Quantitative risk assessment for static and mobile road users: methodology and application at A82 Glen Coe, Scotland

Abstract Background In August 2004 a series of debris flows caused significant disruption to the Scottish (strategic) Trunk Road Network. The subsequent Scottish Road Network Landslides Study identified a number of sites considered to be at highest risk. Some of these sites have been the subject of...

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Main Authors: M. G. Winter, T. Waaser, G. Fiddes
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: SpringerOpen 2024-02-01
Series:Geoenvironmental Disasters
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1186/s40677-024-00274-9
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author M. G. Winter
T. Waaser
G. Fiddes
author_facet M. G. Winter
T. Waaser
G. Fiddes
author_sort M. G. Winter
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Background In August 2004 a series of debris flows caused significant disruption to the Scottish (strategic) Trunk Road Network. The subsequent Scottish Road Network Landslides Study identified a number of sites considered to be at highest risk. Some of these sites have been the subject of formal quantitative assessment of the risk from debris flow to mobile road users in vehicles. The A82 in Glen Coe has the added complication that two car parks have developed on debris fans exposing significant numbers of people to the risk while, they are essentially static and largely outside their vehicles. Methodology The risk to road users is determined using a previously developed probabilistic methodology for mobile road users (mobile elements at risk) and a new and related methodology developed for static road users (static elements at risk) is described and applied. Within the latter, an entirely new metric of Annual Average Daily Visits is used to allow the temporal component of the probability of a landslide impacting a person to be determined given the occurrence of an event. Results While Personal Individual Risk is at an acceptable level, including for frequent users, the risk presented to society as a whole presents a rather different picture; this is largely due to the number of visitors. The results assess the overall, societal risk for mobile elements at risk as As Low As reasonably Practicable, being at a similar level to other sites, albeit with a higher risk associated with higher numbers of fatalities. The results for the static elements at risk on the other hand suggest that the risks are classified as Unacceptable for higher numbers of fatalities. The assessment of the total societal risk, for mobile and static elements at risk, at the A82 Glen Coe suggests As Low As Reasonably Practicable for low numbers of fatalities but classify as Unacceptable for higher numbers of fatalities (around 20 to 250).
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spelling doaj.art-23e1d6402a014ee1a181602053b336262024-03-05T20:19:18ZengSpringerOpenGeoenvironmental Disasters2197-86702024-02-0111111610.1186/s40677-024-00274-9Quantitative risk assessment for static and mobile road users: methodology and application at A82 Glen Coe, ScotlandM. G. Winter0T. Waaser1G. Fiddes2Winter Associates LimitedTransport ScotlandTransport ScotlandAbstract Background In August 2004 a series of debris flows caused significant disruption to the Scottish (strategic) Trunk Road Network. The subsequent Scottish Road Network Landslides Study identified a number of sites considered to be at highest risk. Some of these sites have been the subject of formal quantitative assessment of the risk from debris flow to mobile road users in vehicles. The A82 in Glen Coe has the added complication that two car parks have developed on debris fans exposing significant numbers of people to the risk while, they are essentially static and largely outside their vehicles. Methodology The risk to road users is determined using a previously developed probabilistic methodology for mobile road users (mobile elements at risk) and a new and related methodology developed for static road users (static elements at risk) is described and applied. Within the latter, an entirely new metric of Annual Average Daily Visits is used to allow the temporal component of the probability of a landslide impacting a person to be determined given the occurrence of an event. Results While Personal Individual Risk is at an acceptable level, including for frequent users, the risk presented to society as a whole presents a rather different picture; this is largely due to the number of visitors. The results assess the overall, societal risk for mobile elements at risk as As Low As reasonably Practicable, being at a similar level to other sites, albeit with a higher risk associated with higher numbers of fatalities. The results for the static elements at risk on the other hand suggest that the risks are classified as Unacceptable for higher numbers of fatalities. The assessment of the total societal risk, for mobile and static elements at risk, at the A82 Glen Coe suggests As Low As Reasonably Practicable for low numbers of fatalities but classify as Unacceptable for higher numbers of fatalities (around 20 to 250).https://doi.org/10.1186/s40677-024-00274-9LandslidesDebris flowHazardRiskRoadPeople
spellingShingle M. G. Winter
T. Waaser
G. Fiddes
Quantitative risk assessment for static and mobile road users: methodology and application at A82 Glen Coe, Scotland
Geoenvironmental Disasters
Landslides
Debris flow
Hazard
Risk
Road
People
title Quantitative risk assessment for static and mobile road users: methodology and application at A82 Glen Coe, Scotland
title_full Quantitative risk assessment for static and mobile road users: methodology and application at A82 Glen Coe, Scotland
title_fullStr Quantitative risk assessment for static and mobile road users: methodology and application at A82 Glen Coe, Scotland
title_full_unstemmed Quantitative risk assessment for static and mobile road users: methodology and application at A82 Glen Coe, Scotland
title_short Quantitative risk assessment for static and mobile road users: methodology and application at A82 Glen Coe, Scotland
title_sort quantitative risk assessment for static and mobile road users methodology and application at a82 glen coe scotland
topic Landslides
Debris flow
Hazard
Risk
Road
People
url https://doi.org/10.1186/s40677-024-00274-9
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