Front cover of the ICPC report titled “International Literature Review on Safety Issues in Tram Networks,” featuring an institutional layout and the publication date.

Safety in Tramway Networks: An International Perspective to Inform Public Action 

Across the world, tramway networks face complex safety and insecurity-related issues that directly influence social acceptability, ridership, and the success of public transport projects. In this context, the ICPC publishes an international literature review offering a rigorous and comparative analysis of safety and crime prevention issues.

This International Literature Review on Safety Issues in Tramway Networks is based on an in-depth analysis of scientific research and practices observed internationally. It highlights that safety in tramway networks is not limited to recorded crime but is embedded in a broader set of conditions related to network organization, urban environments, and social interactions that shape users’ sense of insecurity. 

The report examines crimes against property, assaults, threats and harassment, as well as incivilities and social disorder, while emphasizing the central role of perceived safety in network use. It also proposes an analytical framework structured around three dimensions of urban transport safety (personal, organizational, and contextual) to better understand the dynamics shaping safety outcomes.

By documenting key contributions from international research, this review provides a reference analytical framework to better understand the mechanisms shaping actual safety and the sense of insecurity, and to inform public policy discussions and analyses related to prevention and governance in tramway networks.

This review is fully aligned with the ICPC’s mission to advance internationally comparable knowledge and support a shared understanding of safety and prevention issues in public transport.

Read the full report (in French) >

For additional information, contact info@cipc‑icpc.org.