-hand efforts being made to improve safety in one of the world’s most populous countries.
Through the Action for Road Safety Campaign and its member clubs, FIA is working to help to reduce the road deaths in India, estimated to exceed 200,000 each year.
Government officials in Mumbai had the opportunity to view the survey vehicle used in iRAP assessments across seven States, review detailed road death investigation results and consider safety assessments for high-priority roads such as the Mumbai-Goa Highway which was the scene of a horrific crash that recently claimed 37 lives.
Nov 30, 2012 | News
Leading news agencies in Mexico, including Reforma and terratv, have put a spotlight on the enormous cost of road crash deaths and serious injuries in the country, estimated to exceed US$50 billion each year.
The reports coincide with National Secretariat of Transport (SCT)-led iRAP assessments of more than 45,000km of roads. The assessments cover the federal highway network, including both toll-free and toll roads.
In addition to producing road safety Star Ratings for vehicle occupants, motorcyclists, pedestrians and bicyclists, it is anticipated that the assessments will identify countermeasures that could cut numbers of deaths and serious injuries by more than 25%.
Nov 30, 2012 | News
New road safety inspections are being undertaken by ChinaRAP, a partnership between the Research Institute of Highway (RIOH), Ministry of Transport, and iRAP.
The assessments involve inspections of urban roads in Mengzi and Jianshui (Yunnan) and highways in Shaanxi, and build on similar work already undertaken in Anhui.
The ChinaRAP road safety assessments will help guide multi-million dollar upgrades to the roads, which are financed by local governments and the World Bank and Asian Development Bank respectively.
In parallel to the assessments, ChinaRAP has also begun collaborating with other partners in the Bloomberg Philanthropies-funded Road Safety in 10 Countries Project (RS10). The collaboration is exploring ways that infrastructure improvements can complement efforts to reduce drink-driving rates and speeding in the cities of Dalian and Suzhuo.
Nov 30, 2012 | News
A report released by the International Transport Forum (ITF) at the OECD proposes 12 sets of measures to create safer walking environments.
The report laments that the number of pedestrians killed on roads is estimated at above 400 000 each year – about a third of annual road fatalities around the globe.
Earlier this, iRAP reported that 84% of the approximately 50,000km of roads assessed in low- and middle-income countries where pedestrians are present carry traffic at 40km/h or more and have no footpaths.
The ITF report is timely as pedestrian safety will be the focus of the United Nations Road Safety Week from 6-13 May 2013.
In addition to the new report, ITF is calling for nominations for the Young Researcher of the Year Award. This year’s winner, Ms Wing Yee (Winnie) Lam, a Chinese national, was honoured for a developing a walkability audit as an assessment tool to evaluate the walking environment in urban areas.
Nov 23, 2012 | News
The new KiwiRAP highway risk-ratings show safety has improved significantly on several Auckland and Northland State Highways over the past five years.
The length of road rated as high or medium-high risk reduced by 18% (from 475km to 388km) as a result of road improvements, including signage upgrades, an extension of roadside barriers, improved lighting and sealed shoulder widening, and targeted Police campaigns against speeding and drinking drivers.
NZTA’s Auckland and Northland Regional Director, Stephen Town said KiwiRAP is a powerful tool for increasing public awareness that not all highways are the same. “Drivers and riders who are aware of the higher risk highways can then adjust their driving to take extra care. Similarly, we can identify safety shortcomings that can then be addressed with practical road safety measures.
The new KiwiRAP report is available at: http://kiwirap.org.nz/downloads.html.
Nov 19, 2012 | News
EuroRAP began as an idea in 1999 to address the unnecessary and preventable toll of death and serious injury on Europe’s roads.
The commitment of its Members has won the programme overwhelming support. In the past decade EuroRAP has grown from a 4-country pilot to a programme now active in over 30 countries.
EuroRAP believes that in the next decade Europe can save at least 0.5% of GDP with an affordable, high return programme – saving at least 300 deaths and serious injuries every day.
To visit the new website, go to http://eurorap.org.
Oct 30, 2012 | News
To celebrate 10 years of EuroRAP in Spain, RACC have released EuroRAP 10 anos en Espana: Analisis de los resultados de los 10 anos de EuroRAP en Espana, looking back over the programme’s development and results.
The study details the evolution of different variables (such as length of the network, AADT and the number of fatal and serious crashes) used to generate EuroRAP risk ratings over the last 10 years, starting with the first EuroRAP study in 2002 through to the most recent in 2011.
The network analysed in the report covers the Spanish Road Network (RCE) spanning 23,528km. Although the total distance travelled on the RCE increased by 6% in the last 10 years, the number of deaths and serious injuries decreased by 58%.
Oct 16, 2012 | News
Simple attention to safety engineering detail has resulted in extraordinary cuts in road deaths and serious injuries, according to the latest tracking survey by the Road Safety Foundation.
Engineering a Safer Future found that fatal and serious injury crashes on 10 stretches of treated road fell by nearly two thirds from 541 to 209 (2001-2005 and 2006-2010) – boosting the economy by £35m every year.
This year’s most improved road is a rural 20km (13 mile) single carriageway section of the A605. Over the two survey periods, fatal and serious crashes fell by 74% from 34 to 9, and its risk rating improved from medium in 2001-2005 to low-medium in 2006-2010.
Engineering a Safer Future was produced with support from Ageas UK. The report measures safety levels across 27,000 miles of motorway and A roads where the majority of UK road deaths occur.
Sep 17, 2012 | News
Some 45,000km of roads have now been surveyed as part the Government of Mexico’s strategy to provide safe roads for economic and social development.
The iRAP project is being led by the National Secretariat of Transport (SCT) and will make use of Star Ratings to benchmark infrastructure risk across 10% of the nation’s roads (a third of all paved roads).
Along with iRAP data, the surveys are collecting pavement data that will be used for asset management, making the undertaking very cost effective. The project will also be the first to make use of iRAP’s new online software, ViDA, which offers greatly increased processing speeds and more expansive reporting.
Sep 9, 2012 | News
With the support of the Global Road Safety Facility and Bloomberg Philanthropies, Brazil and Egypt will soon Star Rate strategic road networks and prepare Safer Roads Investment Plans.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that a combined 66,000 people are killed in road crashes in Brazil and Egypt each year.
The assessments, which are now in the preliminary planning stages, will help to identify the locations of high-risk sections of road and propose affordable engineering treatments, particularly for pedestrians, who feature prominently in road deaths statistics.
The efforts in Brazil and Egypt complement road assessments already underway in Russia, India and China that are also supported by GRSF and Bloomberg Philanthropies.
Sep 9, 2012 | News
German auto-club, ADAC, has found that on extra-urban networks, almost 50% of traffic victims lose their lives on motorways and federal roads, which account for only 10% of the network length.
The findings are contained in the report, Road Test 2008-2010, which reviews crash statistics, presents EuroRAP Star Ratings and sets out actions required to save lives.
The report also finds that the presence of roadside hazards (trees), high overtaking rates and high speeds on German federal highways mean they get poorer Star Ratings than both German motorways and extra-urban roads carrying similar volumes of traffic elsewhere in Europe.
The Road Test report complements other road infrastructure safety assessments conducted by ADAC, such as Pedestrian Crossings in Europe, which assessed safety at 285 crossings in 19 cities.
Aug 17, 2012 | News
Safety on an 80km section of the Western Highway in Belize is set to become much safer, thanks to efforts of the Government and Caribbean Development Bank.
A recent iRAP assessment found that nearly the entire highway is rated 1- or 2-stars for vehicle occupants, who account for the majority of road deaths in Belize.
As part of the project, road infrastructure improvements will be complemented by efforts to raise awareness among road users; increased enforcement of road rules; better post-crash response; and training.
After infrastructure improvements are completed, further iRAP assessments will be used to measure reductions in risk.
Aug 17, 2012 | News
The first iRAP Innovation Workshop was held at TRL headquarters in the United Kingdom and brought together experts in road safety engineering from around the world.
Participants at the workshop discussed the fact that during the next 12 months iRAP assessments will be conducted on some 150,000km of roads in low- and middle-income countries – three times as many as in the past five years.
Participants also considered ways in which innovation in methodology, technology, policy and processes will help support the massive growth in assessments and ensure the results translate into life-saving road improvements.
Notes from the workshop that summarise presentations made by participants are available for download.
Aug 1, 2012 | News
Major safety improvements are in the pipeline for high-risk roads in Bangladesh.
A second round of iRAP assessments are focusing on some 1,300km of national and regional roads, many of which will be upgraded in coming years.
The assessments are being led by the RHD and are part of the ADB’s Road Safety Improvement Program. The Program is one of the most significant road safety initiatives of the Bank in recent years and includes both capacity-building and downstream investments.
iRAP is working with local consultants and stakeholders, including BUET, BRAC and CIPRB. The project has also benefited from the voluntary contribution of Gina Waibl, a leading contributor to KiwiRAP.
May 16, 2012 | News
Hundreds of road-safety experts, practitioners, advocates and senior government officials gathered in Thailand for the GRSP Asia Seminar and iRAP Workshop.
The seminar and workshop provided an opportunity for local experts to share their experience in initiatives such as the Building ChinaRAP project, star rating designs in the Indian State of Karnataka and KiwiRAP assessments in New Zealand strategy.
At the event, the iRAP Asia Pacific Star Performer award was jointly received by the Department of Public Works and Highways and the Automobile Association of the Philippines for their outstanding commitment to safety.
Engineers from the Philippines department of highways are now conducting site visits on three demonstration corridors, taking them a step closer to implementing iRAP safety recommendations – and saving lives.
Presentations from the event are available on the iRAP website and the GRSP website.
May 15, 2012 | News
A new report by the Road Safety Foundation says England’s motorways do not currently provide enough protection to car drivers and occupants to consider raising the speed limit to 80 mph.
‘Unfit for 80’ argues that although cars provide 4-star or 5-star crash protection, too many motorways rate only 3-star and there is a major weakness in run-off protection.
The costs associated with the 800 serious motorway road crashes annually is £0.4 bn – double that if traffic delays at crash sites are counted.
The report calls for motorways to be brought up to a minimum 4-star standard by 2020.
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