The Laboratory Mobility and Transport (Politecnico di Milano, Department IN.D.A.CO. - UdR DIS) was appointed Centre of Competence of the Department of Civil Protection - Group of research for the management and safety of transport by means of the decree issued by the Chief of the Department on 25.1.2005 no. 252, registered by the Budget and Accounting Office on 10.2.2005 at no. 434 in putting into effect the following "Operating policies" stated by the Directive of President of the Council of Ministers on 27th February 2004.

The Centre of Competence, for the benefit of the network of Functional Centres, can carry out the following activities of research and services supply:

• Evaluation of safety in railway and road transport,
• Evaluation and analysis of the applied studies of innovative technologies,
• Analysis of users' behaviour and drafting of technical manuals to support rescuers, handbooks for road users to show them how to behave in particular situations of emergency,
• Evaluations of the impact on both traffic and the environment, development of methods and applications to plan transport systems based on several methods, as well as techniques for the analysis and prevention of the risk involved in transport activities (in particular as far as dangerous goods transport is concerned),
• Information on transport risk in general and on the road network and other means of transport,
• Experimental application of the Department's software and operating procedures,
• Training and training assistance for the personnel of Department and Regions,
• Development of systems and methods for Mobility Management,
• Promoting of information to users in case of emergency,
• Projects, in the sector under competence, to be applied immediately.

Analysis of the risk associated to the system of road transport to highlight the sections that are more subject to relevant events, such as intense weather events, serious road accidents, disastrous events (earthquakes, floods, etc..) and social events (demonstrations, blockades, etc.) that cause an interruption of the road network with consequences on citizens' mobility as well as on the possibilities for rescue squads to reach the affected areas. Within the Project, the Centre of Competence offers its support to the Department of Civil Protection to foresee, prevent, mitigate the impact and to manage emergencies concerning road transport.

Providing the legislator with useful elements for non-government bills to regulate dangerous goods transport by planning an experimentation on the area of Lombardy, evaluating how the new technologies may suit the remote control of vehicles and analysing how they can suit the normal procedures to manage emergencies.

Ministry of Infrastructures and Transport

Application of the techniques of location and remote survey to know in real time the position of dangerous mobile loads along the elements of the transport network and the routes they follow, in order to foresee and prevent any possible situation of active risk.

Prof. Podestà is responsible for the research line E: "Evaluation of risk in dangerous substances transport" of the GNDRCIE and President of the section Transport of the Great Risks Committee of the Department of Civil Protection. Mr. Studer is an assistant of the research line E.

Planning of the systems and operating procedures to foresee and prevent accident risks in dangerous goods transport on the railway network, to monitor the dangerous goods transported, locate vehicles and manage emergencies.