Latin American urban Traffic Conflict Analysis manual launched, supported by FIA Foundation
The Institute of Policies for Transport and Development (ITDP) and the Road Safety Council of Costa Rica (COSEVI) developed a Transport Analysis Conflict (TCA) manual supported by the FIA Foundation and the Automobile Club of Costa Rica (ACCR).
The guide, 'Manual for the Observation of Road Conflicts for the Prevention of Traffic Accidents in Latin American Cities,' is an adaptable tool to improve road safety in Latin American cities through safer infrastructure design, especially for vulnerable users such as pedestrians and cyclists.
The guide aims to offer city authorities, technicians, and specialists in mobility and road safety in Latin America the right tools to develop and implement road safety solutions and policies to prevent road traffic deaths and injuries. It includes an overview of road safety in Latin America and the Caribbean, the methodology and its origins, and step-by-step implementation, with case studies in Mexico and Costa Rica.
The guide builds on established research and evaluation methodology Traffic Conflict Technique (TCT) and the Traffic Conflict Technique Toolkit funded by the FIA Foundation, CDC, and CDC Foundation. TCT is a way to proactively collect observational data to evaluate the safety of intersections or stretches of roadways to prevent crashes and injuries before they occur.
The Traffic Conflict Analysis methodology shows how to observe and measure road traffic conflict risks, providing sound data to develop preventative solutions to avoid fatal crashes.
The guide launched at a special event with Costa Rica Vice Minister of Transportation and Road Safety Carlos Ávila, Director of the ITDP Mexico Programme Director Gonzalo Peón, President of FIA Region III Frank Fotia, and ACCR President Daniel Coen.
Gonzalo Peon, ITDP Mexico Programme Director, said: "This Guide allows policymakers and urban designers to better understand the links between road risk, behaviour and infrastructure design, setting the foundations for much-needed people-centred design in Costa Rica and Central America."
Roy Rojas, Road Safety Council of Costa Rica Director, added: "Traffic Conflict Analysis technique, based in the Swedish Methodology but adapted to our environment, is a tool that local and national governments should use to plan for changes in infrastructure in our cities in Costa Rica and in the region."
Daniel Coen, President of the Automóvil Club de Costa Rica, said: “This manual will provide national and municipal authorities involved in the development of safer mobility with the methodology to assess, design and implement solutions, tailored to their needs, that will improve the quality of life of citizens in general.”
