Transportation Professional November December 2024

~CIHT Speed management Can floating bus stops be safe for everyone?

PIONEERING SPIRIT

Kenneth Svensson, Vision Zero hero

Implementing Safe System for all road users

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Bridgeover troubled workers Road worker safety is a huge issue in highways construction and maintenance, with vehicle incursions on roadworks posing a significant risk to workers. But a revolutionary Swiss innovation could drastically reduce road worker casualties by re-routing the traffic over their heads.

Developed by the Swiss Federal Roads Office, the ASTRA Bridge is a modular structure that can be assembled over a stretch of road, enabling work to be carried out underneath while traffic continues to flow above. The bridge is also mobile, with a series of motorised wheels allowing it to move along the road to cover successive work areas.

The physical separation of traffic and roadworks increases the safety of workers, not only protecting them from the dangers of working next to a live lane but also from traffic noise and poor weather. In addition, it enables them to work in the daytime, increasing the safety of construction and maintenance work.

And since there's no need to close lanes or reduce lane widths on the opposite carriageway, traffic is able to flow more easily.

The ASTRABridgein Switzerland providesoverheadprotection for roadworkersfrom traffic

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2024 TP 3

COINITEINITS '7CIHT

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THE CHARTERED INSTITUTION OF HIGHWAYS & TRANSPORTATION 119 Britannia Walk, London, Nl 7JE Tel: 02073 361555 info®ciht.org.uk www.ciht.org.uk

Kenneth Svensson, Vision Zero visionary and global road safety expert

Transportation Professional ©2024. ISSN: 1478-4467 Incorporated by Royal Charter.

CIHT is a charity registered in England (1136896), Scotland (SC040873) and the Republic of Ireland (20103989).

Transportation Professional is available on line in the My CIHT section of ciht.org.uk

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PODCAST Don't forget to tune in to Transport Talks, available via Spotify and Apple Podcasts

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Five minutes on...

Speed management 8 Five things to know about ...

The Bus Knowledge Sharing and Incident Network 10 Shift The benefits of experiential learning 12 Debate Can floating bus stops ever be safe for people with visual impairments?

FEATURES 14 Safe System Find out more about the global approach to road safety and its impact on casualties 20 Kenneth Svensson One of the team behind Sweden's Vision Zero opens up about road safety and suicide

26 Road worker safety Discover the alarming scale of the amount of physical and mental abuse received by road workers for simply doing their job and the solutions the highways industry is putting in place to prevent it

OUR IMPACT

NOVEMBER/ DECEMBER 2024

THE POWEROF EVENTS AND NETWORKING

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TIME OF THE YEAR is always exciting as it's full of industry events. I've just returned from Highways UK, where CIHT had a large presence. We had a number of speaking slots that enabled us to get our messages across, but just as important were the conversations we had there. The more people in the sector talk to each other and learn from each other, the stronger we will be.

Other events we have coming up include the Bus Centre of Excellence and Department for Transport conference on anti-social behaviour. That will be really interesting when considering how to encourage more people to use public transport.

Anti-social behaviour is a big issue on public transport, and we all need to think about how to make sure everybody feels safer when travelling. We need to get more people using public transport as it has many positive benefits for decarbonisation and inclusion.

DEVOLUTION DISCUSSIONS

CIHT also attended the recent Labour Party conference, which was really useful for networking with colleagues from sister organisations and key stakeholders, as well as metro mayors and government ministers. There was a lot of conversation around

TP PROGRESS 32 The value of membership CIHT's wide range of resources and benefits 34 Technical insight Remote identification of smartphone use with Al 36 Masterclass Behavioural science 38 Expert view Autonomous vehicles

devolution, which will become increasingly important. Everybody's waiting to see how the devolution agenda evolves, but the message was very clear, that transport, especially public transport such as buses, is part of this agenda.

The party conferences offer a real insight into the areas that will impact the transport industry and CIHT members over the next few years, and we will continue to attend them in the future.

A TIME TO LEARN

There's also been a huge amount of activity at CIHT,ranging from the launch of a number of whitepapers and briefs to our forthcoming Annual Luncheon, which sold out within a couple of weeks. There's a real appetite for online and face-to-face events from our members. Both have their merits, but to have those in-person conversations is difficult to replicate with online platforms.

So we will be offering a mix of online and face-to-face events in 2025. We also want to reinstate our national conference and strike a balance between our policy work and technical output. With the budget and spending review, the next 12 months will be interesting for the Institution and sector, and I look forward to making the case for highways and transportation, and getting our voice heard.

"The more people in the sector talk to each other and learn from each other, the stronger we will be"

Sue PercyCBE, chief executive, CIHT NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2024 TP 5

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WORDS/ SARA ZUIN

Sara Zuin is senior policy advisor -transport infrastructure at CIHT

"Speed limits are often set based on time savings and economic benefits rather than safety" 6 TP NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2024

EXCESSIVESPEED IS RECOGNISEDAS one of the fatal four causes of death and serious injuries in traffic collisions, and within a Safe System approach, speed management is a key tool to reduce fatal and serious casualties, and make our transport system safer.

Speed management involves a set of measures that limit the negative effects of inappropriate or excessive speed. It includes key techniques such as speed limit setting, road design, driver education and police enforcement.

Research shows that as speed decreases, the likelihood of death or serious injury drops dramatically: a 2022 study by the University ofEdinburgh found that reducing the city's speed limit to 20mph reduced road deaths by 23% and serious injuries by 33%, resulting in an overall 40% reduction in collisions.

In addition, the introduction of a 20mph limit on many roads by Transport for London (TfL)resulted in a 25% reduction in collisions and serious injuries, as well as a decrease in incidents involving pedestrians by 36% and pedestrian-related fatalities by 63%.

Numbers such as these reflect the immense value oflower speed limits in achieving safer roads and provide very strong evidence for their wider adoption.

Incoherenceand confusion Despite the obvious benefits, the UK faces a series of challenges in implementing effective measures for speed management. In 2023, the Department for Transport (DIT)released its 'Plan for Drivers', which encouraged local authorities to apply the right speed in the right places.

However, a lack of clear national guidelines leaves each local authority to set and enforce its own speed limits. This has led to inconsistent policies across the country, where different areas apply different rules, making it difficult to achieve a coherent approach, resulting in confusion for road users.

Another issue in the UK is how speed is valued, particularly in the highways sector.

Speed limits are often set using criteria based on time savings and economic benefits rather than safety. While reducing travel time has its advantages, the focus should also be on ensuring that roads are safe for all users.

Speed limits should be set to reflect the wider values in society that underpin decision making, such as ensuring that all road users can benefit from a safe road environment, as well as supporting economic activity and decarbonising the transport network.

Speedlimit factors While the UK's national speed limit on single carriageway roads remains at 60mph, this is often inappropriate given the design of many roads, especially in rural areas. Drivers are left to guess what a safe speed might be, which results in these roads being among the highest risk areas for crashes.

In time, we could set speed limits based on how fast an automated vehicle would travel along a section of road, with its system programmed to assume a suitably low level of risk Until then, highway authorities need to set speed limits based on a number of different factors. These include: • The type of infrastructure, traffic volume and mix of modes used on the roads.

• The function of a road to align the efficient movement of goods and people with the benefits and quality of places.

• The ability of drivers to intuitively adapt their driving according to weather conditions and traffic volumes, and respect the limits set.

• The level of risk and harm that is currently accepted by the government for all main forms of transport.

CIHT policybriefs To successfully set, deliver and enforce speed limits, speed management needs to be considered within a Safe System to road safety.

The Safe System aims to achieve Vision Zero, an ambition to have zero fatalities and serious injuries that systematically tackles speed, road design, vehicle technology, road-user behaviour and post-crash response.

Adopting a Safe System would ensure road users travel at an appropriate speed and support compliance with speed limits from the outset.

CIHT fully understands the importance of the Safe System and will be publishing a report on it in November 2024. Titled 'Progressing the UK towards Safe System Implementation', the report will explain why the Safe System is vital for safe travel.

In the meantime, CIHT has released a policy brief that dives deeper into speed management.

Produced in partnership with the Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety (PACTS), the brief explores the different measures that could improve the effectiveness of speed management, opening the dialogue on applying the right speed limit in the right place and supporting local authorities with guidance for their implementation.

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.JL DATARELEASEDFROM the Department for Transport states that an estimated 6,800 people were killed or seriously injured in drink-drive-related crashes in 2022. This compares to 6,740 in 2021, continuing a trend of slowing reductions in the number of people killed or seriously injured since 2010.

In addition, the number of fatalities for 2022 increased from 2021, reaching their highest level since 2009. In 2022, between 290 and 320 people were killed in the UK where at least one driver was over the legal drinking limit.

This accounts for 18% of all deaths in road collisions.

These alarming numbers raise questions around trends in road user behaviour and whether current approaches are providing the best solutions to the UK's road safety performance.

In 2019, the UK government committed to a new road safety strategy that drew on the Safe System, but the new framework not has yet been published.

SPEEDREAD To download the CIHT Speed Management policy brief, go to bit.ly/CIHT-speed-brief NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2024 TP 7

FIVE THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT ...

The BusKnowledgeSharing and Incident Network Discoverthe new organisationthat aims to revolutionisethe UK bus industry WORDS / KERRI CHEEK

Kerri Cheek is senior bus safety development manager at Transport for London

THE BUSKNOWLEDGESHARINGAND Incident Network (Bus KSI Network) is a brand new initiative hosted by the Bus Centre of Excellence that brings together safety experts and professionals from across the country to share learning, build best practice and influence the policy and regulatory direction of safety for the bus industry.

While other industries such as rail, maritime and air all have regulators and national sets of standards, there's still nothing formal in place for roads, and we want the Bus KSI Network to bring the bus industry into line with other sectors. Not only would it boost learning and increase safety in the bus sector, it would act as a tool to lobby government to finally set in place a road safety investigation board.

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Sharedobjectives

The Bus KSI Network has a number of key objectives, which include developing training on bus safety, enabling access to bus safety resources, building a fatal and serious bus incident database, creating an expert panel to undertake bus safety data analysis, increasing industry networking and sharing knowledge.

The central idea of the network is to bring people in the bus industry together. Currently, there are pockets of people doing some great work all over the country, but that work is being done in isolation. Clearly,the more information you have, the more you can work together on successful and effective solutions.

One example is an issue that Transport for London (TfL)had with bus fires. When we dug into the problem, we found that there were similar incidents happening outside of London.

But because there was wasn't a central area where these incidents could be reported, it wasn't immediately apparent there was a link.

Eventually,we were able to prove there was a common issue on a particular bus model, then change how that vehicle was designed. That solved the issue, but the process could have been much quicker if a national regulator was in place.

8 TP NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2024

2

Settingthe standard

In 2022, TfL produced the Bus Safety Standard, which sets the standard for all buses that travel in London. Since it was published, we have found that it's also being used outside of London by other operators and bus manufacturers. As an example, there are new front-end designs of buses coming through that are based on the standard.

This use of the standard shows that the issues around bus safety are national rather than local, and we can gain a lot more as an industry if we work closely with the operators, manufacturers, regulators and public transport authorities, from policy all the way through to delivery. If we can all work together, pool our data, look for the links and patterns in our work, then share the solutions that we have, bus services across the country will quickly improve.

The really important thing is the crosslearning between organisations that will make sure that if something happens in London or Manchester or Scotland, with a particular bus in a particular situation, the knowledge learned from that incident can be shared right across the industry.

3

Routesto knowledge

An important part of the Bus KSI Network is the creation of a panel made up of independent experts in their field. Those fields include vehicle safety, standards and regulation, driver fatigue, road safety, behavioural science, every area of the bus industry. One of our expert panel meetings was held recently at the Quality Bus Conference organised by the Bus Centre of Excellence, and it was a great success.

The purpose of the expert panel is to provide advice on all aspects of bus safety, giving direction and guidance, as well as Safe System recommendations. It would also undertake the

"There'sa lot of roomfor innovationandchange sowe needto be lookingat everyincident"

TRENDS

The Bus KSI Network aims to share learning, build best practice and influence bus policy

analysis of bus safety data, including incident and trend analysis, which will be a vital part of improving the safety of buses for passengers and drivers.

Experts for the panel are taken from members of the Bus KSI Network. We have over 50 members of the group now, including the Department for Transport, TfL,National Express and Lothian Buses, and have support from organisations such as CIHT and the Confederation of Passenger Transport (CPT).

We are targeting all areas within the industry to ensure we have good representation of the different groups.

i ~~ As well as bus collisions and near misses, Analysethis

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we want to record all passenger incidents

g on the buses. That could be around passengers < ~ falling down the stairs or people boarding and

i alighting. There's a lot of room for innovation

"If we can allwork together

then busservicesacrossthe countrywillquicklyimprove"

NEXTSTOP Membership of the Bus KSI Network is available free to all Bus Centre of Excellence members. For more information on the Bus KSI Network, go to bit.ly/Bus-KSI-Network

and change in the industry, so we need to be looking at every incident. And where there is a clear need for a solution, we will find one.

One example is we are required to bring in an acoustic vehicle alerting system on quiet running buses, the international regulation UN EC Regulation 138. London was fairly early to the party on that one because we brought in zero emission buses early and, as part of the Bus Safety Standard, we created an urban bus sound. We licence that sound out to other authorities and bus companies, but because there's no regulation over volume, there could be big differences all over the country. The Bus KSI Network would be able to report on this and recommend to government that the sound is the same all over the country.

As with the Rail Accident Investigation Branch, we would like to have a bus investigation board, a single place where an independent party would investigate incidents, particularly fatalities. At the moment, this is done at a local level by an operator or the police, but there's no overarching learning from it. It's done more for prosecution than for road safety.

5

Directionof travel

The ideal outcome of the Bus KSI Network is the formation of a road safety investigation board. Buses are often put to the side. Industries such as air, maritime and rail have been regulated for decades, but we don't have the same setup for the bus sector.

There have been some horrific bus collisions outside the UK, such as the recent coach collision in the south of France and the 2023 Manitoba crash in Canada. These are similar countries to the UK in terms of bus use, and it doesn't take much for an incident with massive fatalities to happen.

So we're trying to be proactive and prevent such incidents before they happen, and the best way of doing that is getting together and putting regulations in place. Ifwe can do that, then it's a big step in the right direction.

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2024 TP 9

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Accessall areas Experiential learning offers a new perspective on construction sites, giving companies direct feedback about the experience of underrepresented groups WORDS/ MICHAEL BARRATT

EXPERIENTIAL LEARNINGIS DEFINED as "learning through reflection on doing".

However, I see it as learning from lived experience - taking the perspective of someone else in a certain situation. My role at Transport for London is to advise construction companies on the impact their work has on certain members of society, whether that's people with a physical, visual or hearing impairment, neurodivergent people or people with learning disabilities.

We focus on the social model of disability rather than the medical. The medical model says that you are disabled by your impairment, whereas the social model says you are disabled by infrastructure and attitudes. For example, if I put up a sign with very small text, I'm disabling some people from reading and understanding that sign. If I shut a footway and the alternative doesn't have drop kerbs or sends people up or down steps, I'm disabling a wheelchair user. It's not the impairment that causes the disability, it's the fact that it's made inaccessible.

As part of my work, I'll take a diverse group of people out to meet construction project teams to show them the barriers to access many communities experience around construction sites. We ask attendees to highlight how certain elements of the site design affect them. It gives companies an insight into what many people experience when negotiating their way around a site and the parts that could be improved.

At a recent site walk, there was an older person with a learning disability and mobility impairment, a young person with autism and dyspraxia, a visually impaired man and his guide dog, and a tetraplegic gentleman and his carer. Explaining their lived experience to contractors not only made these people feel heard and that their experiences were being

"It's not the impairment that causes the disability, it's the fact that it's made inaccessible" 10 TP NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2024

taken seriously, but gave the contractors a unique insight into the impact of their work

A duty of care Whether it's through experiential learning, talks or workshops, the work we do here is part of our Public Sector Equality Duty under the Equality Act 2010. Section 20 of the Act directs organisations "not to substantially disadvantage a disabled person compared to a non-disabled person and to make reasonable adjustments", but there are a couple of loopholes in that sentence that construction companies could use to get out of their duty to disabled people.

Our job is to remind them of their duty and ensure they understand the impact of their decisions. It can be simple things such as whether an alternative footway is accessible or new signage is understandable by a visually

Construction sites can often cause accessibilityissuesfor people with physicaland visual impairments

TRENDS

Showing construction teams the problems around their sites offers new insight into the experience of certain groups of society

We also highlight the potential impact of hoarding designs and not to promote dark colours or complex patterns. Many companies will use black, which is neutral and something they believe blends well with the environment, but some people with visual impairments or dementia might see black as a hole and won't want to walk near it, so they could end up walking in the road. If you see a hoarding in soft pastel colours then we've done our job.

The businessbenefits

impaired or neurodivergent person. For example, there are people I know with learning disabilities that rely on directional signs and will follow exactly what they say. I've said to people on construction sites that they need to be careful when positioning directional signs for pedestrians as they are potentially directing a member of the public to go into an unsafe environment. If it isn't a formal crossing, they shouldn't direct people to cross a road.

They will often say, "But isn't it obvious to cross when it's safe to do so?", and I will explain that it's not obvious for everybody because some people will just follow an arrow because they think that's what they have to do.

Similarly, if you put temporary traffic lights on a footway, some pedestrians may stop when that traffic light is red or be confused about which push button unit they use to cross the road.

The key targets for experiential learning are the planners and designers as they are the people working out what it is and where it goes. We target the demolition contractors as they tend to be the first constructor to erect a perimeter fence, which other construction companies will inherit once demolition is completed.

We also aim to educate those higher up the chain about the business benefits of sites that are designed for all members of the public.

The lessons people learn from our walks and workshops not only improve existing sites but also set in place conditions for future sites. This knowledge often gets fed into tenders for new business, which can increase the chances of companies being chosen for future projects.

I feel very passionate about this subject as I want constructors to design sites with people in mind. It could be their family, friend or colleague that is impacted. Having that personalised way of thinking will improve the accessibility around sites for everyone.

Michael Barratt is construction advisory and innovations manager at Transport for London

SITE INSIGHT Find out more about inclusive (] construction sites by visiting the Considerate Constructors Scheme at considerateconstructors.com

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2024 TP 11

TRENDS

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Floatingbus stops Fulfillingthe needs

"Separatecyclewaysmakea very realdifferenceto cyclistsafety"

of cyclists,bus users,

Monica Scigliano, senior policy officer, Cycling UK

pedestrians and disabledtravellers is a tricky challenge.

We ask two experts to give their views

12 TP NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2024

CYCLINGUK'S POSITION on floating bus stops is aligned with the conclusion of the Living Streets report, which states that wherever possible, it makes sense to separate bus and cycle routes to provide different spaces for the two groups.

We completely understand the concerns that disabled pedestrians have, and our take is that while these types of bus stops are inevitable in some cases, they could be made better for all users with good design.

Research has shown that protected cycleways that are physically separated from traffic in London have reduced the risk of cyclist casualties by 40-60%, so they make a very real difference to cyclist safety. Separate

cycleways also make a big difference to perceived safety, and the data shows that women, children, older people and ethnic minorities are all far less likely to cycle unless they are protected from motor vehicle traffic.

The key issue with floating bus stops is how cyclists and pedestrians navigate the space around them. There are lots of examples of unhelpful design, such as different colours used in the paving or cycle lanes that end at the bus stop and become part of the pavement.

Sometimes there are ramps that are intended to slow down cyclists, but in practice, research has shown that they can distract cyclists and keep them from seeing pedestrians.

Many floating bus stops will have zebra crossings or traffic lights, and where those

exist, cyclists have to follow the rules as they would anywhere else. The problem is that they don't tend to be used by pedestrians, who generally cross wherever it's most convenient, as is their right. When pedestrians do use lights, there's a good level of compliance from cyclists, but that could be increased through education so that cyclists understand it's a real issue for pedestrians, especially disabled people and people with a visual impairment.

Where there are areas of very high use by pedestrians and cyclists, having traffic lights is very helpful, particularly for blind pedestrians.

Also, research has found that stepping off the bus onto a wide island rather than directly on a cycle track works much better for everyone.

That's standard in Dutch design guidance but not in the UK READ THE REPORT To download Living Streets' 'Inclusive design at bus stops with cycle tracks' report, go to bit.ly/Living-Streets-inclusion

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"Everybodyhasa rightto go out independentlyandfeel safe" Helen Aluko-Olokun, policy manager- built environment lead, Guide Dogs

FOLLOWINGA RESEARCH study into active traffic infrastructure, one of the features was around floating bus stops, and we would like to see a number of improvements to ensure they are safer and more accessible. In our research, we investigated two types of bus stop design: the floating island bus stop and bus stop borders, where the bus user either crosses over a cycle track or steps directly onto the cycleway.

While there are potentially ways to improve floating island bus stops, we have significant concerns that bus stop borders can be made accessible and safe. Until further research has been carried out, we strongly recommend that installation should be halted.

For people who are visually impaired, floating bus stops can be a real challenge, and a significant amount of people have had either near misses or collisions with cyclists. But just as important is the sense of fear that these bus stops can bring.

Everyone has a right to go out independently and feel safe, but we have found that floating island bus stops exclude some visually impaired people. They don't go out as often as they should or they have to walk three or four bus stops further to get to the one they can access safely.A number of visually impaired people can't go out at all because of them.

They have to be accompanied, which is unfair.

We have a number of recommendations for the design of floating bus stops: the first is 'co-cultivation', a word coined by Professor Nick Tyler. That's about involving all groups in how the infrastructure should be planned, designed, constructed and operated. This ensures you capture everyone's requirements, as well as determine what will and won't work before the design process. There also needs to be an investigation into how cyclists and pedestrians are able to use the spaces safely.

But what's important is to find a safe and accessible way of designing floating bus stops.

This design should then be used consistently across all authorities, using a co-cultivation approach throughout the entire process.

Designing for Inclusion

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READTHE REPORT To download the Guide Dogs report, go to bit.ly/GuideDogs-inclusion

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NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2024 TP 13

SAFE SYSTEM

Safe System has the ambition of zero deaths and serious casualties on the roads.

Discover how this revolutionary strategy has had a dramatic effect on road safety WORDS / TOM AUSTIN-MORGAN

VERYYEAR,MORE THAN 1.2 million people are killed and millions more seriously injured in road crashes around the world.

To combat this, an ambitious global approach to road safety called Safe System (also known in different countries as Vision Zero, Towards Zero or Sustainable Safety) aims for zero deaths or serious casualties on the road network.

1'.l Originating in Sweden in the late 1990s, ~ 'Safe System' is a road policy with the central ~ belief that death and serious injury shouldn't ill be accepted as a byproduct of mobility. The

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system demands that human life and health are the primary considerations when designing a road network. While Safe System approaches have been adopted in other industries for decades, it's only recently begun to be widely implemented in road transport.

A Safe System recognises that people are fragile by nature and will make mistakes, so puts layers of protection around them. All parts of this system must be strengthened in combination with each other to multiply their protective effects, so if one part fails, others will continue to protect.

"Safe System is a term that's been used

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2024 TP 15

SAFE SYSTEM

widely and happily adopted by some, but the reality of delivering it is only just starting to dawn on the profession," explains Dr Suzy Charman, executive director of the Road Safety Foundation. "What a Safe System demands is way beyond what the profession has done when it comes to road safety. It requires a change in perspective from 'blaming' road users for incidents to ensuring that the system accommodates the fallibility and frailty of road users. If a serious or fatal collision occurs, we need to be thinking about system failures as well as culpability."

At its core, the system prioritises human safety by using protective layers - safe roads, vehicles, speeds - to minimise deaths and serious injuries from crashes. A new mindset is required to prevent serious or fatal road injuries, recognising that these are avoidable if effective strategies are applied.

CIHT'S SAFE SYSTEM REPORT

The forthcoming CIHT report, 'Progressing the UK towards Safe System implementation', aims to create a systematic route towards gradually reducing and ultimately ending death and serious injury on the roads. Written by Rob Pellow, policy advisor - planning transport at CIHT,along with Charman, it will outline actions that can be taken to better align road safety practices with the Safe System, from what the industry requires from central government and design standards to speed limit setting policies and approaches to guidance.

"The report will set out the actions that can be taken by the different actors in road safety, such as practitioners and policymakers, and the roles they can play," explains Pellow.

"The core theme of the report is to show that this is more than just talk. If you think about road safety in a systematic way, you can move towards a Vision Zero target."

There are several Safe System schemes currently underway across all nations of the UK. For example, Scotland has tied its road safety schemes with a push for net zero carbon emissions, which has fed down to the Scottish local authorities. Meanwhile, Wales introduced 20mph speed limits in September 2023 for the country's built-up areas, which attracted a large amount of controversy. However, in the months since the introduction, average speeds have dropped by 4mph and insurance claims for collisions have reduced, which could result in 16 TP NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2024

A GLOBALAPPROACH TO SAFESYSTEM NATIONAL ROAD SAFETY S RA ,GY (AUS RA A

Australia adopted Safe System in its 2011-2020 National Road Safety Strategy, which focused on safer roads, vehicles, speeds and road-user behaviours. As a result, the country saw a significant reduction in fatalities, achieving a 22% decrease in road deaths between 2010 and 2020.

SPEED MANAGEMENT PROGRAMM (CO OMBIA

In Bogota, Colombia, speed management measures have proven highly effective.

A combination of reduced speed limits (S0km/h), better enforcement and improved pedestrian infrastructure has led to a decrease in traffic-related deaths in a city known for its high number of road casualties.

V SION Z 'RO (NOR AY

Norway adopted a similar Vision Zero approach to Sweden, focusing on safer infrastructure, strict speed limits and vehicle safety technologies. With the ambition of a maximum of 350 killed and seriously injured in

reduced injuries and fatalities as well as lower insurance premiums (insurance firm esure says by as much as £50 per year).

"There are different strategies at a regional level but not a completely joined-up strategy for the UK as a whole," explains Pellow. "Anew National Road Safety Strategy was announced in 2019 but was subject to a lot of delay. In our report, we state that this needs to be carried through, with the UK Government working in

2030, this has contributed to one of the lowest rates of road fatalities in the world. In 2020, Norway reported just 93 road deaths, which is one of the lowest in Europe.

ROAD SAFETY IMPROVEMENTS (SOU KOR

South Korea implemented a wide range of Safe System measures, including enhanced road infrastructure and strict enforcement of speed limits.

Between 2000 and 2019, the country experienced a 62% reduction in road deaths, driven by targeted interventions such as pedestrian safety improvements and stricter drink-driving laws.

V SION Z .RO OR YOU

M XICO

Mexico City introduced a Safe System approach that addresses child and youth pedestrian safety, particularly near schools.

By improving infrastructure, reducing speed limits and engaging local communities, Mexico City has reduced road casualties among children, marking a substantial shift in road safety outcomes in vulnerable populations.

"If you think about road safety in a systematic way, you can move towards a Vision Zero target" RobPellow,CIHT

partnership with the devolved governments and road authorities."

SAFERROADSFUND

In 2018, the Department for Transport (DIT} launched the Safer Roads Fund (SRF)in England following a successful pathfinder project run by the Road Safety Foundation and RACFoundation. In its first three rounds of funding, the DfT has invested £185m on nearly

100 A roads in England, as identified by the Road Safety Foundation's annual crash risk mapping analysis.

The Road Safety Foundation has supported local authorities in their development of schemes for the SRF by introducing them to the proactive route review approach provided by the International Road Assessment Programme.

The improvements implemented through the SRF include junction improvements, improved

A number of countries and cities around the world have adopted Safe System, including Sweden, Mexico City and South Korea

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2024 TP 17

SAFE SYSTEM

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SLOW AND STEADYWINS THE RACE

SAFE VEHICLES

signage and road markings, speed management, footways, cycleways and pedestrian crossings.

The work undertaken through the SRF has built Safe System capacity across the large number of authorities benefiting from the programme. Together the schemes are expected to prevent 2,600 deaths and serious injuries over the next 20 years, with a societal value of £1.2bn and benefit-cost ratio of 5:3.

The principles of Safe System revolve around established safety principles, research and good practice

ROADCOLLISION INVESTIGATION

Another organisation with Safe System at its heart is the RACFoundation, a transport policy and research charity that explores the economic, mobility, safety and environmental issues relating to roads and their users.

"We ran the DfT and National Highwaysfunded Road Collision Investigation Project from 2018-2022," explains Dr Elizabeth Box, research director at the RACFoundation. "In the project we looked at what could be achieved by having investigators examine collisions not based on blame or criminal culpability, but through extracting relevant safety learning to prevent future incidents.

"The models we used didn't just look at the immediate circumstances of the collision, but what impact the actors in the system could have had. For instance, whether business-related 18 TP NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2024

travel policies have been improved or legislative change is needed. The important question to ask is, 'What could have been done to prevent the collision from happening in the first place?'."

READTHE REPORT To find out more about the CIHT Safe System report, go to bit.ly/ Cl HT-Safe-System

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Clearly,lower speeds are beneficial in terms of safety due to the fragility of the human body, but they also offer smoother, more reliable journeys while encouraging modal shift and reducing carbon consumption. Changing the public's perception is essential to ensure they don't regard speed management as a punishment and something that will make their journeys longer.

"One of the lessons learned with the 20mph speed limit in Wales was that not every route should have its speed reduced," says Box. "It's important to look at the function of places and roads to make speed choices that are appropriate as well as understandable to the public. National guidance is helpful because consistency between areas is important as road users don't typically stay in one place. Whatever approach we take should be guided by the evidence."

Broader systems that could be put in place include compulsory telematics insurance for young people and making that sure that all vehicles are equipped with safety systems such as Intelligent Automatic Emergency Braking and Lane Keep Assist.

Pellow and Charman agree that adopting Vision Zero is vital to focus attention and activity, and offers enormous value for road safety. They also say a quick win across the UK would be amending speed limits to better align with the survivability of road collisions.

"We could say to highways and road technicians that they should be implementing Safe System principles in their practices," states Pellow. "But it's hard to do that unless there's a national framework that assists them. Effective leadership is really important."

SPONSORED CONTENT

ELEGANCEAND PROTECTION How VolkerHighways enhanced safety measures around Bath's busiest streets

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nan increasingly busy and complex world, ensuring the safety of people is critical. With a number of evolving global threats and increased public safety challenges, urban areas must adopt a range of advanced safety measures to safeguard both residents and infrastructure. The installation of safety systems such as vehicle barriers, surveillance technologies and reinforced public spaces has become essential to protect modern urban environments.

THE BEAUTY OF BOLLARDS

The city of Bath is a good example.

To protect its most crowded spaces from the risk of vehicle-based terrorist attacks, a permanent safety system consisting of remotely operated sliding bollards has been adopted by Bath & North East Somerset Council in five locations across the city: York Street, Hot Bath Street, Cheap Street, Upper Borough Walls and Lower Borough Walls.

With more than six million people visiting the historic city each year, visitors are likely to use at least one of these streets during their visit.

While the city has had temporary safety systems in place for a number of years, this uniquely engineered sliding safety system has been crash-tested and is more advanced than regular static bollards. Manufactured by Heald Ltd, it requires less manual intervention, while blending with the natural landscape.

COMPLEX CHALLENGES

Managed by highway services provider VolkerHighways, this project began in May 2022 and has recently been completed. Due to the complexity and individuality of each location, the scheme has involved extensive liaison with stakeholders, including residents, businesses and utility companies. Bath's extensive network of underground cellars and structures, as well as its water ingress and utilities also required the specialist experience ofVolkerLaser.

Each site followed an advanced design-and-build process, with all excavation carried out by hand. Sliding bollards were chosen to preserve the character of the city as they offer a

"This uniquely engineered sliding safety system is more advanced than regular static

il@i·N unique and innovative design for locations where rising bollards are impractical. The new automated safety system operates from 10am-6pm and is open to vehicles outside these hours.

This flexibility ensures year-round protection and makes it suitable for temporary events, such as Bath's traditional Christmas markets.

Thanks to their advanced technology, the bollards require minimal maintenance, with a dual approach by VolkerHighways and Heald Ltd ensuring ongoing servicing and cleaning.

The Bath scheme comes after VolkerHighways' installation of vehicle access gates and static and rising bollards in the town of Windsor, making the company one of the leading experts in hostile vehicle mitigation infrastructure.

VolkerHighways is a market leader in the delivery of highways and street lighting term maintenance contracts.

We have the capability to deliver major public realm infrastructure projects and EV charging point schemes. Our specialist in-house traffic management division provides expert advice and support across the industry, while assisting with our own, in-house contracts.

FIND OUT MORE To see how we can support you, email business.development® volkerhighways.co.uk

PIONEERING SPIRIT

"Understandingwhat the humanbodycan tolerate when it comesto crashimpact shouldbethe numberone factorwhendesigningroads" be the number one factor when designing roads," says Svensson from his office. "We should not have roads with the possibility of a head-on collision at speeds of more than 80kph, because the vehicles cannot absorb the energy and people will get killed, even if they are sat in the safest car on the market."

A HISTORYOF SAFETY

Vision Zero was first introduced in 1995 and quickly gained a lot of attention. Two years later, a new Road Traffic Safety Bill based on the concept was passed by a large majority in the Swedish Parliament. Now, the principles of Vision Zero have been adopted by national and local road authorities around the world, from Canada to New Zealand to India.

For Sweden, the results of adopting Vision Zero were quickly apparent. At the time, the country had a problem with fatal crashes on its network of high-traffic roads. These roads were wide but had no central barrier, so there was a constant risk of head-on collisions. But introducing an alternating two-plus-one lane system with a barrier between the opposing lines of traffic to control overtaking dramatically cut the level of crashes.

"There was a lot of initial opposition to this system when it was announced, people thinking it was a stupid idea to put something in the middle of the road," remembers Svensson. "But the number of fatalities on these roads was reduced by some 80%. To go from a traditional road to a two-plus-one system had a fantastic impact on road safety."

The other key principle of Vision Zero is setting the right speed limit. By putting people at the centre of road safety, the concept acknowledges that people will make mistakes and there will be collisions, so it's vital to consider the vulnerability of the person in all design choices.

"Speed is energy and energy is the key factor," explains Svensson. "Being able to handle this kinetic energy is crucial because, as human beings, it's difficult to understand that speed can be dangerous. We understand that heights can be dangerous. We won't do any work on the outside of a high building without any safety 22 TP NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2024

equipment, because ifwe fall, we would die.

But people will drive a car at lO0kph without wearing a seatbelt and feel totally safe. That is not the case because if something happens, well, goodbye, it's a fatal crash."

andenergyisthe

CLOSETO HOME

beings,it'sdifficult

With over 30 years of experience in road safety, Svensson is in huge demand around the world to speak at conferences and events about Vision Zero.

But following a family tragedy, he also does a lot of work in suicide prevention on the transport system.

"Acousin of mine died by suicide in a road crash," he explains. "Back then, suicides were not handled in a good way by the road authority. The general thinking was that as it's suicide, there's nothing they could do. I was responsible for conducting in-depth studies of fatal road crashes in the western part of Sweden and saw crashes that were suicides. In 2009, along with the National Board of Forensic Medicine and other stakeholders, we developed a method to distinguish which fatalities in road traffic crashes were suicide, then used that data to change our road design guidelines."

Among those changes were building barriers alongside high speed roads to prevent pedestrians

"Speedisenergy keyfactor.As human to understand that speedcan be dangerous"

BACK TO SCHOOL To find out more about the Vision Zero Academy, go to bit.ly/ Vision-Zero-Academy

PIONEERING SPIRIT

KEEPCALM AND CARRYON Five Swedish traffic calming and safety measures

PEDESTRIAN AND CYCLE CROSSINGS

TWO-LANE ROUNDABOUTS

Bus stops on major roads feature infrastructure Many large roundabouts have two lanes both that guides pedestrians and cyclists towards in and out of the roundabout. Both lanes have raised zebra crossings. The bus stop and road are speed bumps before the zebra crossing and separated by a safety fence, which has reduced there is a pedestrian refuge island between fatalities and severe casualties. each lane.

LOW RADIUS ROUNDABOUTS

MEDIAN BARRIER FENCE

Smaller roundabouts that require vehicles to turn more sharply as they travel around result in lower speeds. A road apron allows heavy vehicles such as buses and trucks to negotiate the tighter bend.

Large dual carriageway roads that feature bus stops have a median barrier fitted with a high fence to prevent pedestrians trying to cross the busy road near the bus stop.

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BRIDGE FENCES AND BARRIERS

Safety fences have been installed along the length of many of Sweden's major bridges to prevent suicide attempts. Bridges also feature a steel-tube barrier tested to the highest European crash level to prevent vehicles leaving the carriageway.

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2024 TP 2 '

PIONEERING SPIRIT

accessing the carriageway and making bridges safer by adding higher parapets. The result of Svensson's work is a change in Swedish design guidelines so that when a new bridge is built, it includes suicide prevention measures such as parapets. Those measures are also added if an existing bridge goes through maintenance work Suicide prevention is also now part of the Vision Zero concept, which Svensson is very proud of.

"If a person has been facing difficulties and is depressed, the infrastructure can be the last line of defence," he says. "There are studies that if a person decides to commit suicide, the period from deciding to carry out the act to the point at which they do it is very short, like 10 to 15 minutes. And if it's hard to carry out a suicide attempt during that short period, it's more likely that people will go home rather than try to do it in a different place."

MAKINGA DIFFERENCE

Alongside his work in suicide prevention, Svensson remains a key voice in global road safety and takes part in a series of courses that educates the world's leading decision makers about Vision Zero and how to reduce the amount of fatalities and seriously injured down to that magical figure.

24 TP NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2024

"Ifa personhasbeenfacing difficultiesandisdepressed, the infrastructurecanbethe lastlineof defence" In September 2024, a select group of 24 senior representatives of governments, industry, NGOs, police, academia, development banks, and other international organisations gathered for the latest Vision Zero International Course in Gothenburg.

This followed the first US Vision Zero Academy, held in Washington in collaboration with John Hopkins University and other US partners.

"When it comes to education, it's very important that we educate people that have the power to change things," says Svensson.

"That's why we arrange these courses for people who actually have the power to do something about road safety. But while we can influence policy, it's difficult to change human behaviour, and people will always make mistakes. If we want to achieve zero casualties on the roads globally, there's still a huge amount of work to be done."

FREEHELPLINE lfyouarehavinga difficult time and need to talk to someone, call the Samaritans for free on 116 123 or visit samaritans.org

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SPONSORED CONTENT

PRIORITISING HIGHWAYSSURFACE WATERRUNOFF David Smoker, technical director at ACO Water Management, explains why improved pollution treatment on highways outfalls is key to the Government's Nature Recovery Network

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ater management in the UK faces many challenges.

These include sewage spillages, infrastructure leaks, growing water scarcity and pollution from highways. While a lot of effort is focused on sewage issues, only minor attention is given to reducing road runoff pollution, which remains less understood.

The link between road runoff pollution and ecosystem decline is clear. According to reports by the Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management (CIWEM)and London charity Thames21, pollutants from tyres, oil, heavy metals and other contaminants entering rivers and ecosystems reveal the need for better treatment and monitoring.

While it's not explicitly covered in Defra's Nature Recovery Network policy, highway runoff is likely to receive more scrutiny in the next five years as extreme weather and the subsequent runoff is expected to increase in frequency and intensity. National Highways is taking steps in this direction with its 2030 Water Quality Plan, which aims to mitigate high-risk outfalls and soakaways.

This begins with verifying which suspected high-risk outfalls require mitigation using the Highways England Water Risk Assessment Tool (HEWRAT).

Other points to consider with highways runoff include: • 'High risk' is narrowly defined and covers less than 6% of outfalls and 3% of soakaways.

"Highway runoff is likely to receive more scrutiny in the next five years"

• 'Medium' and 'low risk' outfalls still negatively impact the environment, despite lower pollution levels.

• National Highways oversees just 3% of England's roads, with local authorities managing the rest. Urban runoff usually enters combined sewers, while rural runoff often drains untreated into ditches or brooks, posing pollution risks.

PATHWAYS TO ENHANCED TREATMENT

As there is no statutory requirement for monitoring highway outfalls, it's difficult to gauge the size of the problem. And given the current budget constraints, comprehensive monitoring is not feasible. However, discharge quality from an outfall can be evaluated using HEWRATor the Construction Industry Research and Information Association's (CIRIA) SuDS Manual.

The industry should follow CIRIA's four pillars: water quantity, amenity, biodiversity and water quality. The latter is particularly important, with the guidance given in this pillar focusing on locating treatment solutions as close

to the pollution source as possible.

Mitigating pollution then becomes a question of'how' rather than 'why'.

Highways engineers can use various solutions, from biodiversity-supporting wetlands, swales and detention ponds to single-point solutions such as grit, oil and sediment filters. These also help manage water volume and flow rate during storms.

Professionals involved in highways projects must collaborate closely with drainage experts to implement effective treatment solutions that provide the quality and capacity of water management the UK requires.

MORE DETAILS For more information about ACO Water Management and its treatment solutions, go to ACO.co.uk

SPONSORED CONTENT

CLEANERAIR FORALL EV charge point operator Believ provides fully funded charging infrastructure tailored to suit local requirements

"We're not forcing a solution on a local authority. We will listen to them, work with them and give them exactly what's right for their local residents and stakeholders. And we have the backing and capability to do it."

LEAVENO ONE BEHIND

D

omestic transport is the HM Treasury-backed Charging responsible for more than a Infrastructure Investment Fund (CIIF). quarter (28%) of all greenhouse "Charge point infrastructure is a gases emitted in the UK- more long-run investment," says Croucher. than any other sector. Transport is also "You need strong backers, and we're an essential part of how we function fortunate to have that with our investors." as a society, from getting to work and This backing enables Believ to offer connecting with loved ones to ensuring a full range of charging solutions, from there is food on the table. The task on-street fast chargers to rapid hubs to decarbonise transport is therefore in car parks, giving local authorities the flexibility to tailor both vast and vitally important. infrastructure to Crucial to decarbonising "Even ifa local their specific needs. transport is the switch from petrol and diesel vehicles authority doesn't to electric. To help achieve PARTNERSHIPAPPROACH have grant funding, Believ's strength lies this, the Government has in its ability to work legislated that 80% of all new we can still deploy closely with local cars and 70% of all new vans authorities, providing sold in Great Britain will be zero infrastructure" a range of tailored emission by 2030, increasing to charging solutions.

100% by 2035. To support this, the UK has a target of 300,000 electric "We offer a fully funded model," explains vehicle (EV) charge points by 2030.

Croucher. "This means that even if a local Against this backdrop, Matt Croucher, authority doesn't have grant funding, Chief Commercial Officer at Charge Point we can still deploy infrastructure. Every Operator (CPO) Believ, offers a number council has different priorities. Some of insights into the critical role local prefer slow and fast chargers, others authorities have in this transition and want rapid hubs and some want a how CPOs can support them. blend of different options. Our job is Believ is a joint venture between to understand those objectives and the owner of Virgin Media 02, Liberty build a network that works for their Global, and Zouk Capital, manager of specific circumstances.

One ofBeliev's many innovative projects is its work with the Redbridge and Waltham Forest Councils to roll out accessible on-street charging solutions.

Believ has designed charging bays that cater to drivers with mobility limitations, developed through design workshops with experts from Motability Operations and Energy Saving Trust (EST).

"This is a project that we're passionate about," says Croucher. "We need to ensure that everyone can benefit from the EV transition, which includes people with mobility issues."

Believ's mission statement of 'Not leaving anyone behind' is at the heart of these projects, which aim to make charging infrastructure as inclusive, accessible and reliable as possible. To achieve that, Believ do their research when it comes to the needs of people in each area they install a charger.

"You need to understand the use case for each location," says Croucher. "For instance, an on-street charger outside someone's home can be slower because the vehicle is likely to be parked overnight, which can result in cheap overnight tariffs.

However, for a short-stay car park, petrol station or motorway service area, you need faster chargers to make it worth the driver's time."

Croucher highlights the importance of working with a reliable charge point operator. "The market is crowded and not all operators will survive in the long run," he says. "As a local authority, you don't want to be dealing with the fall-out from that, so you need to ensure that you are partnering with a company that has the financial backing and commitment to stick around."

FIND OUT MORE To discover how Believcan help your organisationon its EV charge point journey, go to believ.com

'

F SOMEONEWALKEDINTO your office and started turning the tables over, shouting abuse, it wouldn't be acceptable. But it seems to be acceptable on the highway for some people."

Dave Campbell, health, safety and wellbeing director at Ringway, sums up the type of behaviour that road workers can encounter on the network.

According to Stamp It Out, the industry-wide campaign tackling the problem of road worker abuse, 2,307 workers reported being physically or verbally abused in 2023 while doing their jobs on the public highway. Incidents have included being threatened with weapons.

Kevin Robinson, CEO of Safer Highways, has recently researched the area through focus groups, which further highlighted the problem.

"We surveyed around 100 workers across several depots from different companies in the supply chain," he says, "and among the questions we asked was: 'What do you consider to be the biggest risk?'. Pretty much every single frontline operative said, 'Abuse'. It can vary from somebody swearing at you as they drive by to hot cups of coffee being thrown at you, empty coke cans, all the way through to attacks with machetes."

Robinson also highlights another troubling aspect of abuse: "When we asked the focus groups, 'Do you report it?', 80% of the workforce answered, 'No'. They say, 'It's just one of those things - it's part of the job.'

"So if you consider that four out of five incidents are going umeported, what you are actually seeing is a figure that's closer to 12,000.

That's more than 30 incidents taking place on the network every single day."

that the habitual abuse of road workers continues, which begs the question of how these incidents can be tackled.

TACKLINGTHE ABUSE

ONE STEPAHEAD

Campaigners acknowledge that the pandemic saw a significant spike in the abuse of road workers as the public took out their frustrations at the Covid-related restrictions they were living under on key workers. ~ Alongside the direct abuse, there are a ~ number of less visible impacts felt by highway ~ operatives. "We are now surveying the ij workforce on how abuse has affected their ~ mental health," explains Robinson. "Around u ~ 50% of the workforce has said that their ?.mental health is affected by abuse and 25% ijsaid they are actively looking for a new role ~ as a result." ~ While Covid restrictions have eased over ~ the past couple of years, statistics suggest 28 TP NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2024

Dave Campbell

Alongside highlighting the issue of abuse, just as important for the wellbeing of road workers are preventative measures. This is where technology can play a key role in incidents such as cars breaking through road barriers, endangering the lives of anyone working in the area. ''A good example of the use of technology is the barriers that are used for road closures," explains Campbell. "If someone drives through the site and we have guys working 800 metres down the carriageway, they will get an alert to say that there's been an encroachment."

Of course, the dangers to road workers may not always come from deliberate action.

This is where Significant Risk Thinking comes into play. National Highways and the Supply

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2024 TP 29

"Lastyearwe hadour very first prosecutionfor someone drivinga vehicleintoa work site and usingitas a deadlyweapon" Chain Safety Leadership Group are focused on eliminating the risks road workers face every day, from incursions into roadworks and incident closures to the daily interface with moving plant and vehicles.

Mel Clarke, director of health, safety & wellbeing at National Highways, says that for her organisation, injuries are also likely to come from HGVsdriving into the back of traffic officer vehicles.

"That's happening with a worrying degree of regularity on our hard shoulders," she says.

"One of the projects we're currently trialling is incursions monitoring and alerts. There's an opportunity to have an audible alarm that alerts traffic officers if they are in danger of being hit.

It won't give them a lot of time, but even if it gives them an extra couple of seconds to get behind the barrier and up the embankment then that's fantastic."

TOP TECH SOLUTIONS

Other innovations protect workers and even the individuals who encroach on roadworks sites. Andrew Cox, managing director at FM Conway and the head of National Highways' Supply Chain Safety Leadership Group, gives an example: "Statistically, a lot of people have been killed and injured by reversing vehicles.

So nearly all surfacing contractors now have stopping radars, which can detect objects behind the vehicle. If it does, the system will apply the brake automatically and physically stop it from going further."

Cox and Clarke also point to the success of enhanced mobile carriageway closures (EMCCs),the signs on the back of slowmoving or stationary vehicles that allow traffic management contractors to create a traffic-free zone at roadworks.

"This eliminates the need for emergency traffic management when road workers are exposed in the live lane," Clarke explains. "It's like a rolling roadblock that a police or traffic officer would operate and seriously reduces the likelihood of anyone getting hurt."

Campbell also explains that the use of camera technology is both a deterrent to road worker abuse and the source of crucial evidence.

30 TP NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2024

"We use more CCTVcameras now, as well as body cameras," he says. "Capturing evidence is very important to us, as it's then clear to people what's happened, what caused it and the behaviour of both parties. This is vital because we push for prosecutions in many cases."

Cox points to the safety improvements in the area of People Plant Interface, one of the top fatal risks in the construction industry.

"We have AI cameras currently tracking people within the slew radius of excavators," he explains, "which automatically stops the excavator should someone come in within the slew range."

Mel Clarke

TAKING THE ISSUE SERIOUSLY

While practical measures will undoubtedly help alleviate the issues around road worker safety, when it comes to abuse from the public, demonstrating the consequences of such behaviour is key.

AndrewCox

ROAD WORKER SAFETY

WORK IN PROGRES National Highways has been working with Connected Places Catapult on the Hazard Protection on Roads Accelerator competition.

OutofS0 applicants, six have been selected to deliver their ideas in trials until the end of November

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End the abuse

ENHANCED VEHICLE DETECTION

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Wiltshire-based CrossTech is currently working on a stopped vehicle detection verification system, which is designed to prevent incidents before they happen and reduce the amount of time workers need to spend in high-risk environments.

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VR HEADSET FOR BETTER DRIVING

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Nottingham-based Esitu Solutions is developing a virtual reality training course as a downloadable app for the Meta Quest headset to promote safer and more considerate driving.

EFFICIENT HARVESTING OF

ACCIDENT DATA

REAL-TIME TRAFFIC INSIGHT

"We're working closely with the police and the Crown Prosecution Service, and last year we had our very first prosecution for someone driving a vehicle into a work site and using it as a deadly weapon," Robinson says. "That set a judicial precedent and we currently have 15 other live prosecutions ongoing."

Meanwhile, educating the public about the importance ofroad workers is vital if they are to gain the respect they deserve. "Alot of the things we're doing with the Department for Transport are around questions such as, 'Why are the roadworks there?'," says Robinson. "We're trying to get the message across that these are necessary measures and should be taken very seriously."

SAFETY SKILLS Discover CIHT Learn's package of four site safety modules at bit.ly/CIHT-Safety-on-site

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Intelligent transportation systems company Valerann has created a real-time road data analytics platform that combines data from a range of sources to deliver road traffic insights and accidents risk modelling, enabling road traffic authorities to make more accurate decisions.

®

Devon-based firm VESOS has developed technology that can harvest eCall data automatically sent from vehicle electronics systems after a collision or breakdown. TeCall' gathers data regarding other hazard alerts and can identify if vulnerable drivers are involved.

BETTER MONITORING NEAR-MISSES

HAZARDOUS OBJECTS

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Roadside Technologies is creating an automated hazardous object detection tool using the latest in sensing technology to enhance warnings for drivers and enable smoother journeys through temporary work zones on roads.

For more information, go to bit.ly/NH-Hazard-Protection

IMPROVED DETECTION OF

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VivaCity's range of sensors provide data on interactions between road users and can focus on near-misses to enable a preventative response to road accidents.

CLUBCLASS Discover the value of being a CIHT member and how to get more out of the Institution WORDS / BETHAN FRANCE

A

S A MEMBEROF CIHT, you would be forgiven for thinking about what you get out of your subscription.

Indeed, it's good that you do, as an engaged membership is vital for the future of the Institution.

However, the question of value isn't always easy to answer as people will join CIHT and remain members for many different reasons. Some may want the enhanced status that membership provides, while others may want to access a network of fellow professionals and improve their chances of promotion.

Other reasons for membership include a direct link to information that enables members to keep up to date with the issues facing the profession. Then there's the vast range of learning resources and the opportunity to give back to the profession and see the vital contribution it makes to society.

Much of what your professional body provides for you may actually go unnoticed and there is the potential for it to be missed.

BROADEN YOUR HORIZONS

One of CIHT's strengths is the diversity of voices that make up its membership. As a member, you can access a large and diverse network of professionals working across the globe in highways, transportation and infrastructure.

This network spans many disciplines and roles, including academics, engineers, planners, consultants and public sector employees, and provides a valuable

32 TP NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2024

opportunity for collaboration and knowledge sharing.

Being part of this community enhances professional connections and provides a greater diversity of thought, opening doors to potential collaborations and career advancement. Our regular CIHT events, conferences and webinars further facilitate these connections, keeping you informed about the latest industry trends.

KNOWLEDGE CENTRE

In an industry as dynamic as transportation, keeping up with the latest developments in technology, best practice and regulatory frameworks is essential, and CIHT offers continuous professional development (CPD) activities through a mixture of events, webinars and online learning, including whitepapers, policy reports and commentary.

Our digital CPD platform, CIHT Learn, is designed to equip you with the necessary skills and knowledge to excel in your role.

We are also at the heart of setting, maintaining and monitoring educational and professional qualifications. As a chartered body, CIHT offers its members the opportunity to gain professional qualifications such as Chartered Engineer (CEng), Incorporated Engineer (!Eng) and Chartered Transport Planning Professional (CTPP)status, which

Bethan France is head of membership and member services at CIHT

remain open to individuals at any point in their careers. CIHT also ensures that university degrees and other courses remain relevant to the changing needs of the industry through our roles on the Joint Board of Moderators and the TPP Professional Standards Committee.

Along with climate action and equality, diversity and inclusion, professionalism is one of our overarching themes, with CIHT maintaining and improving the standards associated with ethics and behaviour through our membership Code of Conduct.

INFLUENCING THE FUTURE

CIHT actively engages with policymakers, government bodies and industry stakeholders to be a key influence on transport

"CIHT membership provides you with the necessary tools to stay ahead in a competitive and evolving industry"

A LIFETIME OF MEMBERSHIP Louise Dougan, B+P GBL critical pursuits director atAECOM,on the benefits of CIHT membership

infrastructure policies. By being a member, you can contribute to this process by participating in committees, working groups and consultations that shape the future of transportation policy and infrastructure development.

These panels and groups allow members to contribute to positive change in the sector, ensuring that your unique expertise and knowledge continue to help drive improvements in safety, sustainability and efficiency in transport systems. Being a member ensures that your voice is heard in the critical debates that matter.

As a CIHT member, you also gain access to a wealth of resources, including exclusive publications, technical guidance and industry reports. CIHT's digital library offers access to a wide range of technical papers, webinars and case studies, which can provide invaluable support for ongoing projects and career development.

COMMITMENT TO THE FUTURE

CIHTis committed to solutions that minimise the carbon footprint

of transport infrastructure and enhance sustainability. As a member, you are an important part of an organisation that makes sustainable development a priority and encourages innovation in design, planning and construction practices throughout the sector.

In short, being a member of CIHT offers immense value to transport professionals. From access to a global network, CPD and professional accreditation to influencing policy and accessing exclusive resources, membership provides you with all the tools necessary to stay ahead in a competitive and evolving industry.

For those committed to shaping the future of transportation and infrastructure, maintaining your membership with CIHT is an investment in personal growth, professional development and the entire success of the industry.

J"1 CONTACT US

9-j

To find out more about CIHT and its wide range of services, please email communications®ciht.org.uk

"I've been a member of CIHT since I was a student in the late-1990s. The Institution has been with me forever, a constant in my professional life. As I've changed employers, I've always remained a member of CIHT. It felt like the right place for me 27 years ago and it feels like the right place for me now.

"There are two valuable aspects to my time as a CIHT member. The first is through professional development, and I have become professionally qualified through the Institution, gaining chartered engineering status. I also won a few awards and accolades as a result: the Karen Burt Memorial Award in 2006 and the Young Transportation Professional Award in 2010. Having those awards was hugely beneficial for my career when I was young. I've subsequently gone on to become a CIHT Fellow and received the CIHT Certificate of Merit.

"The second aspect is joining the local Northern Ireland Regional Committee when I became chartered, which has been the real highlight of my CIHT journey. The committee has given me a huge number of connections and friendships, as well as teaching me a lot about the industry and its people.

'This year, Ijoined CIHT Council, which broadens my network further. As well as being part of a wider community, CIHT Council will give me a say in the direction of the Institution and the core topics within the industry. There's currently a real drive for decarbonisation of the infrastructure, as well as rapid digital transformation, and it's really important for me to be part of that conversation, influencing the direction of travel and influencing others to help drive change."

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2024 TP 33

TECHNICAL INSIGHT I

Al IN THE SKY Discover how 'Heads Up', the winner of the 2024 CIHT Road Safety Award, uses the latest technology to identify distracted drivers WORDS / GEOFF COLLINS

AS TWO OF THE 'fatal five' driving behaviours, being distracted and not wearing a seatbelt are among the most dangerous on the road. People have been aware of the problem for many years, but the dramatic rise in smartphone use has increased the need for a practical, operational solution that delivers long-term driver behaviour change.

I'm sure you have all witnessed someone on the road that was looking down while their car was weaving around the carriageway or travelling far too slowly. Driving while using a smartphone is a big problem on the highways and it happens pretty much everywhere and on all types of road. Everyone is aware there is an issue and there have been police operations to try and tackle it, but the behaviour has never been widely measured empirically before.

The 'Heads Up' system uses high-resolution cameras and infra-red illumination to capture images at just the right angle to identify drivers either using their smartphones or driving without a seatbelt. It gives police forces a cost-effective way to monitor driver behaviour 24 hours a day, in all weather conditions.

HOW IT WORKS

The 'Heads Up' system works by using a combination of advanced hardware and software technology.

Set up at the side of the road, two cameras are positioned at exactly

34 TP NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2024

"The useof smartphonesand seatbeltsis a very blackandwhite issue. No one isOK with peopletappingon a phonewhiledrivinga car"

the correct angles to take images of a driver from above and face-on.

Triggered by a radar that warns the system when a vehicle is approaching, the cameras take high- resolution images that can show whether a driver is using a smartphone held low down or against their ear.

Once the images are taken, the files are sent in real-time to a powerful image graphics processing unit (GPU), which has been previously 'trained' to

identify someone using their phone or not wearing a seatbelt.

The GPU will then almost immediately put a confidence flag against each image to show if it thinks there's a chance that someone might be on the phone or not wearing a seatbelt.

Fundamentally, what the system is doing is filtering out the images where there might be something of interest, and those images are then given to a human reviewer based in the UK to look at and decide

THE BIG PICTURE

Geoff Collins is UK general manager of Acusensus UK

whether the driver is using a phone or not wearing a seatbelt.

If everything is OK, that data is deleted immediately, but if the reviewer determines that a smartphone is being used or a seatbelt not being worn, the image goes for a second review where more information will be accessible. That information includes images showing the vehicle number plate and details such as make, model and other identifying features.

The second review will independently confirm if there is a violation, in which case the data will be downloaded and encrypted, and a secure file will be transferred to the relevant police force to consider whether they want to do something about it. So there's AI flagging then three whole layers of human review before anything further could happen.

It's very likely that you are going to see a lot more of these systems being used in the UK. There are 43 police regions in the UK and, of those, 19 have used the equipment. The first long-term project, with Devon and Cornwall Police, is fully operational now and the cameras will be out for at least a year, monitoring multiple locations.

One thing I've found heartening is that we've carried out several trials with UK police forces and nearly all of them have said they want to do more. That's backed up by the public, who are very supportive of this approach. The use of smartphones and seatbelts is a very black and white issue.

No one is OK with people tapping on a phone while driving a car.

Even if it's a relatively small proportion of people who drive while distracted or without a seatbelt, it's enough to create a substantial hazard for everyone else on the road. You are twice as likely to die in a serious collision if you are not wearing a seatbelt.

So if everyone wears a seatbelt then there would be hundreds more people alive in the UK at the end of every year.

The reason I think 'Heads Up' is important is that the two risky behaviours it monitors are ones that people get into a habit of doing, and once you are in that habit, you keep on doing it, which significantly increases the chances of a tragic outcome. My hope is that we get to a point where people automatically put their phones out of reach when they drive and wear their seatbelt for every journey, because there's a chance that they might be detected. And that would save hundreds of lives every year.

2025 CIHT AWARDS Register your interest in the 2025 CIHT Awards at bit.ly/CIHT-2025-Awards

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NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2024 TP 35

TP PROGRESS

MASTERCLASS

IHIOVN TOooo USEBEHAVIOURAL SCIENCETO IMPROVEROADSAFETY Changing risky behaviours on the road takes more than lectures and warnings WORDS I HOLLY HOPE-SMITH

BEHAVIOURALSCIENCE deals with every area of a specific challenge: the context of the challenge, what needs to be changed and what we need to do to motivate people to use the solution once it's there.

In transport, you are often dealing with behaviours that are habitual. In these cases, approaches using emotions other than fear work best. Smoking is a good example. There's good evidence to suggest that fear-based messaging, which is still the main strategy used in public health, is very good at stopping people from becoming smokers, but has little or no value to those who are habitual smokers. They require a different approach.

Because of the way our brain works, we don't pay very much attention to information that we don't think we need. As it's not useful to us, we don't attend to it. So we have to be careful when we think about messaging. We ask questions such as, 'How do you get people to pay attention?'.

After all, if you can't get people to read your message then you can't effect the change.

that young men speeding in high-performance cars were the root cause of the problem.

National surveys indicate that seatbelt use is very high in the UK, but when we looked at the road collision statistics for Birmingham, we saw very high levels of passenger casualties in very specific areas. This led us to the hypothesis that this was because people were not wearing seatbelts in the area. So we tested this theory and found that in East Birmingham, 38% of people were not wearing a seatbelt - over six times higher than the 6% national rate. Further analysis showed that most casualties were of South Asian origin, peaking at ages 16-24, so we focused on this age group.

People assume that everyone knows they should wear a seatbelt, but we've not had a new seatbelt campaign for decades. We believe that the problem has been solved, but we have entire populations of young people who have never seen a seatbelt campaign. And the campaigns that were done in the past were very white British and don't reflect the diverse population we have now.

Seatbelt surveys The 'Fasten Up Your Future' campaign came from work we carried out with Birmingham City Council (BCC),Transport for West Midlands, and the Road Safety Trust. East Birmingham was experiencing very high casualty figures and BCCthought

Interview insight To create the new campaign, we worked with young people to understand what their concerns were regarding seatbelt use. They felt that not wearing a seatbelt was a very low-risk behaviour compared to other aspects of road safety. They also perceived their

36 TP NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2024

CASUALTY CAMPAIGN 'Fasten Up Your Future' used the concept of 'anticipated regret', the feeling experienced of the regret we would feel in the future about decisions we are currently making

risk of dying as zero, which is a very normal thing for most teenagers to believe, despite the statistics being the complete opposite in the event of a road accident.

The other key finding was that young people really cared about their future. They were very focused on achieving their life ambitions, such as going to university, getting their own house, getting married, having all the traditional status symbols. This made us think that rather than focusing on fear-based messaging "' g around losing your life, it was ill actually better to say, 'You could ~:,: lose your future'. : We got a lot of rich information ~ from the young people about their

~ thoughts and what would motivate

shown to increase the intention to wear a seatbelt after watching.

Those who identified as South Asian showed a 35% increase in levels of emotion when viewing a behaviourally optimised campaign, demonstrating the effectiveness of the approach.

What we were trying to do with the campaign was elicit an emotional response, which is important because emotion is one way that we embed memory.

Things that cause emotion are much more likely to be embedded in our memory and recalled later, so if you can elicit an emotional response then the message of wearing your seatbelt every time you get in a car is more likely to be recalled and acted upon.

Holly Hope-Smith is head of behavioural scienceat SoMoCo

piece of the Safe System puzzle because it explores the interaction between the environment and what people actually do.

Sometimes we can make transport decisions that look great on paper, but when you examine them from a behavioural science perspective, you can see that a change in environment may have unintended consequences on road user behaviour.

There's a lot more intelligenceled road safety work going on in the transport industry at national and local levels, partly because of increased access to data. This is great to see and will hopefully lead to better decision-making in terms of design and road safety.

0:

~

them. We then put all of that into

~ a video campaign, which was

Follow the data Behavioural science is the missing

DIVE DEEPER For more information about SoMoCo's work, go to somoco.co.uk

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NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2024 TP 37

THERE ARE SOME VERY interesting dynamics at play with automated vehicles (AVs).

There's a lot of excitement and a lot of scepticism, with a lot of questions to which no one has all the answers to yet.

I often draw a parallel between AVsand smart motorways. Smart motorways achieved their expected safety performance and are typically regarded as the safest form of motorway for the most serious type of crash. However, the public perception of how safe they are can be at odds with statistical measurements of safety.

I'm concerned that we're sleepwalking into a similar

38 TP NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2024

situation with AVs.While they may eventually be shown to be the safest vehicles on the road, the coverage of the collisions that occur and the lack of transparency from developers in terms of how their vehicles operate may result in a much more negative perception than they deserve. We may then miss out on the potential safety and accessibility benefits that AVspromise to deliver due to the perceived risk that they pose.

collisions on the road. An AVwill never be affected by alcohol, drugs, fatigue or distraction, or exceed the speed limit - all common causes of crashes for human drivers.

However, the argument that AVsmust be safer because they don't do all these things doesn't acknowledge the new types of risk that may be introduced, such as programming errors or sensor degradation. For example, are we confident that an AVwill always behave correctly when its systems

Safety benefits

The biggest potential safety benefit from AVscomes from the elimination of human behaviours that currently contribute to

Dr Nick Reed is founder of the independent consultancy Reed Mobility

TP PROGRESS

Decisions decisions

are exposed to the day-to-day wear of driving with sensors exposed to challenges such as dirt, vibration, temperature variation and so on?

Another issue with AVsis the acceptability of collisions that may happen because of these new technology-related risks. A human can empathise with a driver who crashed because they were blinded by an oncoming full-beam light, but the public may be less charitable towards an AVthat crashes in easy driving conditions ~ because of a programming bug. It ~ wouldn't matter if the vehicle had $ operated safely 99. 99% of the time. e~ You don't get a free pass because you have been safe in the past.

The question of ethics for the AV industry is one that comes up a lot. This is often framed in terms of the instantaneous choices that an AVhas to make regarding collisions and how to achieve the best safety outcome. So what are the right choices in terms of minimising harm to the vehicle's occupants, otherroadusers,damageto third-party property and so on?

The first point is that humans don't always do very well when making such split-second judgments. People have an instinctive reaction when faced with potentially fatal choices, but that reaction may not always be the best one in the situation. An AVwill have those same choices, but the difference will come in the post-collision analysis and the ability to learn from that collision.

This is why transparency will be so important to understanding why AVsdo what they do in certain situations. In general, the public accept the fact that AVsaren't going to be perfect, but they are very keen that we learn from every incident to prevent such crashes happening again in the future. There should be a process to capture and share the learning from every incident to minimise the risk of such crashes happening again.

The issue of ethics in AVsis not about which life has more value: the baby or the grandparent, the occupants of a vehicle or other road users. Those questions have a sociological interest, but in terms of actual benefit and deployment of the technology, there's a lot to learn about how we collect data and use it to prevent collisions happening at all.

i

Automated Vehicles Act

*

Key to the success of AVsis responsible deployment. Of course, no one should be harmed as a result of the actions of these vehicles, but a crash could set the

industry back years. This could result in society missing out on the potential benefits they offer while we wait for the issue to be resolved and for everyone to become comfortable with their use.

The Automated Vehicles Act 2024 is a positive attempt to capture the safety benefits of AVs. The Act says that road safety must improve through the deployment of automated vehicles and that no category of road user should be at increased risk. So even if your roads are much safer in general, creating an increased risk to pedestrians or cyclists would not be acceptable. Having that characterised in law is really helpful to the industry and the future roll-out of the technology.

Inspect our gadgets

The Act also includes provision for authorised automated vehicle inspectors, a dedicated branch that would look at the causes of crashes involving automated vehicles.

We're fortunate in this country in that our roads are relatively safe, and if you deploy AVvehicles, they are unlikely to crash as long as they follow the rules of the road.

However, we need to know that vehicles are sensing all of the objects and hazards they must detect in order to drive carefully and competently. Is an AV insufficiently capable of detecting children because they are smaller?

Does it have a problem with motorcycles because they filter between other traffic?

A critical element for AVsis the data that companies will be required to share to demonstrate that their vehicles are operating safely and how that data is analysed and reported. That will be key to improving road safety and societal acceptance of this potentially transformational technology.

n_ PAVETHE WAY

'l.j

For more information about AVs, go to pavecampaign.org

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2024 TP 39

SPONSORED CONTENT

SAFESYSTEMOR SYSTEMIC? John-Paul Doherty at AtkinsRealis considers which approach is the best for road safety /Jf'Alifetime of road safety' was the title of the last road safety statement published by the Department for Transport (Dff) in 2019. Yet the pandemic and numerous government and policy changes made since then mean that the statement feels like a lifetime ago. With the new government now in place and a spending review imminent, we await news of a new Road Safety Framework.

Published by the Dff in September, the collision figures for 2023 show a mixed picture in terms of progress. While there was a 5% reduction in the number of fatalities compared with 2022, the number of people killed and seriously injured (KSI) showed no improvement.

There were 29,711 KSls and a total of 132,977 recorded casualties. It's widely accepted that progress in reducing the number of casualties has slowed dramatically since 2010.

FIVE PILLARS OF SAFETY

Across the world, the Safe System approach is regarded as the best practice for road safety. This is based on the principle of Vision Zero, which states that no one should be killed or seriously injured on our roads because death and serious injury are unacceptable and preventable.

The 'Safe System' in question is every part and aspect of our road system.

While we are yet to fully adopt this thinking nationally in the UK, it is being adopted by some organisations, such as the Scottish Government, Transport for London and a small number of other local highway authorities.

The approach is usually presented as a wheel comprising five pillars: safe people, safe vehicles, safe roads, road safety management and post-crash care. This allows actions to be placed neatly into these pillars. For example, the International Road Assessment Programme (iRAP)fits neatly into the safe roads pillar.

While this is a helpful visualisation, it immediately distracts from the principles of shared responsibility and redundancy that the philosophy requires to be successful. The pillar approach

nd put safety first in everything we do also leads to existing actions to improve road safety simply being moved across to the new structure, causing people to wonder what the difference between traditional road safety and the Safe System approach actually is.

If the new Road Safety Framework is going to rely on the Safe System approach and be successful, then road safety professionals will need to be equipped with a better understanding of what the system really means and how it can be applied in practice. The approach relies on a fundamental shift in thinking over the longer term, and therefore we must be able to explain what changes we are advocating for and expect from different parties involved.

ACTION NOT REACTION

The biggest difference between traditional road safety and the Safe System approach is that we need to be proactive and put safety first in everything we do. We shouldn't just learn from collisions that occur but should

proactively remove risk from the road system. We cannot expect a Safe System to suddenly arrive and result in change.

Instead, we need to work collaboratively to build a new framework for decision making and prioritising actions.

When and ifwe achieve a Safe System depends on the funding and political will to support it, something that industry can influence but not control. What we can do as safety professionals is to be more systematic and systemic, working across pillars, gathering the views of all actors in the system, reviewing and combining the various data sources and evidence available, removing excessive speed and using behavioural science and human factors to understand where mistakes could occur and how we can influence road user behaviour.

Some of our traditional road safety actions will remain appropriate but we should challenge ourselves to adopt new approaches and begin to identify and prioritise Safe System actions that support the journey to Vision Zero.

TP PROGRESS

FROM THE UKRLG

KNOWLEDGE SPAN A recent UKRLG Bridges Board gathered key sector experts to discuss how to reduce the carbon impact of bridges WORDS/ MATILDA FISHER

ACHIEVINGNET ZEROIS a significant challenge for the transport and highways sector, and this is no different for those working in the bridge sector.

Bridges are among the most carbon-intensive elements of transport infrastructure, with the production of new cement and steel especially problematic.

As critical assets within the transport network, stakeholders across the industry must ensure that bridges operate in line with a range of safety, economic and social considerations, while striving to reduce their impact on the environment. To help achieve this, the UKRLGBridges Board recently held a net zero-themed workshop to share knowledge and insight among a range of specialists from across the UK. The workshop featured a series of presentations, including an introduction to PAS2080 by Brian Duguid, chair of the Net Zero Bridges Group, and Chris Hendy, professional head of bridge engineering at AtkinsRealis, who spoke about the reliability of structural assessment methods.

In addition, COWi associate Cameron Archer-Jones delivered an insight into carbon calculation; concrete technology consultant Andrew Mulholland spoke about innovations in material carbon;

and Lucy Hayes, net zero lead for the Lower Thames Crossing, explained how the project centralised carbon within the procurement process.

"Carbon reduction is a huge topic with different elements to consider, including materials, procurements and assessments," said Hazel McDonald, chair of the UK Bridges Board, at the event.

Carbon culture

One of the key topics of the workshop was how to maintain the focus on carbon reduction - a key challenge in an industry that's grappling with a lack of time and staff. "Carbon considerations need to become part ofbusiness-asusual," said Duguid.

The group also discussed ways to promote carbon reduction on a cultural level within the sector, citing award ceremonies as an important opportunity to celebrate the work that reduces the environmental impact of bridges -work that can be overshadowed by higher profile but more carbon-intensive projects.

BRIDGE LINK For more information on the UKRLG Bridges Board, go to bit.ly/UKRLG-Bridges-Board

Effective asset management

For bridges, maintenance is often the route to carbon reduction, with the construction of new bridges posing extra challenges in terms of environmental impact compared to preserving existing structures. But when working with existing bridges, it's important to take a system-wide approach, considering factors such as the impact of bridge maintenance works on traffic management strategies to avoid even more pollution.

"Youmust think about aspects such as how much a journey is extended if you close one lane of a bridge and how long the alternative routes are," said Archer-Jones.

Meanwhile, Duguid's presentation explained the best ways to map the carbon reduction hierarchy of 'avoid, switch, improve' to the lifecycle of new bridges, as well as effective asset management of existing structures.

As the UK's bridges get older and climate resilience becomes more important, careful consideration of the strategies to maintain the safety and usability of bridges while working towards specific net zero goals becomes more pressing than ever.

Matilda Fisher is a policy advisor at CIHT

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2024 TP 41

CIHT JOURNEYS

MY ~DUOAirllOINI JOURNEY Dr Jwan Kamla, principal operational road safety engineer at Jacobs, explains the satisfaction she receives from educating herself and others IT'S TRUE WHAT THEY SAY: every day is a learning day. In my work as a road safety specialist and CIHT East Midlands Chair, I experience satisfaction from learning new things as well as educating others about road safety.

It's been an exciting and fulfilling journey since I began my career in road safety engineering with a PhD focused on enhancing road safety outcomes. I explored the complexities of road safety through comprehensive research, utilising big data analytics to gain insights into collision predictions, causation and risk factors.

Throughout my academic journey, I was the kind of student who really enjoyed going through books, tackling questions and solving problems. I also loved sharing my knowledge with other students. I now apply that knowledge as a road safety specialist by delving into new information and solving large and complex problems.

PRIDE AND SATISFACTION

My career gives me a very personal sense of satisfaction that I'm involved with saving lives. Over the years, I've had the opportunity to work on a range of projects, from feasibility and research studies to statistical analysis.

I also became actively involved in undertaking safety risk assessments, walking, cycling and horse-riding assessments, and detailed collision investigations.

Each project strengthened my understanding of safety at a network-wide level, allowing

me to conduct in-depth evaluations and assessments to influence safety outcomes.

Through all this I have had the opportunity to have a role in improving road safety, reducing casualties and saving lives. I'm proud to contribute to making our roads safer and am excited to continue pushing the boundaries of road safety engineering. I am not just protecting myself but those around me, ensuring safer and smoother travel for everyone.

Having an awareness of road safety has really changed my driving. I am mindful of everything when I drive and have spread that knowledge to my husband and daughter, and everyone around me, all in the cause of saving lives.

It's not fair that anyone should be harmed on the network for whatever reason. We say that the majority of harm done in collisions is due to driver error, but there are many other factors, some of which might be unknown.

"It's not fair that anyone should be harmed on the network" KNOWLEDGE CENTRE

I am also able to spread my road safety knowledge to university students and raise awareness among the younger generation.

I'm very keen to talk to students, because during my time studying for a BSc in civil engineering, road safety wasn't included in the syllabus. It's very important that we include road safety as model and ensure it's taught to civil engineering students.

One of the benefits of being a volunteer with CIHT and SoRSA is that I receive requests from universities to give lectures on road safety, as well as professional development and the benefits of joining CIHT.My experience as part of CIHT East Midlands has helped me network and make a lot of connections with people.

It's a great package.

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START YOUR OWN JOURNEY Find out how to join your local CIHT region by visiting bit.ly/CIHT-Regions

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