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Infrastructures
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Safer Roads Ahead: Exploring the Latest Innovations and Advancements in...
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Safer Roads Ahead: Exploring the Latest Innovations and Advancements in Road Design and Safety Technology

A special issue of Infrastructures (ISSN 2412-3811).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 November 2025 | Viewed by 2576

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Dimitrios Nikolaou

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Transportation Planning and Engineering, National Technical University of Athens (NTUA), Athens, Greece
Interests: traffic engineering; road safety; crash analysis; statistical and econometric methods; machine learning; spatial analyses; data science
Dr. Panagiotis Papantoniou

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Surveying and Geoinformatics Engineering, University of West Attica (UNIWA), Athens, Greece
Interests: road safety; driver behaviour; road design; sustainable mobility; intelligent transport systems; planning of transportation systems

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Safe road design is fundamental to ensuring road safety, as it plays a crucial role in preventing road crashes and accommodating evolving transportation technologies. As urbanization increases and new mobility solutions emerge, it is essential to rethink traditional road designs to meet future demands. Incorporating innovative features such as smart infrastructure, adaptive road systems, and safety-focused design for vulnerable road users (VRUs) can significantly enhance the resilience of transportation networks. Furthermore, road design should also consider environmental factors, human behaviours, and the integration of advanced technologies to create safer and more efficient roads. With the rise of connected and autonomous vehicles (CAVs), future road designs will need to adapt to new traffic patterns and technological advancements, ensuring that all road users are better protected and supported. This proactive approach to road design is essential not only for enhancing current road safety but also for preparing transportation systems to meet future challenges.

This Special Issue aims to present state-of-the-art research related to the latest innovations and advancements in road design and safety technology, with a focus on creating safer, more efficient, and resilient road systems for the future.

Potential topics for submissions include but are not limited to the following:

  • Emerging road design approaches to enhance traffic safety;
  • Smart roads and adaptive infrastructure;
  • Advanced safety features for vulnerable road users (VRUs) (e.g., pedestrians, cyclists, e-scooter riders);
  • Data-driven approaches for identifying high-risk road segments;
  • AI-enhanced traffic management and predictive analytics for crash prevention;
  • The role of intelligent transport systems (ITS) in improving traffic flow, safety, and incident management;
  • Systems and interventions relating to connected and autonomous vehicles (CAVs);
  • Human factors and behavioural insights in road safety design;
  • Environmental and climate considerations in road design for resilient infrastructure.

Dr. Dimitrios Nikolaou
Dr. Panagiotis Papantoniou
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Infrastructures is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • road/traffic safety
  • road design
  • smart infrastructure
  • smart traffic
  • transportation systems

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

14 pages, 2707 KB  
Article
A Preliminary Investigation into the Performance of Artificial High Friction Aggregates Manufactured Using Geopolymer Cement-Based Mortars
by Allistair Wilkinson, Bryan Magee, David Woodward, Svetlana Tretsiakova-McNally and Patrick Lemoine
Infrastructures 2025, 10(8), 218; https://doi.org/10.3390/infrastructures10080218 - 19 Aug 2025
Viewed by 430
Abstract
Despite local and national road authorities striving to provide motorists with a durable and safe infrastructure environment, one in six UK roads are currently classed as being in poor condition. In terms of safety, Department for Transport statistics report high numbers of road [...] Read more.
Despite local and national road authorities striving to provide motorists with a durable and safe infrastructure environment, one in six UK roads are currently classed as being in poor condition. In terms of safety, Department for Transport statistics report high numbers of road incidents; 29,711 killed or seriously injured in 2023, representing little change compared to 2022. As such, reported in this paper is research aimed at developing artificial geopolymer cement mortar-based aggregate as a cost/environmentally attractive alternative to calcined bauxite for high friction surfacing applications. Work was undertaken in two distinct phases. In the first, the performance of alkali silicate-based geopolymers comprising a range of industrial wastes as binder materials was assessed using modified versions of standardized polished stone value and micro-Deval tests. In phase two, selected mixes were assessed for resistance to simulated wear by exposing test specimens to 20,000-wheel passes on an accelerated road test machine. Performance was further investigated using a dynamic friction test method developed by the Indiana Department of Transportation. Despite commercially sourced calcined bauxite aggregates exhibiting the highest performance levels, the findings from this preliminary research were generally positive, with acceptable levels of performance noted for manufactured geopolymer-based aggregates. For instance, in accordance with recommended levels of performance prescribed in BBA/HAPPAS standards, this included attainment of polished stone values higher than 65 and, following accelerated road testing, average texture depths greater than 1.1 mm. It is recognized that further research is needed to investigate geopolymer binder systems and blends of aggregate types, as well as artificial aggregate manufacturing procedures. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Safer Roads Ahead: Exploring the Latest Innovations and Advancements in Road Design and Safety Technology)
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19 pages, 3365 KB  
Article
Exploring Causal Factor in Highway–Railroad-Grade Crossing Crashes: A Comparative Analysis
by Yubo Wang, Yubo Jiao, Liping Fu and Qiangqiang Shangguan
Infrastructures 2025, 10(8), 216; https://doi.org/10.3390/infrastructures10080216 - 18 Aug 2025
Viewed by 492
Abstract
Identification of causal factors in traffic crashes has always been a significant challenge in road safety studies. Traditional crash prediction models are limited in elucidating the underlying causal mechanisms in road crashes. This research explores the application of three graphic models, namely, the [...] Read more.
Identification of causal factors in traffic crashes has always been a significant challenge in road safety studies. Traditional crash prediction models are limited in elucidating the underlying causal mechanisms in road crashes. This research explores the application of three graphic models, namely, the Gaussian graphical model (GGM), causal Bayesian network (CBN) and graphic extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost), through a case study using highway–railroad-grade crossing (HRGC) inventory and collision data from Canada. The three modelling approaches have generally yielded consistent findings on various risk factors such as crossing control type, track angle, and exposure, showing their potential for identifying causal relationships through the interpretation of causal graphs. With the ability to make better causal inferences from crash data, the effectiveness of safety countermeasures could be more accurately and reliably estimated. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Safer Roads Ahead: Exploring the Latest Innovations and Advancements in Road Design and Safety Technology)
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14 pages, 1599 KB  
Article
Rural Roads’ Passing Sight Distance Control Along Crest Vertical Curves
by Stergios Mavromatis, Vassilios Matragos, Konstantinos Markos and Antonios Kontizas
Infrastructures 2025, 10(8), 215; https://doi.org/10.3390/infrastructures10080215 - 15 Aug 2025
Viewed by 341
Abstract
Passing sight distance (PSD) is a vital design element that directly imposes economic, as well as safety and operational, considerations. The provision of PSD is highly prioritized, at least for rural road sections without additional passing lanes. The paper investigates areas with PSD [...] Read more.
Passing sight distance (PSD) is a vital design element that directly imposes economic, as well as safety and operational, considerations. The provision of PSD is highly prioritized, at least for rural road sections without additional passing lanes. The paper investigates areas with PSD inadequacy on rural roads with crest vertical curves. The research is based on the German rural roads design guidelines, where PSD is currently dependent on the homogeneousness of the proposed road design classes and no longer on speed. Therefore, the required PSD for all the examined design classes was set to 600 m. The interaction between the road surface and the line of sight between the passing and the opposing vehicles was assessed through six different cases, while every case was associated with the resulting formulas. The analysis revealed that, excluding one situation for the EKL4 design class, the boundaries of PSD inadequacy were concentrated in advance and inside the vertical curve, and do not depend on the grade difference of the vertical curve but only on the crest vertical curvature rate value. The paper delivers a ready-to-use tool for engineers to identify areas with inadequate PSD in the early stages of the design process and avoid implementing costly additional passing lanes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Safer Roads Ahead: Exploring the Latest Innovations and Advancements in Road Design and Safety Technology)
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42 pages, 5471 KB  
Article
Optimising Cyclist Road-Safety Scenarios Through Angle-of-View Analysis Using Buffer and GIS Mapping Techniques
by Zahra Yaghoobloo, Giuseppina Pappalardo and Michele Mangiameli
Infrastructures 2025, 10(7), 184; https://doi.org/10.3390/infrastructures10070184 - 11 Jul 2025
Viewed by 583
Abstract
In the present era, achieving sustainability requires the development of planning strategies to develop a safer urban infrastructure. This study examines the realistic aspects of cyclist safety by analysing cyclists’ fields of view, using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and spatial data analysis. The [...] Read more.
In the present era, achieving sustainability requires the development of planning strategies to develop a safer urban infrastructure. This study examines the realistic aspects of cyclist safety by analysing cyclists’ fields of view, using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and spatial data analysis. The research introduces novel geoprocessing tools-based GIS techniques that mathematically simulate cyclists’ angles of view and the distances to nearby environmental features. It provides precise insights into some potential hazards and infrastructure challenges encountered while cycling. This research focuses on managing and analysing the data collected, utilising OpenStreetMap (OSM) as vector-based supporting data. It integrates cyclists’ behavioural data with the urban environmental features encountered, such as intersections, road design, and traffic controls. The analysis is categorised into specific classes to evaluate the impacts of these aspects of the environment on cyclists’ behaviours. The current investigation highlights the importance of integrating the objective environmental elements surrounding the route with subjective perceptions and then determining the influence of these environmental elements on cyclists’ behaviours. Unlike previous studies that ignore cyclists’ visual perspectives in the context of real-world data, this work integrates objective GIS data with cyclists’ field of view-based modelling to identify high-risk areas and highlight the need for enhanced safety measures. The proposed approach equips urban planners and designers with data-informed strategies for creating safer cycling infrastructure, fostering sustainable mobility, and mitigating urban congestion. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Safer Roads Ahead: Exploring the Latest Innovations and Advancements in Road Design and Safety Technology)
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