Road safety is one of the key objectives of PDUs.

• How can we speak of efficient transportation when accidents and injuries occur everyday on the roads in our cities ?
• How can we develop the alternative modes of transportation promoted in PDUs if the level of safety within the urban environment is not satisfactory for the most vulnerable users

This guide provides some answers to the questions this raises for city councillors and technicians involved in developing PDUs :

• What is meant by the idea of safe transportation as used in PDUs ?
• At the level of an urban area, how can the issues be identified ?
• What can the PDU project team do? Who should be involved and for what kind of action?
• What kind of approach should be taken? How should safety problems be analysed and the most effective action be chosen ?
• What organisational measures are needed at a local level to define and implement initiatives, and then provide ongoing safety management ?

This guide, produced by Certu in partnership with Inrets, the different Cete design centres and the people directly in charge of PDUs, is mainly intended for policymakers, PDU project managers and safety technicians. It aims to raise awareness of the reality of urban transportation safety problems

It proposes solutions for preventing and managing traffic accidents in urban areas. It also highlights the fact that safety targets are closely tied to other PDU objectives — such as multimodality, shared use of the road and quality of life, etc. — and their development often goes hand-inhand. Many urban areas in France and other countries have already begun to address the problem of safety. Much can be learnt from their results, proof that technical solutions exist and have been successfully implemented to reduce the number and severity of accidents.

Their initiatives also show that dealing with safety problems is a collective, prolonged effort which, to be successful, requires perseverance and consistency over the long-term from all those involved in the PDU project.