Skip to main content

TRL consortium research project to address climate change

With climate change generating increasing challenges for road operators, the UK’s Transport Research Laboratory (TRL) has begun a US$491,000 (€450,000) research project to help European road operators better address the impacts of climate change and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Following a successful competitive bid, TRL is leading a consortium of six partners to deliver the two year DeTECToR (Decision-support Tools for Embedding Climate Change Thinking on Roads) project. The project is part of CEDR’
October 27, 2016 Read time: 2 mins
With climate change generating increasing challenges for road operators, the UK’s Transport Research Laboratory (491 TRL) has begun a US$491,000 (€450,000) research project to help European road operators better address the impacts of climate change and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Following a successful competitive bid, TRL is leading a consortium of six partners to deliver the two year DeTECToR (Decision-support Tools for Embedding Climate Change Thinking on Roads) project. The project is part of CEDR’s Transnational Road Research Programme, Call 2015 Climate Change: From Desk to Road and is funded by Germany, Netherlands, Ireland, Norway, Sweden and Austria.   

DeTECToR will produce practical tools and guidance documents, enabling road operators to better integrate climate change considerations in decision making and procurement. These include a cost-benefit tool that will utilise climate projections and asset information to enable the assessment of the cost-effectiveness of different adaptation actions.

DeTECToR will also produce a self-assessment tool to help embed climate change mitigation and adaptation into procurement. With most transport operators contracting out their maintenance, integrating consideration of carbon reduction and climate change adaptation into procurement process is a vital part of addressing climate change. The DeTECToR tool will help operators to assess their processes and identify areas for action.  

A series of pilot studies will be delivered to trial the guidance and tools, including one in the UK conducted by TRL. Road operators will be engaged throughout the project, though surveys, interviews and workshops to ensure the tools and guidance produced meet their needs. The DeTECToR outputs will be an important new resource for road operators helping them to address some of the most challenging issues relating to climate change.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • TRL and GOBOTiX team up on vehicle research
    May 28, 2014
    The UK’s Transport Research Laboratory (TRL) has teamed up with robotic technology consultants GOBOTiX to create a vehicle that will be used to test a variety of advanced vehicle functionality. TRL, with a long history in studies of the development and impact of advanced vehicle technologies, has donated a Toyota Prius to GOBOTiX, who will adapt the vehicle for innovative systems research. The first step will be for GOBOTiX to install drive-by-wire systems to replace mechanical linkages and actuators for
  • AI adoption in transportation needs a boost, says TRL
    May 20, 2025
    More help required to reach AI's potential, according to new report
  • New UK study trials effectiveness of low-emission HGVs
    July 25, 2017
    Cenex, the UK’s Centre of Excellence for low carbon technologies is to partner with logistics provider Kuehne + Nagel to trial the effectiveness of low-emissions heavy-goods vehicles (HGVs) operating as parts of large fleets with demanding-duty cycles. Funded in part by Innovate UK’s Low-Emission Freight and Logistics Project, the Reduced-Emission Logistics (RED-E-LOG) trial will see one of the UK’s largest fleet operators trial the effectiveness of dedicated (spark-ignited) gas and dual-fuel direct injecti
  • TRL’s road traffic safety management system to aid crash reduction in India
    April 2, 2014
    To help reduce the number of serious and fatal road traffic accidents occurring in their region, the Indian State of Himachal Pradesh chose iMAAP and iMAAP mobile solutions for the management of their road accident data. Designed and developed by TRL, the UK’s Transport Research Laboratory, iMAAP is a powerful new software solution for the management, analysis and evaluation of road traffic crash data. It will provide the Himachal Pradesh Government, Police, Road Authorities and other stakeholders with