‘Safe Roads for Development’, a new guide to good practice in designing, building and operating inter-urban road networks, has been published by a coalition of organisations including the FIA Foundation.
The report was co-produced by the FIA Foundation, the International Road Assessment Programme (iRAP), International Roads Federation (IRF), World Road Association (PIARC) and the Global Road Safety Facility. It is also endorsed by the Global Transport Knowledge Partnership (GTKP) and Global Road Safety Partnership (GRSP), while the International Federation of Pedestrians was also actively involved in drafting the final document.
Safe Roads for Development showcases the best available good practice for safe inter-urban road infrastructure and acts as a ‘signpost document’, providing a wide range of sources for detailed information and advice. The document is a sister document to the good practice guides on drink driving, helmets, seat belts and speed management produced under the auspices of the UN Road Safety Collaboration by the FIA Foundation, GRSP, Global Road Safety Facility and World Health Organization. The report was prepared by a working group of the UN Road Safety Collaboration, led by IRAP Technical Director Dr Steve Lawson.
The good practice guide was launched on 26th May 2010 at the IRF World Meeting in Lisbon, Portugal, and also at the Asian Development Bank’s Transport Forum in Manila, Philippines. At the ADB Make Roads Safe Global Ambassador Michelle Yeoh joined ADB Vice President Ursula Schaeffer-Preuss to launch the document. The multilateral development banks, including the ADB, are responsible for billions of dollars of road investment each year and are potentially very influential in promoting safer policy approaches to road infrastructure.
David Ward, FIA Foundation Director General, said: “This guide to ‘Safe Roads for Development’ demonstrates the consensus across many organisations that designing and building safe road infrastructure holds the key to significant reductions in road casualties across the developing world. Since our 2008 Safer Roads conference, held in partnership with the World Bank’s Global Road Safety Facility and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, there has been great progress in raising safe road infrastructure on the agenda and building it as a priority into the operations of development banks. Many lives can be saved if we learn from the mistakes of the past and work to ensure safe roads for the future. This document can play an important role in helping to make this happen”.
Click here to download 'Safe Roads for Development' >