540 Directory of organizations

1 . ONSER, 2 Avenue du General Malleret Joinville, 91 114 Arcueil (pres de

2. Laboratoire des Chocs et de Biomecanique, ONSER, 109 Avenue Salvador,

3. Laboratoire de Psychologie de la Conduite, ONSER, Autodrome, 91310

Paris).

Allende - 69500 Bron.

Linas-Montlhery.

Transport and Road Research Laboratory, United Kingdom

Purpose and scope

The Transport and Road Research Laboratory of the British Department of the En- vironment and Department of Transport provides technical and scientific advice and information to help in formulating, developing and implementing government policies relating to roads and transport, including the interaction with urban and regional planning. These aims are achieved mainly by carrying out research and related activities in highway engineering, traffic engineering and safety, and in more general aspects of transport.

The history of the Laboratory dates back to 1930, when the Ministry of Transport established a small experimental station for research into road engineering, especial- ly as it related to the technology of road construction. Three years later this was ex- panded to become the Road Research Laboratory. Shortly after 1945 the activities of the Laboratory broadened to include research on traffic and road safety pro- blems. In 1949 a Scottish branch was established, and in 1955 a section was formed to carry out research and advisory work in developing countries. From 1960 on- wards the engineering work of the Laboratory expanded further to include research on bridges and tunnels, and work began on transport operations and systems. The organization was renamed the Transport and Road Research Laboratory in 1972 to reflect its wider activities and interests. Since September, 1976 the Laboratory has been part of the common research services to the Department of the Environment and Transport.

Organization

The laboratories, other experimental facilities, and offices occupy a site of about one hundred hectares in Crowthorne, Berkshire, England. The present staff totals about 900, of whom approximately half are scientists and engineers. External expen- diture on contracts with industrial firms, consultants and universities is presently about f 2 million annually.

The Laboratory is organized into a series of central units, and three principal ,.--L ^E.. .L:^C :" ̂ ._L_I:_.:_l__l I_&- ,.---.-.-. ~ T L - . . .-~ ~ . ~1 .

Annuaire des organisations 54 1

The Overseas Unit provides technical aid to developing countries in the form of research on the special problems of transport planning and highway engineering: this work is done on behalf of the Ministry of Overseas Development. The Research Services Unit has responsibility for computer, technical information and library ser- vices. The Administration Unit provides management, office and information ser- vices. The Technical Services Unit has responsibility for buildings and site, research track operations, engineering and photographic services. And The Scottish Branch provides advice to the Scottish central and local government regarding transport and road industries.

The three groups include the Transport Group, the Traffic and Safety Group, and the Engineering Group. The Transport Group comprises two departments dealing with Transport Operations and Transport Systems. The former has responsibility for research in public transport, and also has a special division on access and mobili- ty, as well as a special research branch that conducts wide-ranging, policy-oriented studies on the future role of transport and on the interaction between transport pro- vision and land use. The Transport Systems Department is responsible for research involving overall assessment of the role of transport systems as well as pollution and energy problems and the application of technology to transport. This department also has a Freight Division and a Transport Engineering Division.

The Traffic and Safety Group is subdivided into two departments, one dealing with safety - including accident investigation, road user characteristics and vehicle safety, and the other concentrating on traffic engineering, including highway traffic, traffic systems (e.g. road and junction design), and urban road networks.

The Engineering Group includes a Highways Department and a Structures Department. The former is responsible for research into pavement design, road materials, and road construction and maintenance, while the latter is particularly concerned with bridge design, the design and construction of tunnels and underground pipes, and the design and maintenance of earthwork and earth retain- ing structures.

Activities

It will be clear from the description of the Laboratory’s organization in the preceding section that its activities cover a very broad spectrum, only some of which are of interest to the applied psychologist. Of most relevance here is the work of the Safety Department of the Traffic and Safety Group. Among its research ac- tivities are the identification of factors contributing to accident occurrence or injury, the assessment of road safety measures, development and evaluation of accident in- vestigation techniques, studies of behaviour, perception, motivation and decision making in various types of road user, identification of accident situations, causes and remedies, and of means to reduce the effects of accidents by appropriate train- ing. In addition to the work of the Safety Department, the Transport Operations Department of the Transport Group also conducts some research on social and psychological factors in transport, including demand for public transport, planning for personal travel, forecasting of travel patterns, and social studies of relations bet- ween people, activities, land uses, and the provision of different types of transport.

542 Directory of organizarions

The Laboratory has an active publication programme, and issues its own reports on a wide variety of topics in addition to occasional reports published by Her Majes- ty’s Stationery Office.

For further information contact: Transport and Road Research Laboratory, Old Wokingham Road, Crowthorne, Berkshire, RGI 1 6AU, England.

The Institute for Road Safety Research SWOV, The Netherlands

E Asmussen Purpose and scope

The Institute for Road Safety Research SWOV has the task of supplying expertise based on scientific research for the selection of measures to promote road safety. SWOV conducts a large part of this research itself, as well as designing much of the scientific road safety research carried out elsewhere in The Netherlands, as set forth in the 1975 Road Safety Policy Plan of the Minister responsible for co-ordinating road safety. Hence SWOV collaborates with many research institutes, some of which carry out research projects at its request. In addition, SWOV acts as The Netherlands representative in important international organizations working on road safety research. The Institute disseminates the expertise gained from its research in the form of reports, advisory reports, articles in periodicals, its own publications, contributions to teaching programmes, and via the mass media.

Since its inception in 1%2, SWOV has undergone rapid growth. The Institute in- cludes the following departments: Research Co-ordination, Research Services, Pre- crash Research, Crash and Post-crash Research, Methods and Techniques, and In- formation.

Policy-supporting research

It follows from these objectives that much of SWOV’s work consists of policy- supporting research. The programme for this is drawn up largely in consultation with the Ministries of Transport and Waterways and of Public Health and En- vironmental Hygiene. In recent years there has been growing attention to road sufety ut the local level.

This trend is closely connected with the need to improve the quality of life in residen- tial areas and city centres. Among other things, SWOV carried out research into the road safety effects of measures promoting this quality of,iife, such as redesigning a residential area into a ‘woonerf (mews court). In a ‘woonerf cars may proceed only at walking pace, and an effort is made to create the maximum living space for pedestrians and for children at play.

The safety effects are evaluated not only by means of accident analyses, but also with behaviour observations and interviews covering residents’ and users’ feelings about hazards in traffic. This makes it possible to examine what relationships there are between feelings about hazards, behaviour and road safety. In part, these studies