PURPOSE: to improve the management of road infrastructure in the European Union.

LEGISLATIVE ACT: Directive 2008/96/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council on road infrastructure safety management

CONTENT: following agreement in 1st reading with the European Parliament, this Directive requires the establishment and implementation of procedures relating to road safety impact assessments, road safety audits, the management of road network safety and safety inspections by the Member States. This Directive applies to roads which are part of the trans-European road network, whether they are at the design stage, under construction or in operation. Member States may also apply the provisions of the Directive, as a set of good practices, to national road transport infrastructure, not included in the trans-European road network, which was constructed using Community funding in whole or in part.

The main points of the directive are as follows :

Road safety impact assessment for infrastructure projects : Member States must ensure that a road safety impact assessment is carried out for all infrastructure projects. This assessment will be carried out at the initial planning stage before the infrastructure project is approved. In that connection, Member States shall endeavour to meet the criteria set out in Annex I.

Road safety audits for infrastructure projects: road safety audits must be carried out for all infrastructure projects. When carrying out road safety audits Member States shall endeavour to meet the criteria set out in Annex II.

Safety ranking and management of the road network in operation : Member States shall ensure that the ranking of high accident concentration sections and the network safety ranking are carried out on the basis of reviews, at least every 3 years, of the operation of the road network. In that connection, they shall endeavour to meet the criteria set out in Annex III. Appropriate signs must be in place to warn road users of road infrastructure segments that are undergoing repairs and which may thus jeopardise the safety of road users. These signs shall also include signs which are visible during both day and night time and set up at a safe distance and shall comply with the provisions of the Vienna Convention on Road Signs and Signals of 1968.

Safety inspections : safety inspections must be undertaken in respect of the roads in operation in order to identify the road safety related features and prevent accidents. The inspections shall comprise periodic inspections of the road network and surveys on the possible impact of roadworks on the safety of the traffic flow.

Data management : for each fatal accident occurring on roads which are part of the trans-European road network, an accident report must be drawn up by the competent entity. Member States shall endeavour to include in that report each of the elements listed in Annex IV. It was agreed between Parliament and Council that the annexes to the Directive would not be binding and Member States are free to decide which provisions and guidelines to implement. Annexes will be adapted in accordance with the regulatory procedure with scrutiny.

Guidelines , if they do not already exist, must be adopted within 3 years of entry into force of the Directive, in order to support the competent entities in the application of the Directive.

Lastly, in order to improve the safety of roads within the EU are not part of the Trans-European road network, the Commission shall establish a coherent system for the exchange of best practice between the Member States, covering, inter alia, existing road infrastructure safety projects and proven road safety technology.

ENTRY INTO FORCE: 19/12/2008.

TRANSPOSITION: 19/12/2010.

Directive 2008/96
OJ L 321 01.12.2008, p. 0059

03652/2008/LEX

SP(2008)4439

Results of vote in Parliament

The European Parliament adopted, by 498 votes to 8 with 6 abstentions, a legislative resolution amending the proposal for a directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on road infrastructure safety management. The report had been tabled for consideration in plenary by Helmut MARKOV (GUE/NGL, DE) on behalf of the Committee on Transport and Tourism.

To recall, on 4 June 2007, the Committee on Transport had voted by a narrow majority to reject the entire Commission proposal, stating that it would not be in line with the subsidiarity principle and less binding measures, such as recommendations, would be more appropriate in this area. The plenary referred the first report back to the committee on 9 July 2007. On 2 October 2007, the Council agreed on a general orientation on the proposal and endorsed the idea of a directive with non-binding annexes. The amendments adopted are the results of a compromise between Parliament and Council. The main amendments – adopted in 1st reading of the codecision procedure – are as follows:

Annexes : the annexes to the Directive would not be binding and Member States are free to decide which provisions and guidelines to implement. Annexes will be adapted in accordance with the regulatory procedure with scrutiny.

Scope : the Directive requires the establishment and implementation of procedures relating to road safety impact assessments, road safety audits, the management of road network safety and safety inspections by the Member States. The Directive shall apply to roads which are part of the trans-European road network, whether they are at the design stage, under construction or in operation. Member States may also apply the provisions of the Directive, as a set of good practices, for national road transport infrastructure not included in the TEN-T network that was constructed using Community funding in whole or in part.

Road safety impact assessment for infrastructure projects : this shall be carried out at the initial planning stage before the infrastructure project is approved. In that connection, Member States shall endeavour to meet the criteria set out in Annex I.

Road safety audits for infrastructure projects: when carrying out road safety audits the Member States shall endeavour to meet the criteria set out in Annex II.

Safety ranking and management of the road network in operation : Member States shall ensure that the classification of high accident concentration sections and the classification of the safety of the road network in operation is carried out at least on the basis of three-yearly reviews of the operation of the road network. In that connection, Member States shall endeavour to meet the criteria set out in Annex III. Corresponding signs must be in place to warn road users of road infrastructure segments that are undergoing repairs and which may thus jeopardise the safety of road users. These signs shall also include signs visible during both day and night time and set up at a safe distance and shall comply with the provisions of the Vienna Convention on Road Signs and Signals of 1968.

Data management : for each fatal accident occurring on the trans-European road network, an accident report is drawn up by the competent entity. Member States shall endeavour to include in this report each of the elements listed in Annex IV.

Guidelines: guidelines, if they do not already exist, must be adopted within 3 years of entry into force of the Directive, in order to support the competent entities in the application of the Directive.

Exchange of best practices : a new Article states that, in order to improve the safety of roads within the EU are not part of the Trans-European road network, the Commission shall establish a coherent system for the exchange of best practice between the Member States, covering, inter alia, existing road infrastructure safety projects and proven road safety technology.

Constant improvement of safety management practices : the Commission must facilitate the exchange of knowledge and best practices between Member States, making use of the experience gained in existing relevant international fora, with a view to achieving a constant improvement of safety management practices concerning road infrastructures in the EU. Insofar as the adoption of specific measures is required, such measures shall be adopted in accordance with the regulatory procedure with scrutiny. Where appropriate, relevant non-governmental organisations, active in the field of safety and in the management of road infrastructures, may be consulted on matters related to technical safety aspects.

Lastly, Parliament made some amendments to the Annexes the annexes should include additional references concerning climatic conditions and seismic activity, the presence of sufficient safe parking areas and lay-bys, vulnerable road users (pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists), the use and testing of intelligent road signs, safety barriers and signposting of roadworks, to improve the quality of safety measures.

T6-0303/2008

Debate in Parliament

A6-0050/2008

A6-0050/2008

The Committee on Transport and Tourism adopted a second report on the proposal for a directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on road infrastructure safety management. The report was drafted by Helmut MARKOV (GUE/NGL, DE).

On 4 June 2007, the Committee on Transport had voted by a narrow majority to reject the entire Commission proposal, stating that it would not be in line with the subsidiarity principle and less binding measures, such as recommendations, would be more appropriate in this area. The plenary referred the first report back to the committee on 9 July 2007.

On 2 October 2007, the Council agreed on a general orientation on the proposal and endorsed the idea of a directive with non-binding annexes.

In this second report, the committee took up some elements of the Council’s position, as well as a large number of amendments which had been tabled to the first report. It decided that the annexes to the Directive would not be binding and that Member States would be free to decide which provisions and guidelines to implement.

The main amendments adopted are as follows:

Member States may also organise road infrastructure safety management in other ways. If the methods used diverge from those in this Directive, the approval of the Commission shall be required. They may also apply the provisions of this Directive, as a set of good practices, for national road transport infrastructure not included in the TEN-T network that was constructed using Community funding in whole or in part; Member States shall ensure that road safety audits are carried out for all major projects with a construction cost of at least EUR 10 million; corresponding signs must be in place to warn road users of road infrastructure segments that are undergoing repairs and which may thus jeopardise the safety of road users; in order to improve the safety of roads within the European Union that are not part of the Trans-European road network, the Member States shall establish a coherent system for the exchange of best practice, covering, inter alia, existing road infrastructure safety projects and proven road safety technology; the Commission shall facilitate the exchange of knowledge and proven practices among the Member States, making use, in that connection, of the experience gained in existing relevant international forums; the new comitology procedure with scrutiny shall be used in Article 10(5) on minimum requirements for the guidelines and Article10a (new) on adaptation of the annexes to technical progress; lastly, the annexes should include additional references concerning climatic conditions and seismic activity, the presence of sufficient safe parking areas and lay-bys, vulnerable road users (pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists), the use and testing of intelligent road signs, safety barriers and signposting of roadworks, to improve the quality of safety measures.

PE400.526

PE396.738

The Council reached a general approach on a draft directive on road infrastructure safety management.

Ministers agreed on all outstanding issues, including the choice of a directive as the legal instrument and the legally non-binding status of the annexes. Member States will have 2 years from the entry into force of the draft directive to comply with its provisions.

In June 2007, the European Parliament Committee on Transport and Tourism recommended that the plenary session reject the Commission's proposal. However, it was decided in plenary to send the proposal back to the Committee for further examination.

2821

A6-0221/2007

A6-0221/2007

Based on a codecision report by Helmuth MARKOV (GUE/NGL, D), the Committee on Transport and Tourism voted to reject the proposal for a directive and called on the Commission to formulate recommendations for road infrastructure safety management.

PE388.478

PE382.526

PE386.517

PURPOSE: to improve the management of road infrastructure.

PROPOSED ACT: Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council.

BACKGROUND: in its efforts to halve the number of road fatalities by 2010, the European Commission is presenting two Directives. The first, the one discussed here, concerns improved road infrastructure management. The second, requires heavy vehicles to be equipped with “blind spot mirrors” in order to reduce the number of accidents. For a summary of the second proposed Directive see COD/2006/0183.

In its 2001 White Paper on European Transport Policy for 2010, the European Commission announced that it would be preparing proposals for improved road infrastructure safety. The European Parliament has also invited the Commission to provide guidelines for high-risk spot management and road safety audits. Infrastructure safety, alongside driver and vehicle safety, acts as a vital third pillar to a comprehensive road safety programme. Much progress has been made in terms of vehicles safety with car occupants running a much lower risk of death or injury in case of an accident than was the case ten years ago. Similarly, test and training requirement have been gradually increased to ensure that European drivers can cope with the dangers of road traffic. The same can not be said for road safety infrastructure.

The purpose of this proposal, therefore, is to ensure that safety is integrated into all phases of planning, design and the operation of the road infrastructure spanning the Trans-European Network (TEN-T). Along with economic and environmental considerations, safety will play a vital component to the preparation of new infrastructure. The proposed Directive will ensure that managers are given the correct guidelines, training and information needed to guarantee safety on the road network.

CONTENT: the proposed Directive explicitly limits the requirements to a minimum. The comprehensive road safety programme centres on four proposed procedures. They are:

- Road safety impact assessments. These will help decision makers make the right choices when deciding on the development of new roads or major changes to the operation of existing roads, particularly so for adjacent networks.

- Road safety audits. These will offer independent control and recommendations for technical verification concerning the design of either new roads or the reworking of existing roads.

- Network safety management. The aim here is to target roads with a high concentration of accidents.

- Safety inspections. These will form a regular part of road maintenance.

According to Commission estimates, around 7000 injuries could be avoided and around 600 lives every year could be saved if the proposed measures to the Trans-European road network are applied.

COM(2006)0569
EUR-Lex

SEC(2006)1231
EUR-Lex

SEC(2006)1232
EUR-Lex

PURPOSE: to improve the management of road infrastructure.

PROPOSED ACT: Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council.

BACKGROUND: in its efforts to halve the number of road fatalities by 2010, the European Commission is presenting two Directives. The first, the one discussed here, concerns improved road infrastructure management. The second, requires heavy vehicles to be equipped with “blind spot mirrors” in order to reduce the number of accidents. For a summary of the second proposed Directive see COD/2006/0183.

In its 2001 White Paper on European Transport Policy for 2010, the European Commission announced that it would be preparing proposals for improved road infrastructure safety. The European Parliament has also invited the Commission to provide guidelines for high-risk spot management and road safety audits. Infrastructure safety, alongside driver and vehicle safety, acts as a vital third pillar to a comprehensive road safety programme. Much progress has been made in terms of vehicles safety with car occupants running a much lower risk of death or injury in case of an accident than was the case ten years ago. Similarly, test and training requirement have been gradually increased to ensure that European drivers can cope with the dangers of road traffic. The same can not be said for road safety infrastructure.

The purpose of this proposal, therefore, is to ensure that safety is integrated into all phases of planning, design and the operation of the road infrastructure spanning the Trans-European Network (TEN-T). Along with economic and environmental considerations, safety will play a vital component to the preparation of new infrastructure. The proposed Directive will ensure that managers are given the correct guidelines, training and information needed to guarantee safety on the road network.

CONTENT: the proposed Directive explicitly limits the requirements to a minimum. The comprehensive road safety programme centres on four proposed procedures. They are:

- Road safety impact assessments. These will help decision makers make the right choices when deciding on the development of new roads or major changes to the operation of existing roads, particularly so for adjacent networks.

- Road safety audits. These will offer independent control and recommendations for technical verification concerning the design of either new roads or the reworking of existing roads.

- Network safety management. The aim here is to target roads with a high concentration of accidents.

- Safety inspections. These will form a regular part of road maintenance.

According to Commission estimates, around 7000 injuries could be avoided and around 600 lives every year could be saved if the proposed measures to the Trans-European road network are applied.

COM(2006)0569
EUR-Lex