A cost/benefits analysis of a new road incident management practice

The break-through of new technologies for measurement, information processing and communication opens promising perspectives in the field of road network operations. Incident management actions benefit now from new detection means, fast warning systems, rapid interventions and user information. Assessments of incident management policies already implemented on some networks suggest significant individual and collective stakes: increase of road safety, time savings and various economic advantages. The paper describes the different steps of a socioeconomic assessment of this complex traffic management measure. An innovative practice is implemented on a test network in the Paris Region. Further, this practice is the object of a before-after comparative study. The assessment method of stakes is described and is applied on the pilot network. On the basis of real measured data, a benefits/cost ratio of this innovative practice is proposed to decision makers