Safe Cycling Routes Toolkit

By project CycleRight

Published on 23 May 2025

Croatia

About this good practice

The Safe Cycling Routes Toolkit (SCRT) is one of the key outcomes of the SABRINA Safer Bicycle Routes in Danube Area project, implemented in the Interreg Danube Transnational Programme. It focused on the traffic safety aspects of cycling-related infrastructure, and its goal was to improve cycling safety conditions by enhancing the skills of national, regional, and local decision-makers and planners, thereby contributing to the sustainable and safe development of both existing and future infrastructure in an evidence-based and data-driven way.

As part of the project, the SCRT online GIS-based decision-support tool was developed to assess the impact of different infrastructure concepts. SCRT allows users to select an infrastructure layout of the observed route and assess them for safety. Based on the defined cross-section information, best practices and available research, traffic flows and safety ratings from existing methodologies, the platform guides the user through cycling infrastructure comparison, recommended upgrade strategies and/or road safety infrastructure countermeasures on critical locations. The toolkit makes recommendations based on the algorithm that takes into account cycling user risks from ECS, iRAP and CycleRAP methodologies, cycling infrastructure reduction potential and infrastructure costs considering also the restraints that might apply in different common scenarios.

A user manual and a video tutorial series are provided to support use of the system.

Resources needed

Use of SCRT is free of charge, but registration is required. Intermediate GIS experience is recommended; no programming skills and knowledge on the above-mentioned methodologies are necessary. Proper analytical skills are required to interpret results and use them for appropriate decision-making.

Evidence of success

The SCRT has a growing community of 277 registered users from various countries, demonstrating clear demand and relevance across contexts. Its modular design comprised of document repository and assessment modules supports knowledge sharing, capacity building, and an easy and consistent application of road safety principles, even by users without expert knowledge. While there is still room for expansion, the current engagement highlights its practical value and potential for wider replication.

Potential for learning or transfer

The system is designed to be used virtually anywhere in the world, with no territorial restrictions. What may be an obstacle is the different price levels from one region to another. By default, investment price of a given infrastructure type is pre-defined on an average applicable at the time of developing of the system. Given that these change over time and that prices vary significantly between regions, users have the option to manually adjust/set the cost in € per 100 metres.