iRAP is supporting partners to build safe, inclusive, low-carbon and climate resilient road networks that promote active travel and optimise sustainable development – for people and planet.

Climate Resilience and Road Safety

Increased temperatures and extreme weather events are leading to disasters such as flooding and faster deterioration, damage and increased maintenance costs for road infrastructure. Road safety can be impacted in three key ways:

1. When road users navigate damaged or affected roads.
2. When road users are detoured around damaged roads and onto alternative routes.
3. When roads that have been rehabilitated introduce new safety risks.

The socio-economic impacts of failing to develop resilient networks are high. Road crashes have a devastating human impact. High maintenance costs, decreased road service life, and disruption of access to services and the flow of goods to markets can significantly affect disaster recovery, food security, transportation and trade.

Climate-resilient road systems are designed, built, and maintained to withstand the impacts of climate change. They should remain functional, safe, and durable despite changing environmental conditions. Pavement selection and the inclusion of features such as culverts, ditches, and vegetative buffers are examples of countermeasures that help manage water flow and prevent damage to road surfaces.

Consistent with the Global Plan for the Decade of Action for Road Safety, as part of any climate resilience works, authorities should undertake road safety audits on all sections of new roads (pre-feasibility through to detailed design) and complete assessments using independent and accredited experts to ensure a minimum standard of 3-stars or better for all road users.

This driveway culvert (left) was included in climate resilience upgrades to enhance drainage along West Coast Road in Samoa. During a post-construction road safety audit, it was deemed unsafe to road users in the event of a run-off crash and replaced with safer drivable end walls (right). (Image source: The World Bank – blogs.worldbank.org/en/transport/what-has-the-pacific-taught-us-about-building-resilient-and-safe )

Lano Ford, Savai’i Island, Samoa, 2022 (left) versus 2013 (right). Road safety was greatly improved following the upgrade of this ford to a bridge decreasing its susceptibility to flooding. (Image source: The World Bank – blogs.worldbank.org/en/transport/what-has-the-pacific-taught-us-about-building-resilient-and-safe)

Transition to Low-Carbon Travel and Road Safety

Adapting to climate change also requires efforts to shift travel to less carbon-intensive travel modes. Safety is a key factor in creating this change. When people feel that an environment is safe, they are more likely to feel comfortable walking and cycling and using public transport. The iRAP methodology and tools are available to help planners and designers ensure that pedestrian and cycling facilities are rated 3-stars or better for safety.

iRAP Tools and Climate Change

The iRAP methodology and tools enable road authorities, development banks, financing institutions, institutes and NGOs to assess and improve the safety of road infrastructure investment and designs. The tools support the inclusion of safety in climate resilience and adaptation efforts.

Star Rating for Designs is ensuring road safety is ‘built in’ to a road design for all road users before the commencement of civil works.

iRAP assessments are informing road upgrades which support the transition to multi-modal transport. 3-star or better Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) corridors not only reduce carbon emissions with consolidated individual car journeys but also optimise safety and reduce travel times for commuters.

Star Rating for Schools and CycleRAP are supporting safer school and cycling journeys which encourage walking and cycling.

Left: Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) corridors rated 3-star or better for safety help to reduce carbon emissions, travel times and road safety risk for commuters (Image source: Getty Images)

Right: Active travel is encouraged on Zhengtong Road in Beijing. Yangpu District Transport Commission achieved a 5-star iRAP safety rating for bicyclists and pedestrians with road infrastructure improvements promoting safe cycling and walking, supported by the Bloomberg Philanthropies Initiative for Global Road Safety, the World Bank, ChinaRAP and iRAP (Image source: iRAP)

The integration of the iRAP Methodology into the ORIS Digital Pavement Design and Material Management Platform is helping to optimise the safety and sustainability of global road designs and construction. By considering factors like the iRAP Star Rating, locally available and recyclable materials, and expected traffic and weather conditions it is enabling road designers to optimise the safety, carbon and cost life cycle impacts, and the uptake of circular economy approaches in their design selection.  With the integration of these tools, road designers can reduce the carbon footprint of roads by up to 50%, increase the infrastructure lifespan by up to 3 times, and with each incremental increase in the iRAP Star Rating of a road, halve crash costs.

Innovation for Climate Resilient Cities

iRAP and its partners are working at the forefront of innovation to promote safe, inclusive and climate resilient road infrastructure and cities.

Our initiatives include:

iRAP’s global partnerships with SLOCAT and Sum4All are helping to power the sustainable, low carbon transport revolution and acheive sustainable mobility for all.

ELABORATOR (2023-2026) is a European Living Lab project focused on designing sustainable urban mobility solutions for climate-neutral cities, involving co-creation with vulnerable user groups and local authorities. Funded by the Horizon EU programme, iRAP is one of 38 partners involved the project using a holistic approach for planning, designing, implementing and deploying innovations and interventions for sustainable urban mobility. The interventions will be demonstrated in cities across 11 European countries.

PHOEBE (2022-2026), the EU-funded ‘Predictive Approaches for Safer Urban Environment’  Project aims to increase the road safety of vulnerable road users, especially those who use active mobility and e-scooters. It is building on the strengths of iRAP’s road safety assessment tools and AIMSUN’s simulation and Artificial Intelligence to deliver harmonised, integrated and world-leading safety prediction tools that take account of gender, age and ability levels in providing for future mobility.

AiRAP stands for the ‘accelerated and intelligent’ capture of road safety-related data using automatic, repeatable and scalable methods. AiRAP projects are supporting climate resilience and adaptation. For example, in an innovative approach to combat urban heat, Blacktown City Council and Anditi in Australia leveraged AiRAP artificial intelligence to strategically identify the maximum number of locations for new shade-producing roadside tree plantings. Whilst preserving road safety, this proactive initiative aims to reduce carbon emissions and improve public health by encouraging walking. Main Roads Western Australia (MRWA) and Anditi are also using the results of a 20,000km AiRAP assessment of Western Australian roads to more rapidly identify road risk and environmental impacts on assets to inform climate mitigation and strategic remediation.

Image source: Australian Transport News – Fully Loaded fullyloaded.com.au/gympie-bypass-now-open-cooroy-to-curra-finally-complete/ – Image details: The Six Mile Creek Bridges of the Gympie Bypass. Image credit: TMR Queensland

Queensland’s Bruce Highway in Australia is a crucial transportation route serving as the major north-south freight and commuter corridor for the State. Historically, flooding has been a source of major delays, with highway closures lasting up to two weeks. The Bruce Highway Link Flood Study is the largest to be completed in the world.  Improving flood resilience and safety are essential goals of the Bruce Highway Upgrade Program. The above pictured 26km Woondum to Curra project not only raises the highway above the flood plain improving climate resilience, but the construction of 4-lanes of divided carriageways with safety barriers, etc ensures it also delivers 5-star safety.

The Australian and Queensland Governments have announced a AUD$9 billion Safety Package to bring the Bruce Highway to a minimum 3-star safety rating and improve its climate resilience with focusses on installing safety barriers, wide centre lines and audio tactile line marking; constructing wider shoulders; increasing run off areas, overtaking lanes and rest areas; improving intersections, signage, and sight lines; and resealing and rehabilitating road surfaces for resilience to increasing weather events.

Latest news – Climate change and road safety 

More Case Studies of Success

• iRAP Case Study: Improved Road Design Saves 1,845 Lives with Climate Resilience for Uzbekistan’s A380
• iRAP Case Study: Kiritimati Island Concept Design aims for 4+ star safety
• iRAP Case Study: Safer Road Design after Cyclone Evan – Central Cross Island Road, Samoa

Further Reading

• SLOCAT Partnership Improving Road Safety in a Changing Climate
• World Bank Blog What has the Pacific Taught Us about Building Resilient and Safe Roads?
• Asian Development Bank Blog Six Steps Toward Greener Climate-Resilient Roads in Asia and the Pacific

Top banner image sources:

1. Trailer Magazine Australia – https://www.trailermag.com.au/flood-immunity-upgrade-on-saltwater-creek-complete/ (Image details – Construction company, Georgiou Group, shares a view of the upgraded Saltwater Creek project.)

2. Colorado Bike Law – https://colobikelaw.com/blog/what-are-my-options-in-a-hit-and-run-bike-crash.html (Image details – Photo illustrates main point of article with paragraph: As cyclists, we are prime hit and run targets because we cannot pursue the driver…) 

3. iRAP Images – https://starratingforschools.org/2019/01/safer-schools-in-botswana-amend-project-in-botswana-makes-journeys-safer-for-school-kids/ (Image details – Photo after Star Rating upgrades at Bophirima Primary School through the AMEND Project)