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Vulnerable Road Users

  • Author: PIARC
  • Time: 90 minutes
    08:00 UTC or 15:00 UTC
  • September 15, 2026
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Course overview
PIARC research shows protecting vulnerable road users (pedestrians, cyclists, people with disabilities, motorcyclists) is a major global oversight. This session addresses that.

Attendees will explore why VRU needs are often overlooked in work zones, review data on VRU exposure and harm, and learn best practices. It covers practical design for pedestrian/cyclist continuity, separation techniques for all settings, and making VRU protection a core requirement, not an afterthought.

Learning Objectives

  • Recognise the scale and nature of VRU risk at worksites globally
  • Understand why current practice systematically underserves VRU needs
  • Apply practical design parameters for pedestrian and cyclist continuity
  • Evaluate low-cost, locally sourced VRU protection measures suitable for all income settings
  • Integrate VRU considerations as a first-order design requirement rather than an add-on

Interactives Elements

  • Photo audit: Attendees are shown a sequence of worksite photos from around the world. For each, they use Zoom reactions or polling to rate the VRU provision on a 1–5 scale. Results are discussed and common failure patterns identified.
  • Design-for-all exercise: A short scenario is presented (urban intersection worksite) and attendees must identify what provision is needed for five user types: a wheelchair user, a parent with a pushchair, a child walking to school, a cyclist, and a sight-impaired pedestrian. Responses are collected via chat.
  • Myth-busting quiz: A set of common assumptions about VRU behaviour at worksites (e.g., cyclists will always find a way around) is assessed with polling, then debunked using the project evidence.
  • Global practice gallery: Brief visual tour of VRU-specific interventions from the case studies (e.g., pop-up cycle lanes, accessible detours), with attendee voting on which they could realistically adapt for their context.
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