Vulnerable Road Users (VRUs) such as pedestrian, cyclists and motor cyclists face a disproportionate share of road traffic deaths worldwide accounting for more than 70% of fatalities in India. Vision Zero, the global safe system framework has significantly reduced crash risks under normal traffic conditions through speed management, safer street design and protective vehicle technologies. However, its application during major disruptions particularly urban floods remains limited. Urban floods are the most frequent disaster in Indian cities, submerging sidewalks, cycle tracks and crossings forcing VRUs into unsafe vehicle lanes and exposing them to drowning, slips and collisions. While existing Indian research has concentrated on drainage performance and hydrological modelling, the behavioural responses of VRUs under flood conditions remain largely undocumented. This research aims to address that gap by integrating Vision Zero principles with resilience planning focusing on VRU safety in flood prone environments. Using Chennai (mega city) and Kochi (mid-sized city) as case studies, the research employs a three pronged methodology: GIS and Random Forest models to map flood hotspots, network analysis to assess redundancy and field surveys to examine VRU behaviour under disruption. The spatial and behavioural findings will be combined into Vulnerable Road User Flood Risk Index (FRI) capturing hazard, exposure, behavioural vulnerability and resilience. The study will provide the systematic behavioural evidence of VRU responses to floods in Indian cities highlight equity issues among marginalized groups and propose an integrated framework to ensure transport systems remain safe and functional during disruptions thereby extending Vision Zero into resilience planning.

Keywords: Vision Zero, Road Network Resilience, Vulnerable Road Users (VRUs), Urban Floods, Behavioural Risk