Optimizing Protective Measures with Respect to Multiple Hazards

In the past century, more than a thousand attacks targeted the transportation system or used it as a weapon. In the latter case, terrorists transformed the transportation system into a delivery system for vehicular bombs targeting structural assets. The most effective protection against this threat is the erection of barriers to create sufficient distance between the asset and the avenue of attack. However, these barriers often impede traffic flow and degrade evacuation and other emergency response times. Thus, although they reduce a network’s risk from one type of event, the protective measures increase risk from other hazards. This paper examines the trade-offs between protective measures that limit vehicle access to structures and the benefits of a fully operational transportation system in evacuation scenarios. A framework containing a linear integer program is presented to select optimally a vector of active and passive security measures while ensuring emergency transportation connectivity and mobility, a sufficient benefit–cost ratio, budget compliance, and workforce availability. Application of the framework to a sample network indicated that the protective measures induced more risk than they alleviated. These results are specific to the network and scenarios evaluated. However, security professionals, planners, and government decision makers can use the methodology presented in this paper to evaluate their networks and area-specific hazards in order to make better-informed security choices that consider all representative events simultaneously rather than in isolation.

• Record URL:
  https://doi.org/10.3141/2022-04
• 
• Summary URL:
  http://scholar.google.com/scholar_lookup?title=Optimizing+Protective+Measures+with+Respect+to+Multiple+Hazards&author=P.+Murray-Tuite&publication_year=2007
• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/isbn/9780309104494
• Authors:
  • Murray-Tuite, Pamela M
• Publication Date: 2007

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Print
• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: pp 29-38
• Monograph Title: Transportation Security; Emergency Response and Recovery
• Serial:
  • Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board
  • Issue Number: 2022
  • Publisher: Transportation Research Board
  • ISSN: 0361-1981

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Barriers (Roads); Bombs; Decision making; Disaster preparedness; Emergency management; Emergency response time; Evacuation; Hazards; Methodology; National security; Security; Terrorism; Traffic flow
• Uncontrolled Terms: Car bombs; Concrete barriers; Terrorist incidents; Transportation infrastructure
• Subject Areas: Highways; Planning and Forecasting; Security and Emergencies; I72: Traffic and Transport Planning;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01044075
• Record Type: Publication
• ISBN: 9780309104494
• Files: TRIS, TRB, ATRI
• Created Date: Feb 8 2007 6:51PM