"From the Netherlands to the Cavour Canal in Piedmont Region: the Dutch risk assessment approach for a Safe Waterway Cycling"

The Netherlands and Italy have followed historically different paths towards cycling-waterway governance. This has resulted in a government-led interactive approach in the Netherlands and a region-led approach in Italy, each with distinct risk management traditions. This pilot tests whether these approaches are transferable across regulatory contexts.

The goal of this pilot action is to bridge the regulatory gap in Piedmont REGION regarding the use of irrigation canal embankments for cycling. Currently, the absence of technical standards creates legal and safety uncertainties for managing authorities effectively prevnting the sustainable mobility use of these waterways.

Building on the Dutch governance and safety management framework—which integrates co‑design methodologies, CROW technical guidance, and Safety Performance Indicator (SPI)‑based risk and safety assessment tools—PP08 will develop a new regulation manual entitled "Waterway Safety Manual" which will serve as the operational basis for the policy improvement of the Regional Mobility and Transport Plan (PRMT). (PP08 is the managing authority of the PRMT revised yearly). This instrument will define technical, organisational, and procedural requirements for the safe and legally use of waterways for sustainble mobility, grounded in the results of the pilot action.

The Dutch approach will be operationalised through a pilot implementation on a strategically selected section of the Cavour Canal, managed by PP02, the West Sessia Irrigation Association. The pilot will be conducted along a 1 km canal stretch, where risk‑management assessment methodologies and associated safety measures (including physical safety equipment and operational controls) will be installed and tested under real conditions. The outcomes of this pilot implementation will provide the basis for validating and refining the proposed risk‑assignment framework and regulatory provisions incorporated into the draft regional guidelines.