Cross-Border Road Traffic Safety (SE653)
Funded by South-East Finland - Russia ENPI 2007-2013

Objective of the project

The overall objective of the Cross-Border Road Traffic Safety project was to improve the flow of EU/Russia cross-border traffic by eliminating the “border effect” (accident risk) with the harmonization of road safety approaches. Specific objectives were: - Know-how transfer from the EU partners to Russian partners concerning principles and technologies of sustainable road safety for roads passing densely-populated areas with high motorization levels; - Implementation of some pilot (demonstration) projects as examples of physical improvements of the road environment and monitoring their impacts on traffic safety in Russia; - Wide dissemination of information and skills that will be obtained by the project participants from the Leningrad region to other Russian regions which are lacking in access to the cross-border cooperation.

Main activities

- Development of the Road Traffic Safety Program for the Municipality of Vyborg District - Identification of the road sections with high accident risk and training the Russian planners and designers on road accident risk management - Organisation of public participation into process of improving safety of urban environment. - Organisation of pilots to transfer know-how of the complete technological cycle. - Organisation of approvals of the pilot re-designs of the unsafe sections of roads and streets with new principles (adapted to high levels of motorization) and public involvement. - Procurement procedure for purchasing traffic safety furniture and materials. - Organisation of the project quality control over site works implemented on the pilot street/ road sections in the Municipalities of Vyborg District and Vsevolozhsk District. - Carrying out the Cross-Border Road Traffic Safety Study in the South East Finland. - Development of improvement plans and designs for the South East Finland cross border roads. - Tendering procedures of implementation on the South East Finland cross border roads. - Implementation of pilot road safety improvements in the South East Finland cross-border roads.

Achievements

This objective was to be attained by harmonized traffic safety principles and know-how, decision making processes, methodologies and implementation practices. The project strengthened Finnish−Russian cooperation network for the improvement of road traffic safety. The following concrete results, for example, were achieved: the development of the Road Safety Programme for 2015-2020 in Vyborg and Vsevolozhsk and the identification of road sections with a high accident risk (black spot analysis). The Russian planners and designers were introduced to road accident risk management. The cross-border road traffic safety study was carried out for Southeast Finland and plans and designs for the Southeast Finland cross-border roads were improved. The traffic safety materials (such as traffic signs) were also purchased and installed by means of the project co-funding.