Safer Streets and Safer Mobility Forum Held in Shanghai

By Alina F. Burlacu & Soames Job (World Bank)

Showcasing successes in road safety ensuring the belief that crash trauma is manageable, and showing how to do it, are important lessons learned under BIGRS which were shared during the Safer Streets and Safer Mobility Forum in Shanghai, on April 16-17. 

The highlight of this event was recognizing the demonstration corridor with road safety improvements built by Yangpu Transport Commission according to BIGRS partners recommendations, which transformed Zhengtong road into a top safety road, achieving a 5-star safety rating.

Zhengtong Road in Yangpu district, Shanghai, has received a 5-star safety rating after a large-scale rennovation programme.

The target of both days was for relevant members from engineering and planning departments, police, implementation and other design agencies to hold a productive discussion, and to emphasize the importance of interagency coordination. This also showcased the co-benefits of having great streets, with the primary lens on road safety improvement and mobility. 

Around 150 experts joined this event, from Shanghai but also all over China. During the first day, the presentations and discussions were focused on strategic policies for decision-makers. A dedicated session on road safety policies and strategies was delivered, where the Head of GRSF delivered a motivating presentation on 'Why Road Safety?', together with Jiaozuo PMO delegates, who presented on the comprehensive city road safety improvement strategies in the Jiaozuo project financed by the World Bank. 

The second day of the workshop was dedicated to technical level specialists, with a series of presentations on case studies and road safety best practices, starting from introduction to road safety engineering tools, delivered by the World Bank road safety regional focal point, Alina Burlacu, continuing with general iRAP case studies globally and under BIGRS, then China specific cases, delivered by the ChinaRAP representative, plus two case studies from Tianjin (delivered by Tianjin Project Management Office - PMO delegate and ChinaRAP) and Yangpu district (delivered by Yangpu Transport Commission). 

The afternoon of the second day was more focused on planning and designing safer streets, with Soames Job providing on overview on speed management, e-bikes and heavy vehicles – which are the most stringent road safety problems in China. Presentations from World Resources Institute (WRI), NACTO Global Design Cities Initiative (GDCI) and Shanghai Urban Construction Design and Research Institute were delivered on safe and sustainable design strategies, culminating in a book-signing event for the Chinese Shanghai Streets design guide.

This event was organized and delivered by the World Bank, thanks to Bloomberg Philanthropies support, together with international partners Vital Strategies, WRI, NACTO, iRAP, and also Chinese counterparts – ChinaRAP, Shanghai Institute of Traffic Engineering (SITE), Research Institute of Highways (RIOH), Shanghai Transport Commission, Shanghai Urban Construction Design and Research Institute, Traffic Management Research Institute of the Ministry of Public Security and Project Management Offices (PMOs) from Jiaozuo and Tianjin.