The Research Institute of Highway (RIOH), Ministry of Transport, China, has received the iRAP Asia Pacific Star Performer award for their leadership of ChinaRAP.

The China Road Assessment Program (ChinaRAP), which Star Rates roads for crash risk and develops safety countermeasure plans, is now being used in 14 city and highway projects across China, helping to shape development bank projects worth more than CNY 9 billion (USD 1.5 billion).

A few examples of ChinaRAP projects are:

• In Yunnan, the team assessed city roads and made recommendations for safety improvements, such as footpaths, speed limit reclassification and bicycle lanes, in the World Bank financed Yunnan Honghe Prefecture Urban Transport Project.
• In Shaanxi, the team is working closely with designers to lift safety star ratings on almost 1,000km of roads as part of the Asian Development Bank financed Shaanxi Mountains Road Safety Demonstration Project.
• In Anhui, the team worked closely with designers of the G316 to lift star ratings of a new class 1 road. These upgrades are funded by the Wuhu Local Government.

The last rites are being held today for Gopinath Munde, India’s Rural Development Minister who was tragically killed this week in a car crash.  Although a very high profile case which has seen much coverage in the Indian press and further afield, he is by no means the only road victim this week in a country struggling to cope with the burden of road crashes. With around 380 reported road deaths each and every day on India’s roads the country is at crisis point and figures show that many of the victims will be the from lower-income rural families, the lives of whom Mr Munde worked so hard to improve, that are the hardest hit.

Fortunately there are positive efforts being made, among them the work being led by Public Works Departments and the World Bank in States such as Kerala, Gujarat, Assam and Karnataka. In major road upgrade projects, ambitious targets to lift road safety star ratings have been set. It’s the first time that this approach, which is lifting designs above basic standards, has been adopted in a developing country on a large scale. Importantly, the targets are aimed at making roads safer for everyone: vehicle occupants, motorcyclists, pedestrians and bicyclists. 

The road safety challenge in India is large; but many of the solutions are already well known. Building features such as footpaths, safe crossings, safety barriers and roundabouts around the country will save lives. The death of Gopinath Munde is truly upsetting; we must ensure that thousands more deaths like his are avoided.

The International Road Federation (IRF) will hold a series of regional congresses, in Africa, Latin America and Asia this year.

Attendees at the conferences will have the opportunity to dialogue with government officials, developmental partners, contractors, consultants and other stakeholders who share a common interest in improving people’s lives through a sound, resilient and safe transportation system

To support road policy development and analysis, the IRF World Road Statistics is also available. To mark the 50th anniversary of the publication, includes 12 years of updated data, providing a comprehensive statistical picture of international road and inland transport from the start of the millennium.

Facilitated by the Japan Automobile federation (JAF) and with technical support from iRAP, the National Institute for Land and Infrastructure Management (NILIM) has carried out a pilot assessment of risk on roads in Japan.

Apart from helping to build an understanding of the iRAP methodology among local partners, the project also offers the opportunity for iRAP to learn about successful safety management techniques in Japan.

Between 2001 and 2010, Japan managed to more than halve its road death rate, cutting the rate from 10 deaths per 100,000 population to 4.5 deaths per 100,000 population. 

During the 12th Annual EuroRAP General Assembly, the Institute for Transport Sciences (KTI) published Risk Maps for some 3,000km of roads in Hungary.

The roads represent just 11% of the investigated part of the national road network, but carry 54% of traffic flow. Some 34% of fatal crashes occur on the roads.

The Risk Map, produced as part of SENSOR, shows that the network spans the full range of risk categories, from high risk through to low risk.

Based on the findings of the review carried out with EuroRAP methodology, a Hungarian expert group is to make proposals on low-budget safety improvements. 

In the first application of iRAP in Brazil, crash risk on 4,250km of roads in São Paulo state was assessed.

The results, which are helping to guide the $429 million São Paulo Sustainable Transport Project, were presented as part of a training course for around 150 people.

Much of the network was rated in the highest risk 1- and 2-star categories. About two thirds (62%) of roads where pedestrians are present carry traffic 40km/h or more have no footpaths. Almost half (40%) have hazardous objects within 5 metres of the edge and limited roadside protection (such as safety barriers).

The most comprehensive plan shows that an investment of R$2.55 billion (US$1.28 billion) could reduce the number of deaths and serious injuries by 41%, preventing almost 80,000 deaths and serious injuries over 20 years.

Following the presentation of results, iRAP’s São Paulo based consultant conducted a series of workshops to train 15 engineers and planners from the São Paulo Department of Highways (DER-SP) in the use of the iRAP methodology and software.

The iRAP assessments in Brazil are supported by the World Bank GRSF and Bloomberg Philanthropies.

Vehicle and road infrastructure experts recently explored how technologies from their fields will ‘work together’ to prevent common types of vehicle and motorcycle crashes and those involving pedestrians and bicyclists.

Participants in the workshop, which was hosted by RACV in Melbourne, Australia, also considered the challenge of preventing crashes involving the rapidly growing ‘e-bike’ fleet in many parts of the world.

Although advanced V2V and V2I technology which may lead to ‘self-driving’ cars was cited as having enormous potential, there was also a focus was on the safety gains of rapid, wide-scale deployment of already-proven technology and techniques, especially in rapidly developing countries. 

Examples considered include: emergency brake assist which helps drivers to quickly slow their car, flexible safety barriers that are highly-effective at dissipating energy and innovative forms of head-protection for bicyclists.

The workshop was developed by iRAP and GNCAP, and built on the Roads That Cars Can Read Initiative. ARRB Group is currently producing a Research Report that will document proceedings.

Standard iRAP technical specifications, guides and manuals, which can be used in procurement and management of iRAP-specification activities, are available online.

The documents include a standard Terms of Reference (TOR) that can be downloaded and edited to form the basis of a project plan and/or used in the process of engaging consultants to deliver services.

The documents also include specifications on road inspections, Star Rating and Safer Roads Investment Plan analyses and Risk Map analyses using crash data.

The specifications are accompanied by a growing list of consultants and firms capable of bidding for and delivering iRAP-specification projects. The specifications also enable consultants and firms that have not previously undertaken iRAP-specific activities to gain ‘accreditation’ during project delivery.

The granddaughter of Nelson Mandela and global road safety campaigner, Zoleka Mandela led the launch of the first Safe Schools project in South Africa.

The project is a pioneering approach, introducing safe road infrastructure to protect school children, combined with road safety education and awareness for children and teachers from Takalani Sesame and Childsafe.

The initial iRAP assessment conducted with the City of Cape Town found that 77% of the roads around Sivile Primary School are in the highest-risk 1- and 2-star categories for pedestrians. 

The project is primarily funded with a donation from Decade of Action global corporate supporter Janssen, a Johnson & Johnson company. Additional financing and technical support for the project was provided by WorleyParsons, IVECO, and the FIA Foundation. The Medical Research Council is coordinating the monitoring and evaluation of the project.