These projects focus on professional and research work in order to assess the current state of a particular traffic situation. These assessments allow us to propose solutions that improve the safety and well-being of traffic participants. Such solutions are the basis for decision-making by relevant traffic planners, but also for organizing educational and preventive activities.

Professional driver

We conducted a survey assessing the knowledge of traffic regulations and signs at the level crossings on 100 professional drivers, i.e. bus, truck and train drivers. The survey questions were grouped into five categories: general information and the four basic areas of the safety.guru INSTITUTE: traffic, safety, psychology and culture.

The survey included only one woman, a train driver, indicating that this is a predominantly male profession. The average age of road vehicle drivers was 50 years, while train drivers had an average age of 39 years. Although the respondents had some level of education and experience, it was not at an optimal level.

They had equal involvement and experience in both domestic and international traffic, transporting both people and goods according to specific requirements.

From the perspective of culture and education, it is notable that there is a disparity between the level of participation in land transport and the level of regular teaching. Road transport accounts for 80% of land transport, yet only 27.4% of professional road drivers receive regular training compared to 94.1% of train drivers. Both groups agree that traffic culture is unsatisfactory among 50% of road drivers and 90% of pedestrians and that investment in education is necessary. From the psychological perspective, it is evident that the work of professional drivers is stressful and somewhat affects their health. Finally, from the traffic and safety perspective, it is important to highlight some innovative recommendations, such as video surveillance at level crossings for train drivers or horizontal signaling and warnings of approaching level crossings in navigation devices for road drivers.  Other suggestions include introducing standard road traffic lights at level crossings and changing rules for intersections involving industrial tracks or discontinued railway lines.

Assumptions of professional drivers, categorized by the Institute’s four basic areas of action:

Traffic: a professional driver is someone who is adequately trained and paid to transport people and goods.

Safety: a professional driver is someone who is responsible for their actions in traffic and prioritizes safety to avoid endangering themselves and other traffic participants.

Psychology: a professional driver is someone who thinks about safe behavior in traffic.

Culture: a professional driver is someone who understands, accepts and follows all traffic rules and regulations. This driver shows love, empathy, tolerance and patience towards all traffic participants.

In a world where information is currency and knowledge is the most valuable asset, investing in education is an imperative for society. Lifelong learning is the most powerful weapon, a necessity and the only right choice for every individual traffic participant.

We presented these results at the 11th ILCAD conference and will include them in the technical paper for the upcoming CSR conference.

The trespassing in Vrapče

People make illegal railway crossings for various reasons. In 2019, we walked along the railway from Podsused station to Sesvete station and identified over 30 irregular and unauthorized railway crossings. One such crossing is at the Vrapčak stream, identified by the train drivers as the riskiest crossing on that section of the railway. After 90 minutes of observing the illegal Vrapčak crossing, we can conclude: every two minutes, 7 people cross the railway, for every 15 individuals crossing the railway, one person passes through the underpass and every 3 minutes a train passes. In addition to the danger of crossing the railway, there are additional aggravating factors to consider. Over 10% of observed individuals carried a bicycle across the tracks, with one man spotted carrying a child seat. Over 13% of people were using either a mobile phone or headphones while crossing the railway and some even wore hoods. Almost 9% of people carried extra bags when crossing the railway.

Due to all of the above, we organized a preventive and educational campaign at the illegal crossing along the Vrapčak stream, for which SG.I received the Croatian Grand Prix Security Award for 2019. We presented this project to participants at the ILCAD and CSR conferences and we informed the public and all interested professional organizations through the media coverage.

SCPT Matrix – Safety, Culture, Psychology and Traffic

Railway companies invest significant resources in creating technical conditions for traffic operations, with a strong focus on the high level of expertise and conscientiousness of railway workers. Based on that, we can conclude that the behavior of other people, i.e. people who are not directly involved in railway traffic, is the cause of over 90% of emergency incidents. In light of these facts, railway companies must take into account the broader context for traffic safety. This is one of the core objectives of the SG.I. It is no longer enough to statistically tally the number of traffic casualties and avoid liability. Socially responsible transport companies are engaged in understanding the behavior of people in traffic and placing people at the center of the transport system.

Experts in psychology are increasingly being involved in considering the broader context of traffic safety and seeking solutions to the mentioned causes of emergency incidents. There is a growing need for traffic and psychology to go hand in hand. To this end, we created a matrix that encompasses the areas of safety, culture, traffic and psychology. For each area, the basic elements to be monitored were first identified and then they were weighted according to their importance. Teams of students from Libertas International University and the Polytechnic “Hrvatsko Zagorje” in Krapina tested the matrix’s functionality. The analysis of the matrix application was carried out in order to: 1. assess the condition of specific observed areas where road and rail traffic intersect, 2. raise awareness of traffic hazards and 3. foster a systematic thinking approach among students. The tests were carried out at specific locations where road and rail traffic meet. In addition to the matrix results for each location, students shared their feedback and suggestions on the content itself.

The SCPT Matrix was presented at the CSR conference.

Industrial tracks

Railway level crossings are particularly important areas for traffic safety. They are “black holes” in rail and road traffic. Fatalities and injuries at level crossings (LC) constitute more than 30% of serious rail accidents. To minimize the errors within the railway system, technical and technological solutions for LC devices have been brought to a high level of safety, as confirmed by certifications.

Despite that, road crossings over industrial tracks have garnered less attention and fewer activities. These crossings differ significantly from regular LCs, particularly concerning right-of-way rules. According to the existing regulations, both shunting trains and road vehicles must stop when approaching these crossings.

Road vehicle drivers commit violations by not stopping at industrial track crossings because they know from previous experience that shunting trains stop before reaching the road. While these violations pose relatively low risks to their own lives and health, they represent a significant breach of road traffic safety rules. Since these violations are not monitored by the police, they contribute to the development of bad driving habits. These habits, when transferred to regular railway crossings, significantly increase safety risks.

In addition to violations of regulations by road vehicle drivers, every unnecessary stop in front of an industrial track increases the costs for road drivers, disrupts the quality of traffic flow and negatively affects the environment. In order to determine the behavior of road vehicles at industrial track crossings, a study was conducted at three level crossings over an industrial lead track at the Podsused Tvornica station. These findings mirror those in other European Union countries. Thus, implementing a systematic approach to road crossings over industrial tracks could have more widespread positive effects in terms of social responsibility.

In 2020, the current state of all road intersections with industrial tracks and industrial plants in ​​the city of Zagreb was recorded. We presented the survey results and identified irregularities to all interested participants at a roundtable discussion.

Botanical Garden

In the past 100 years, Zagreb has seen rapid growth and development, both geographical and demographic. This is evident in the route of the railway line, which runs from Zaprešić, through Zagreb Main Station (Zagreb GK), to Sesvete. During its construction, this line passed through the outskirts of the city. For example, the Technical Museum used to be a tram depot and the Student Center in Savska was a fairground with the famous French Pavilion. Factories such as Pliva, Franck, Zvijezda, Nada Dimić and Kraš also sprang up along this line.

Zagreb Main Station sits next to the Botanical Garden and King Tomislav Square. Today, Zagreb GK is located in the very heart of the city, but this line has become an obstacle between the city center and the newer part of the city built south of the Sava River. Zagreb GK’s convenient location attracts over 60,000 daily commuters who travel to school or work by suburban trains. Upon arriving at or leaving the station, passengers disperse in all directions. Some pedestrian flows are organized and regular, such as the northern route: through the underpass beneath the tracks, through the station building and across a pedestrian crossing to the tram stop. However, there are also irregular pedestrian routes that passengers have discovered, such as one leading westward across the station area, where walking is prohibited.

Running parallel to this irregular pedestrian route is the Botanical Garden, where a shaded promenade has been planned as a permanent passage for visitors. Besides being used by the Botanical Garden visitors, this promenade could become a safe and regular pedestrian route from Zagreb Central Station to Runjaninova Street on the station’s western side. In this way, not only would the Botanical Garden be the most captivating park in the city center, but the beauty of the greenery would become the city’s traffic and tourist attraction. The journey along the irregular path through the station area to the regular promenade through the Botanical Garden is long. Zagreb Central Station, train traffic and pedestrian routes, the Botanical Garden and the promenade, the bridge over Miramarska Road and the Adrenaline park are all described in more detail in the technical paper written on this topic. The paper also discusses the possibilities of integrating various activities to enhance passenger safety and well-being. Directing passengers towards the Botanical Garden would improve the quality of urban living in Zagreb.

A video was made about the dangers lurking along the irregular path in the Zagreb Central Station area and a technical paper was written for Željeznice 21.

Rijeka as a center of historical, cultural and transport diversity and connectivity

From the perspective of railway safety, the technical level of safety and the competence of railway workers are at a high level. Analyses of emergency incidents in railway traffic show that the majority of serious accidents are caused by individuals who are not passengers and railway workers and who are not directly related to railway traffic. For decades, various preventive initiatives have been aimed at those individuals, such as the “Train is always faster” campaign. Occasionally, preventive activities by railway companies relate to events outside the railway system. One of such is the promotion of Rijeka as the European Capital of Culture. The European Capital of Culture is a title awarded once a year to a European city. The city of Rijeka held this title in 2020 for its “Port of Diversity” program. The city of Rijeka is a center of historical and cultural, but also transport diversity and connectivity. Transport connectivity is represented by the Port of Rijeka and the Mediterranean Corridor. This year-long event was an excellent opportunity to enhance the railway transport safety and culture.

Based on the above, the thesis set out in the paper is that urban artistic intervention on railway facilities in Rijeka can be based on modern guidelines for socially responsible business and sustainable development. Firstly, it was necessary to analyze the condition of railway facilities on which it is possible to carry out urban artistic intervention. These include railway bridges, railway roads and pedestrian crossings, railway fences, railway tracks and other buildings. Observation and photographic documentation of the existing conditions provided a foundation for the synthesis of acquired data and knowledge. The expected outcome of this project was to identify and implement preventive measures in the railway area in Rijeka, leading to a reduction in the number of accidents.

We presented the results of the study at the CSR conference.