During which stage of a roadway project can a Road Safety Audit be performed?

A Road Safety Audit (RSA) is a proactive assessment tool used to identify potential safety issues and opportunities for improvement in roadway design and operation. The correct choice indicates that RSAs can be performed at the planning or feasibility stages of a roadway project. This is crucial because conducting an RSA early in the project lifecycle allows engineers and planners to address safety concerns before significant investments are made or construction begins.

Performing an RSA during the planning phase means that any design options can be evaluated and modified based on safety considerations, leading to a safer overall outcome. This early intervention can guide decisions about alignment, lane configuration, pedestrian crossings, and other critical elements that affect road safety.

After the final design stage, while some audits can still be beneficial, the flexibility to make significant changes is limited, reducing the effectiveness of the audit. Additionally, conducting RSAs solely on existing roadways or only after construction ignores the opportunity to shape safety at the early, formative stages of project development, where the most impactful decisions are made. Thus, ensuring RSAs are a part of the planning or feasibility stages reinforces the commitment to safety from the outset of any roadway project.