Priority of safety and security in future urban transport systems

The project examines two major future challenges related to "whole journey" risk, safety and security in urban transportation. The challenges are examined by six work packages (WP1-WP6). The first challenge concerns how to influence on the urban public's travel choice in order to contribute to the use of safe and environmentally friendly modes. In this respect safety and environmental issues concur.

WPs 1-2 analyse push and pull factors in safe and secure travel mode use in urban areas and emphasises inte ntions, habits and situational factors. The second challenge focuses on how behavioural change in private travel mode use will affect public transportation. An increase in public transportation will place new safety and security demands on bus, subway, tr am and rail systems as well as urban transit systems and stages by other transport modes. Urban expansion increases the need for effective transport on medium large distances within urban areas and surrounding areas.

WPs 3-4 also examine urban communters' opinions of their transportation. An increase of the size of the geographical commuter areas may cause an increase in rail travel and commuting over larger areas. Trends and various strategies for development will clearly influence total number of accide nts and injury rates in the urban system. Hence, the research examines accident scenarios and analyse consequences for safety(WP 5-6).

The proposal examines transport safety, i.e. vulnerability to accidents, as well as transport security, i.e. the vulnera bility to criminal or antisocial acts suffered by the travel mode user. Transport security problems are not primarily related to the travel modes, but ia symptom of wider political and social problems and the political and social dimension has to be taken into consideration more thoroughly than in previous transport security research . The research will be based on questionnaire survey data and analysis of accident data used in scenario analysis in 6 urban areas.