The winners of TAC’s 2014 Road Safety Engineering Award are the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia (ICBC) and partners in recognition of Road Safety Benefits of British Columbia’s High Risk Corridor Program.
This award recognizes exemplary contributions by a TAC member in Canadian roadway safety engineering and infrastructure. It also encourages the development and implementation of roadway safety countermeasures, guidelines and safety management systems for roadway design and operations.
An innovative collaborative approach, including ICBC, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the BC Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure, the BC Coroners’ Office and Emil Anderson Maintenance Company, helped address the safety needs of high risk highway corridors in British Columbia, including Highway 1 Fraser Canyon and Highway 3 Manning Park.
“Securing the buy-in and commitment from all agencies to work together with the common goal to improve road safety was critical to the success of the program,” explains Paul de Leur, Manager, Road Improvement Program, ICBC. “Another factor that led to the success of the program was the ability to clearly understand what the historical data had revealed such that effective interventions could be developed and implemented.”
A strategic road safety intervention plan included multi-disciplinary activities including engineering measures such as LED chevrons for curve delineation, centerline and shoulder rumble strips, vehicle activated speed reader boards and upgrading the regulatory signing along the corridor. Enforcement activities had a specific focus on speeding and aggressive driving, and additional vehicle safety checks were also implemented. A high risk corridor approach, involving coordinated and strategic efforts by various road safety agencies, could yield greater and overall safety benefits and reduce the frequency of collisions.
“The motoring public has been the biggest beneficiary with the approach to crash and harm reduction,” adds Paul. “Although largely unrecognized by motorists, the reduction in the frequency and severity of collisions was well worth the efforts. The greatest accomplishment associated with this project is that more people are alive because of the strong commitment by all agencies involved. This has resulted in less service calls for police, ambulance rescue and hospital admissions.”
Two other submissions, reviewed by a panel reporting to the Road Safety Standing Committee, were also received: Road Safety in Saint-Laurent: Putting Citizens First! (Ville de Montréal, arrondissement de Saint-Laurent) and LEGO Videos for Educating Road Users about Bicycle Infrastructure (City of Edmonton).
The award will be presented at the September 2014 TAC Conference in Montreal.
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