Impact of an adequate road environment on the safety of non-motorised road users

Abstract

In South African, as is the case in most other developing countries, a significant proportion of the population walk or cycle on a daily basis to their places of work and to other destinations. Road accident casualties (fatalities and injuries) among these vulnerable road users (VRUs) have always been high and in 2004, they constituted about 41% i.e. 5 309 of the 12 727 road fatalities on South African roads. Non-motorised road users (NMRUs) comprise a variety of road users, mostly pedestrians or cyclists. The objective of this chapter is to highlight the research findings and those strategies and guidelines (which have been developed regarding the road environment) that should be addressed in order to improve the challenges that NMRUs have to face on a daily basis. The chapter also lists the human requirements that would ensure that people used safe facilities. Issues within the road environment that contribute to casualties among NMRUs are highlighted. These include the lack of a holistic approach to network planning; the inadequate and inconsistent provision of non-motorised transport infrastructure; poor integration of transportation and land-use planning; as well as the inadequacy of public transport planning aimed at reducing risk and exposure. Furthermore, strategies / countermeasures are discussed to promote the safety of VRUs. These include the strategies, policies, work plans and practices of government departments such as the Department of Transport (DoT) and the Department of Provincial and Local Government (DoPLG). The chapter concludes with the major shortfalls still being experienced in improving the road environment for NMRUs and also lists the areas that need to be researched. The development of proper guidelines for the provision of safe facilities for rural pedestrians and cyclists is one of the major areas that need to be researched