Conditions for transferability

NEWSLETTER 2The aim of SaferBraIn is to increase the level of safety of the whole road transport sys-tem and its components, focusing the attention on vulnerable road users, thus contribu-ting to the overall scope of reducing the number of fatalities and the severity of injuries caused by road accidents. We work together with India and Brazil aiming at adopting EU experiences thus improving VRU’s safety in these Countries.

ContentThe Safer BraIn project is steaming ahead. On the website the first results can be found on:Analyses of Local Requirements (newsletter 1)Conditions for transferability (newsletter 2)Methodologies and tools (newsletter 3)Recommendations and guidelines (newsletter 4)Pilot projects (newsletter 5)

In newsletter 6 we will be able to report on the planned trainings and details of the final conferences that will be held in India and Brazil. In this first newsletter we will introduce the relevant issues short and snappy. Easy access can be gained in the content letters that can be found on the website. Obviously you can also read all full documents.

PortugueseWe offer translations of some of the work done in Portuguese; for now we haveavailable for you:Inventário das necessidades locais para a melhoria da segurança no Trânsito dos Usuários Vulneráveis de Rodovias (UVR)Relatório sobre Auditoria de TransferibilidadeRelatório da Auditoria de TransmissibilidadeInventário das necessidades locais para a melhoria daRevisão das experiências e práticas sobre a gestão da segurança rodoviária, a audito-ria de segurança rodoviária, o projeto de infra-estrutura e planejamentoFuncionalidades e especificações do Sistema de Apoio à decisãoSistema de Apoio à Decisão

Short and snappyConditions for transferabilityIn order to determine the conditions for transferability we analyse the viability of transferability of the Euro-pean methodologies, tools and measures and their applicability to the Emerging Economies. We identify the performance efficiency of practices and methodologies intended to be applied in Emerging Economies compared to their application in Advanced, e.g. European, countries taking into account available experi-ence with those measures e.g. in Europe.

The document on conditions for transferability starts with an analysis of similarities and differences between Europe, India andBrazil in terms of:• conditions of vulnerable road users;• infrastructure design;• land-use configuration;• road safety management procedures.

Concurrently, barriers (e.g. cultural, political, institutional, legal, physical) to transferability of methodo-logies, measures and tools from Europe to India and Brazil will be identified. The main outcome is the development of a generalized transferability audit allowing to check the applicability and acceptability of available Road Safety Measures, Guidelines and Tools from European countries to Emerging Economies.

The main outcome of Safer BraIn will be the development of innovative guidelines, recommendations and tools for vulnerable road user (VRU) safety on Indian and Brazilian roads. These guidelines and recom-mendations will mainly focus on improving safety as part of the design and development process of safe roads. However, safety is also an important consideration at an even earlier phase, during the planning process, and not just of individual roads, but also of whole road networks and how future development will impact on safety levels. The human and economic damage caused by traffic accidents is largely preventable. Flaws in applying safety measures, coupled with inappropriate road user behaviour, can be overcome with concerned effort. Crucial is behaviour of road users in Emerging Economies, having a different social / cultural background and safety awareness experience, compared to Advanced Economies in Europe, North America or Japan. It is however difficult to simply transfer already tested safety measures from Europe or other advanced regions to those Emerging Economy regions or countries.Therefore, we have identified the performance efficiency of practices and methodologies for Emerging Economies and compared them to their application in European countries. The main outcome is the development of a generalized transferability audit allowing checking the applicability and acceptability of available Road Safety Measures, Guidelines and Tools. We have further developed the theoretical model for Transferability presented earlier in the project and defined the Transferability Audit and its supporting tools and concepts.

We introduce in this document the theoretical model on which the methodology is based. This model is then further developed and we introduce considerations about the cultural and human factors aspects explaining the main differences between Europe, Brazil and India. In the Transferability Audit that we deve-loped in SaferBraIn we synthesize the main results of practical tests for Brazil and India. The final section concludes and presents some considerations about the curriculum of Transferability Audit.

• Engineering - technical measures e.g. road design or traffic optimisation• Education - information and education• Enforcement - legislation and control• Encouragement - (economical) motivation, individual cost-benefit-consideration

Some conclusionsThe success of the process depends on an intercultural team making intercultural communication as an essential node point of the efforts. The “only presence” of engineers is not sufficient. Exploring new pos-sibilities for transferring Road Safety concepts and measures need acceptance by the objected recipient from the beginning and an accompaniment of further experts. It should be a constitutional convention of the team to accept the differences and to be ready for an adaptation by the members themselves.

Starting Transferability Audit it is necessary to provide from the beginning exceptional amount of communi-cation and motivation of all these experts to equalize a common basic knowledge of technical, cultural and language skills.

Standardized international English can be declared to be the common language. Finishing touches are quite difficult to find out without refined language. Though, the national language of EE has to be conside-red during TA in order to organise proper adaptation of measures also in terms of their translation. Public transport, bicycling and new features for pedestrians, legislation, advertisement and other contents needs communication with additional demand on language score. There are often new terms and phrases nee-ded to be introduced and explained to experts and community.

Technical knowledge in most of the EU countries is highly developed and can be very complex to be trans-ferred directly as several long term decisions have to be made. Safety concepts that are targeted to be transferred should be understood in their development in the origin unit and be seen in the time axis where a recipient unit can be expected when adapting and transferring it. Each concept has a history that must be communicated.

In the project the local pre-analysis workshops have been a platform to penetrate the problems, to under-stand each other, as well as to estimate the transferrable nucleus and to identify the EU local part to be adapted. Reiteration with permanent communication and meetings are a platform to bring different points of view closer together and to compensate different cultures of personal, verbal and written communication

The know-how of the Road Safety concepts and measures to be transferred has its own variety. The EU represents different nations and traditions as the targeted EE units do as well. All parties of SaferBraIn have a cohesion process within the units. The considerable spectrum even dealing with a new topic as VRU safety and transferability anticipating all activities through the lens of a real tests planned in Safer-BraIn is intensifying the efforts as real results have been expected. Terminology standards for the team must be shaped due to understanding content.

Integration of institutions dealing every day with road safety on a practical level is the best partnership. Even pilots prepared by TA analyses should have a grip on reality when dealing with conception of a regular Road Safety concept and measure adaptation to a new cultural unit. Also legal and institutional issues after identification of transferability must be taken into consideration to estimate the chances of real transfer on a practical level.

To form a data sample based on the knowledge structure of important work contents, the following is recommended:1. Cultural environment transferability consideration.2. Sample and communication about Road Safety concepts and VRU measure configuration in EU and EE; identification of measure packages.3. Integration of possible concepts in the 4E´s/CSIE Problem Priority Matrix.4. Analysing problem score of transfer evaluating Macro-, Meso- and Micro-Level contributions in the transferability data pyramid.5. Reiterating while communicating the results until a stabile balance between both sides EU and EE unit is achieved.

As a consequence, it is recommended to proceed qualification structure before trying to transfer measures. The experience within TA for SaferBraIn shows that the identification of problems and the improvement is supported by the qualitative-quantitative indicators of PPM analyses and even the visualised results give a useful help to make reiterations. It is considered that the TA helps to avoid heavy mistakes and indicates the amount of additional efforts for heavy challenging concepts and measures.

The full documents can be found here:Interim Report on Transferability AuditReport on Transferability Audit

Also available are online short documents on:Interim Report on Transferability AuditExecutive SummaryRoad Safety SpaceThe CIVITAS methodology for transferabilityRoad Safety MeasuresInnovative Guidelines and Tools for Vulnerable Road Users Safety in India and Brazil

Report on Transferability AuditExecutive SummaryRoad Safety MeasuresLayout of the Transferability AuditCultural and social background for Brazil and IndiaCultural Models and cultural dimension 4E’s in Cultural ContextRoad Safety Space factors Brazil India

The content can also be read in Portuguese. Relevant documents in Portuguese can be found here: Relatório sobre Auditoria de TransferibilidadeRelatório da Auditoria de Transmissibilidade

This News Letter was produced by Velo Mondial in the context of its dissemination tasks for Safer BraIn.Please send any comments, queries, advice you may have to Safer BraIn c/o Antonino Tripodi:tripodi@ctl.uniroma1.it

Partners in Safer BraIn• University of Rome, Italy• Loughborough University, UK• Master Plan BV, Netherlands• IMR, Brazil• Balancia, Netherlands• A+S Consult GmbH FuE, Germany• Mobycon, Netherlands• SUNCON Pvt. Ltd., India• Foundation of Support to University of San Paulo, Brazil• Volkswagen India Pvt. Ltd., India• I&D Consulting, Belgium• I.T. Ingegneria dei Trasporti srl, Italy Articles about road safety• In poll season, better traffic flow ideas likely to fall on deaf ears, Times India, 25.5.2011• Decade of action• Cycle path with room for improvement• Critical Mass in Brazil, 25.2.2011, VERY SAD NEWS!• Pune: Mishaps down, but deaths are a worry, TOI 30 Nov 2010• DHL Deutsche Post, Global Road Safety Initiative• PROMISING: Cost-benefit analysis of measures for vulnerable road users• Need for evolving a hassle-free system for pedestrians• India streets• Gehl & Hook: a cool duo• Europe: more action on road safety• Punes Pilot Project, TOI 4 Sep 2010• Walkers have little space on many widened roads, TOI 03 Sep 2010• Walkability in Asian cities: state and issues• GTZ Sourcebook Module on Financing Sustainable Urban Transport• Deadliest for Walkers: Male Drivers, Left Turns• Bottom-up urban planning, Standard / New Delhi 18 Jul. 2010• India and Brazil Green• Shimlas’ strategy to curb road accidents: Build a temple• Traffic in the Era of Climate Change - Walking, Cycling, Public Transport Need Priority• Pune gets ready for skywalks, TOI 30 Jun. 2010• Commuting school children TOI 27 Jun. 2010• Traffic control branch Pune statistics June 2010• Drunk driving, TOI 22 Jun. 2010• LordRobertsonCommGRoadSafety DecadeofAction BBC4 20110511 by Morten7an• Parking norms, TOI 8 Jun. 2010• Road Safety Patrol, Pune• Traffic offences, TOI 15 Apr. 2010• ‘Killer’ roads to turn safe, one by one• Volvo introduces helmet to protect against Volvos • “Where are we to walk?”, from Pune in Maharashtra, India (video)• Jaipal Reddy urges states to promote public transport