Road Safety Inspection RSI

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Road Safety Inspection (RSI)

• Herman J. Moning MSc.
• Rijkswaterstaat - Centre for Transport and
  Navigation - The Netherlands

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Overview Eur Dir PPChecklists
Planning process
European Directive
Schemes/ checklists
Method RSIA
RSafety
Impact Assessm
Guidelines checklists
Global design
RS Audit Global design
Guidelines checklists
Detailed design
RS Audit Detailed design
Checklists
Construction
RS Audit Pre-opening
Checklists
Road in operation
RS Audit After opening
Method of Inspection
RS Inspection
Network Safety Mgt
Maintenance
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Presentation RSI
Planning process
European Directive
Schemes/ checklists
Method RSIA
RSafety
Impact Assessm
Guidelines checklists
Global design
RS Audit Global design
Guidelines checklists
Detailed design
RS Audit Detailed design
Checklists
Construction
RS Audit Pre-opening
Checklists
Road in operation
RSI
RS Audit After opening
Method of Inspection
RS Inspection
Network Safety Mgt
Maintenance
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Content RSI

• What prescribes EU-directive (October 2008)?
• What is a road safety inspection?
• Why to execute inspections?
• Who should execute inspections?
• How to execute an inspection?
• What is the frequency of inspections?
• How to report the results?
• What to do tomorrow in Cyprus?

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European Directive (1)

• Road safety inspections contain
• periodic inspections of the road network on the
  road safety of the traffic flow
• surveys on the possible impact of road works on
  the road safety of the traffic flow
• Member States shall ensure that periodic
  inspections are undertaken by the competent entity

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European Directive (2)

• Inspections shall be sufficiently frequent to
  safeguard adequate safety levels for the road
  infrastructure in question
• Member States shall adopt guidelines on temporary
  safety measures applying to road works. They
  shall also implement an appropriate inspection
  scheme to ensure that those guidelines are
  properly applied

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Content RSI

• What prescribes EU-directive (October 2008)?
• What is a road safety inspection?
• Why to execute inspections?
• Who should execute inspections?
• How to execute an inspection?
• What is the frequency of inspections?
• How to report the results?
• What to do tomorrow in Cyprus?

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What is a RSI ?

• A road safety inspection is
• a regular, systematic on site inspection of
  existing roads covering the whole network and in
  case of road works
• conducted by trained teams of experts
• to identify hazardous conditions and deficiencies
  that may lead to (serious) accidents, resulting
  in a formal report
• RSI is also a tool within Network Safety
  Management
• an essential tool for preventing possible dangers
  for all road users, including vulnerable users

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RSA ? RSI
Remark RSA and RSI are in large extent based on
similar procedures and checklists

• RSA stage 1 preliminary design
• RSA stage 2 building or detailed design
• Road will be (re)constructed
• RSA stage 3 pre-opening audit
• RSA stage 4 after opening audit
• RSI periodical inspections

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RSI and daily maintenance

• It is very important to distinguish two types of
  inspections
• Daily maintenance inspections
• Road safety inspections
• Daily maintenance inspection is a daily review
  where the infrastructure is reviewed and asap
  remedied
• potholes,
• damaged traffic signs,
• broken down traffic lights,
• overhanging branches .

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RSI and daily maintenance

• Daily maintenance inspection is network
  management from day to day
• carried out by a road inspector
• road inspector has not
• an independent status,
• a broad safety focus,
• detailed skills for safety inspections
• Both type of inspections form a part of the total
  management process and practice

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Content RSI

• What prescribes EU-directive (October 2008)?
• What is a road safety inspection?
• Why to execute inspections?
• Who should execute inspections?
• How to execute an inspection?
• What is the frequency of inspections?
• How to report the results?
• What to do tomorrow in Cyprus?

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Why RSIs? (1)

• To evaluate road sections in operation
• to identify safety hazards which affect any type
  of road user
• to suggest measures to eliminate or to mitigate
  problems
• possibility to focus on special problem areas
  pedestrians, road sides, intersections, ..
• Pro-active and re-active approach of road safety
• RSI is a tool within road network safety
  management. Objectives are
• to prevent (serious) accidents
• to keep the consequences of accidents to a
  minimum
• to avoid expensive remedial work

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Why RSIs (2)

• Causes of road accidents
• human factors 95
• road factors 16
• vehicle factors 6
• The way in which the road itself influences the
  road user is crucial
• accidents occur because road users fail to cope
  with their road environment
• their ability to cope can be influenced by basic
  design factors
• infrastructure not only influences accident
  prevention but also injury mitigation

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Content RSI

• What prescribes EU-directive (October 2008)?
• What is a road safety inspection?
• Why to execute inspections?
• Who should execute inspections?
• How to execute an inspection?
• What is the frequency of inspections?
• How to report the results?
• What to do tomorrow in Cyprus?

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Who will perform a RSI (1)?

• The aim is to build teams of road safety
  inspectors under justification of a competent
  entity
• the process / protocol of inspection
• the inspectors have the necessary up-to-date
  knowledge
• A team of at least two road safety inspectors
• independent of the road administration
• not involved in design / construction
• supported by the road inspector

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Who will perform a RSI (2)?

• Requirements of a road safety inspector
• relevant experience or training in road design,
  road safety, traffic engineering and accident
  analyses
• an initial training road safety inspector
  resulting in a certificate of competence
• take part in periodic further training courses

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Who will perform a RSI (3)?

• Team of inspectors with up to date knowledge of
• road safety and road design
• human factors / traffic psychology
• enforcement / police
• civil engineering (asphalt expert)
• Alternatives meetings/interviews relevant experts

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Content RSI

• What prescribes EU-directive (October 2008)?
• What is a road safety inspection?
• Why to execute inspections?
• Who should execute inspections?
• How to execute an inspection?
• What is the frequency of inspections?
• How to report the results?
• What to do tomorrow in Cyprus?

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How to do RSI 5 steps

• Preparation by desk research
• On site inspection
• Draw up the report
• Follow up, implementation of measures
• Check if everything has been done

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Preparation RSI (1)

• Investigations of accident data (3-5 years
  preceding RSI)
• Traffic data
• (intended) road function
• traffic volumes (AADT)
• specific groups of road users
• Drawings of the section
• Additionally data
• speed data
• experience police
• complaints residents / road users
• maintenance schemes/practices

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Preparation RSI (2)
Road safety map of Utrecht
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Preparation RSI (3)

• The identification of road sections with high
  accident concentrations
• high risk sites
• Network safety management
• A rough analysis of accidents can
• provide guidance in terms of priorities
• simplify the inspection
• Rough analysis of accident data means
• types of accidents
• locations of accidents

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RSI where to start?

• High risk sites and/or high accident rates
• E-roads are mostly very important international
  roads
• Thinking in three road categories
• a through road has priority above a distributor
  road
• a distributor road has priority above an access
  road
• Traffic volumes (AADT) within a specific road
  category
• Road sections where an improvement of
  infrastructure is expected to be highly efficient
  (highest benefit-cost ratio)
• Maintenance works (rehabilitation asphalt)

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Inspection safety principles

• Functionality of roads prevent unintended use of
  infrastructure
• Homogeneity prevent major variations in mass,
  speed and direction
• Recognisability of road design and predictability
  of the road course prevent uncertainty for road
  users
• Forgivingness of the physical surroundings free
  recovery zones, passive safety of objects

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Ideal road network
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On site inspection time

• Time of inspection
• during daytime and at night
• different seasons (snow)
• By car, bike or feet
• depends on the type of accidents
• depends on the kind of infrastructure
• the road needs to be seen from the road users
  perspective

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On site inspection questions

• How will all road users cope at all times and in
  all conditions with this road environment?
• All dimensions are correct?
• Does the design create confusion?
• Is there too much or too little information?
• Is there too little or too much visibility?
• Does the lay-out or actual condition create
  hazards or obstacles to road users (forgiving
  roadsides)?

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On site inspection tools

• Test the design against the up to date
  guidelines is important, but
• given the local circumstances, what is the best
  solution
• therefore an inspector needs to have experience
• Take pictures and / or video of findings /
  problems
• Use of checklists is recommended

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On site inspection checklists

• To be used as a tool, an aid at the end of the
  process
• to ensure that no major potential safety issue
  has been overlooked
• To structure the performing of the inspection
• checklist per problem area better than general
  checklist per road category
• To provide points of particular interest
• but
• Expertise, knowledge and experience of the
  inspectors are most crucial to do the inspection!

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Overload of information
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Inspection result
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Design does not support give way
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Content RSI

• What prescribes EU-directive (October 2008)?
• What is a road safety inspection?
• Why to execute inspections?
• Who should execute inspections?
• How to execute an inspection?
• What is the frequency of inspections?
• How to report the results?
• What to do tomorrow in Cyprus?

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Frequency of inspections

• RSI will become (in future) more or less a
  routine process
• Cross section, alignment and intersections will
  not change during some years, but have to be
  adapted to
• changing road functions
• traffic volume changes
• rehabilitations of surface (win-win situation)
• Road safety inspections every 2 to 4 year
• monitoring of measures of previous inspection
  will automatically happen
• Special elements changes (renewing guardrails)
• inspections at irregular intervals?
• preparation of the building design?

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Content RSI

• What prescribes EU-directive (October 2008)?
• What is a road safety inspection?
• Why to execute inspections?
• Who should execute inspections?
• How to execute an inspection?
• What is the frequency of inspections?
• How to report the results?
• What to do tomorrow in Cyprus?

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RSI report performance (1)

• Carry out inspections day after day
• first day inspection
• second day report the results
• third day inspection
• Use photos to support the presentation of
  inspection results
• Very important to indicate accurately the
  location of the problems
• RSI-report is always negative!

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RSI report content (2)

• Part 1 project data, a brief description of the
  project
• Part 2 brief description of the problems
• positive and negative effects
• the relative importance of each problem should be
  indicated (high, average, low).
• Part 3 proposals of counter measures

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RSI report content (3)

• Appendix
• maps and illustrations (photos) in order to
  clarify the results
• sketch of countermeasures (alternatives)
• list of basis inspection documents
• list of the members of the inspection
• list of all plans and other information examined
• A signed written report
• On request by the client a clarification by the
  team (no discussion)

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Content RSI

• What prescribes EU-directive (October 2008)?
• What is a road safety inspection?
• Why to execute inspections?
• Who should execute inspections?
• How to execute an inspection?
• What is the frequency of inspections?
• How to report the results?
• What to do tomorrow in Cyprus?

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What to do tomorrow

• Continue with your preparing work for RSI
• Set up of competent entity
• Draw up a protocol/guideline
• The steps to be followed and the elements to be
  considered
• Use available literature, guidelines,
• Decision process of different issues
• Combining with daily (maintenance) process
• Frequency of safety inspections
• Prioritising of roads

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What to do tomorrow

• Selection/training inspectors
• Certificated inspectors
• Regularly come back and renew knowledge