Abstract Manager

Pavement friction is a critical determinant of road safety, directly influencing braking performance, vehicle control and crash occurrence particularly under wet and adverse weather conditions. While its importance is widely acknowledged, the state of practice in Pavement Friction Management (PFM) varies significantly across jurisdictions, with notable differences in how friction is measured, interpreted, and incorporated into network-level decision-making.

In the United Kingdom, pavement friction management is well established through national standards such as the Design Manual for Roads and Bridges (DMRB), including CS 228, which provides structured guidance for skid resistance investigation, monitoring, and treatment selection. Similarly, Austroads in Australia has developed specific guidance to develop and execute skid resistance policy. This guidance emphasizes the necessity to adapt previously established investigatory limits from the UK to align with local climatic conditions, traffic patterns, and network context. In the United States, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has elevated PFM as a proven safety practice, supported by comprehensive technical guidance, national demonstration projects, and the growing use of continuous friction measurement to inform safety and asset management decisions.

In Canada, practice is comparatively fragmented. Evidence of systematic friction management is stronger in aviation, where Transport Canada provides structured guidance for friction measurement and reporting. In road networks, actions related to friction are frequently implemented as specific interventions, such as the guidance provided by British Columbia on High Friction Surface Treatment, and through localized or provincial measurement practices, exemplified by Québec's documentation of SCRIM-based adhesion surveys. These actions are not typically part of a coordinated, network-wide performance management program. Canadian research further supports friction’s safety relevance and highlights opportunities for improved, interpretable modelling of friction-crash relationships.

Key gaps in the current state of practice include inconsistent friction measurement and harmonization, limited transferability of investigatory thresholds across jurisdictions and climates, uneven adoption of continuous friction data at the network level, and weak integration of friction metrics into mainstream pavement and road safety management workflows.

This research will address these gaps with a structured synthesis of international best practices and evidence. This approach will establish a foundation for enhancing friction management, leading to more consistent, data-driven, and safety-oriented implementation.

Keywords: Pavement Friction Management, Skid Resistance, Wet-weather Crashes, Roadway Safety, Friction Measurement Techniques.