Climate Change Adaptation: A Report on Climate Change Adaptation Measures for Low Volume Roads in the Northern Periphery

The European Union ROADEX Project 1998 – 2012 was a trans-national roads co-operation aimed at developing ways for interactive and innovative management of low traffic volume roads throughout the cold climate regions of the Northern Periphery Area of Europe. Its goals were to facilitate co-operation and research into the common problems of the Northern Periphery.

This report is an output of the ROADEX “Implementing Accessibility” project (2009-2012). It gives a summary of the results of research into adaptation measures to combat climate change effects on low volume roads in the Northern Periphery. The research was carried out between January 2000 and March 2012.

One of the biggest challenges that mankind has to face is the prospect of climate change resulting from emissions of greenhouse gases. These gases trap energy in the atmosphere and cause global surface temperatures to rise. This warming in turn causes changes in other climatic variables such as rainfall, humidity and wind speed that impact on the functioning of infrastructure such road networks.

This paper discusses the climate changes predicted by the world’s meteorological organisations and considers how these may impact on the public and forest road networks of the Northern Periphery. It includes: • A summary of the projected climate changes • A discussion on how these changes could impact of the road networks of the Northern Periphery • Good practice and adaptation measures that can be used The paper reports the results of a Questionnaire circulated to the ROADEX Partners to get their views and concerns on how climate change might impact their local low volume road networks.