A hazardous substance is any substance in a solid, gaseous or liquid state which, when entering the environment uncontrollably, directly threatens the life or health of people and animals or causes destruction or damage to property and has harmful effects on the environment. The transportation of such substances is a particularly sensitive matter, due to their hazardous characteristics and the dynamic transportation process, which is subject to changeable conditions and unpredictable events.
Traffic accidents involving vehicles transporting hazardous substances pose a great threat to people, property and the environment. In order to reduce the hazardous potential of transporting such substances on the road network, special attention has to be paid to the comprehensive monitoring of transportation of these substances on the road network, which is enabled by modern technological approaches and solutions. Several methods and tools for assessing safety risks on the main road networks have been used in recent years; however, a geographical information system (GIS) with an emphasis on monitoring and managing the transportation of hazardous substances on the road network in real time has not been established.
The project, Risk Management of Transport of Hazardous Substances on the Main Road Network – RMTHS, has been designed in order to develop methodological and technical-operational solutions for monitoring the transportation of hazardous substances on the main road network. The key results will define the system for monitoring and managing transportation of hazardous substances on the main road network, with an emphasis on planning the safest and alternative/substitute routes with regard to risk with the application of GIS technology in real time. The results will also be useful for other types of transportation on road network.
The project is divided into five substantive and organisational sets:
- hazardous substances in general,
- traffic flows on main roads,
- transportation of hazardous substances,
- GIS and
- coordination and management of the project.
The project is being implemented between May 2013 and May 2015.