INGENIEUR
INGENIEUR
Several elements( Figure 1) are vital for a sustainable iRAP programme to generate high impact outcomes in the long term. Road assessment covers road surveys, star ratings and identification of high impact treatment programmes— the findings of which are to be channelled to the road authorities( for implementation of road improvement works) and road users( as safety information for travelling plans). In addition, research and development activities will run parallel to all the above to discover new findings and improve the existing models.
Each stakeholder of the programme has its roles and responsibilities in at least one of the elements. In view of the need to institutionalise the programme, so as to create a strong partnership among the stakeholders and to co-ordinate programme activities, a steering committee was formed under the Cabinet Committee for Road Safety chaired by the Deputy Prime Minister. The steering committee comprises heads of Government agencies that have direct interests in the ownership and safety of the roads, and is chaired by the Secretary General of the Ministry of Transport.
The terms of reference for the steering committee are set in line with the different roles and responsibilities of each stakeholder so as to ensure that the‘ burden’ is shared equally. Besides determining selection criteria for roads to be surveyed and monitoring the progress, the committee played a vital role in co-ordinating the effort among agencies in each Ministry to expedite road improvement works. Another critical role of the steering committee is establishing funding mechanisms to sustain the programme. Apart from costs for road improvement which is to be covered by the Government( for public roads) and concessionaires( for tolled roads), operating costs to carry out road assessments, i. e. road surveys and data analysis, amount to a significant portion of the total programme expenses.
the road geometrics were found to be adequate in terms of safety requirements, certain improvements to the roadside environment were found to be worth investigating. As far as reducing the risk of getting killed or seriously injured in a run-off crash is concerned, making hazardous objects or environment less severe is very critical.
Acknowledging the fact that certain roadside sections are hazardous to drivers, a number of‘ quick-fix’ countermeasure programmes were identified and endorsed by the steering committee. The presence of a retaining wall within the clear zone for example( Figure 2a), will expose errant drivers to high risk of sustaining serious injuries
a) Source: MIROS, 2015
Assessment of Major Rural Expressways
In the first phase of the programme, a total of 2,370 km of rural expressways( both directions) were surveyed and star rated. While most of b) Source: PLUS, 2017
Figure 2: Retaining wall on the left( a) and installation of semi-rigid crash barrier( b).
12 VOL 70 APRIL-JUNE 2017