Saudi Road Code Sets New Benchmarks For Safety And Sustainability In The Kingdom

Under the patronage of the Minister of Transport and Logistics Services and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Roads General Authority, Eng. Saleh Al-Jasser, the authority has launched the Saudi Road Code. This technical reference targets all entities responsible for roads in the Kingdom. It aims to provide ministries, regional development authorities, and municipalities with essential information for planning, designing, building, operating, and maintaining all types of roads.

The Saudi Road Code sets specific levels of safety, security, economic efficiency, environmental protection, and sustainability. The launch underscores the authority's role as a government body overseeing and regulating the entire road network in Saudi Arabia. The authority's responsibilities include developing policies, regulations, and systems for road construction and maintenance.

In partnership with relevant entities, the authority prepared the Saudi Road Code according to best global practices. This initiative aims to achieve the objectives of the road sector strategy, focusing on safety, quality, and traffic density. The code seeks to increase road safety and sustainability, improve the quality of the road network and user experience, and encourage innovation.

The need for a unified road code arose from the multiplicity of entities implementing the road network in the Kingdom and their varied specifications and policies. The code considers different regional terrains and sets specific standards for safety, security, quality, environment, and sustainability.

Specialized national personnel and numerous global road sector experts took 18 months to prepare the Saudi Road Code. A steering committee comprising many stakeholders was also formed to ensure that the code serves the development and strategic plans of these entities.

Components of the Saudi Road Code

The Saudi Road Code comprises 25 protocols to be observed in road planning and preliminary studies. These protocols cover road, bridge, and tunnel design and construction; traffic engineering and road safety; environmental aspects; and requirements for autonomous vehicles.

Strategic Goals

The authority seeks to organize and supervise the road sector in the Kingdom by setting necessary policies and standards for road design, construction, and maintenance. The aim is to achieve the road sector strategy targets by focusing on safety, quality, and traffic density. The ultimate goal is to rise to the sixth global rank in road quality and reduce fatalities to less than five cases per 100,000 by 2030.

-- SPA 14:46 Local Time 11:46 GMT 0025

With inputs from SPA