Plan of Action To Reduce Vehicle-Train Crashes in Alabama

1998 ◽  
Vol 1648 (1) ◽  
pp. 8-18
Author(s):  
Brian L. Bowman ◽  
Kristen Stinson ◽  
Cecil Colson
Keyword(s):  
Action Plan ◽  
The State ◽  
Final Report ◽  
Judicial Reform ◽  
Department Of Transportation ◽  
Legislative Action ◽  
Intersection Safety ◽  
Grade Crossing ◽  
Grade Crossings ◽  
Comprehensive Study

In April 1996, the state of Alabama Legislature, through the passage of Act 503, directed the Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT) to conduct a comprehensive study of rail-highway grade crossings in the state and recommend methods to drastically reduce the number of vehicle-train crashes. Senate Act 503 states: “… That the Alabama Department of Transportation is directed to conduct a comprehensive study of the rail/highway grade crossings in the state and present a plan to this body recommending methods to dramatically reduce vehicle/train accidents by the first day of the 1997 Regular Session.” In response to Act 503, the Multimodal Bureau of ALDOT developed an Action Plan that compared Alabama’s grade crossing crash experience with the experience of the national and southeastern states to identify the prevalent characteristics, identified the perceived needs of safety and railroad professionals required to decrease vehicle-train crashes and crash severity, and compiled a list of recommendations and activities required for implementation. The activities and results of the Act 503 study documented in the final report are summarized (1). It discusses the engineering, economic, educational, enforcement, and emotional impediments to increasing rail-highway intersection safety and presents a broad range of realistic countermeasures. These countermeasures include legislative action; judicial reform; and enforcement, economic, and education initiatives.

A Method to Verify Railroad Interconnect With Highway Traffic Signal Systems

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adam Moore ◽  
Paul Zebell ◽  
Peter Koonce ◽  
Jon Meusch
Keyword(s):  
Traffic Signal ◽  
Department Of Transportation ◽  
Clearance Time ◽  
Highway Traffic ◽  
Signal Systems ◽  
Grade Crossing ◽  
Grade Crossings ◽  
State And Local

In response to increasing concern about railroad grade crossing safety, the Federal Railroad Administration and Department of Transportation issued Safety Advisory 2010-02 recommending in part “...that railroads conduct comprehensive joint inspections of highway traffic signal pre-emption interconnection with State and local highway authorities...” 2010-02 also recommends recording devices at interconnected highway-rail grade crossings. This paper addresses a method to facilitate these goals by enabling the highway authority to independently verify that rail equipment is functioning properly, and just as importantly, enabling the railroad to independently verify that the highway traffic signal equipment is providing adequate clearance time in advance of the arrival of the train in the crossing. The method involves adding two circuits between the rail equipment and the traffic signal equipment: a crossing island circuit, and a start of the traffic clearance phase indicator from the traffic signal to the rail equipment. This system has been implemented at two intersections in Portland, Oregon, with plans for further implementation.

Warrants for Active Warning Devices at Low-Volume Highway-Rail Grade Crossings

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jaya Lakshmi Kunisetty ◽  
Angela Jannini Weissmann ◽  
Jose Weissmann ◽  
Mijia Yang ◽  
Steven P. Venglar
Keyword(s):  
Traffic Control ◽  
High Volume ◽  
The State ◽  
First Year ◽  
Department Of Transportation ◽  
Priority Index ◽  
Texas Department ◽  
Relevant Variables ◽  
Low Volume ◽  
Grade Crossings

The main objective of this research is to reduce the number of crashes between vehicles and trains at low-volume passive highway-rail at grade crossings by developing a revised safety index and warrants for active warning devices in the state of Texas. The research is focused only on low-volume crossings because most high-volume crossings in the state of Texas have already received improvements in terms of traffic control devices as the existing Texas priority index prioritizes high-volume crossings. This technical paper will describe and provide the most up-to-date preliminary results for warrants of the first year study in a two year Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) 0-6642 project called “Developing Warrants for Active Warning Devices at Low-Volume Highway-Rail Grade Crossings.” In order to prioritize the crossings that meet warrants a priority index should be used. The current Texas priority index places more emphasis on high-volume crossings with crash history and it doesn’t include several important variables. In order to address the issues of the current Texas priority index a new Texas Passive Crossing Index was developed based on a different concept — instead of using numeric thresholds, cumulative percentiles of the relevant variables are used.

scholarly journals Effect of Dynamic Envelope Pavement Markings on Vehicle Driver Behavior at a Highway-Rail Grade Crossing

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Scott Gabree ◽  
Stephanie Chase ◽  
Marco daSilva
Keyword(s):  
The United States ◽  
Transportation Systems ◽  
United States Department ◽  
Department Of Transportation ◽  
Pavement Markings ◽  
Florida Department ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Grade Crossing ◽  
Grade Crossings ◽  
Stop Line

The United States Department of Transportation’s (USDOT) John A. Volpe National Transportation Systems Center (Volpe Center), under the direction of the USDOT Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) Office of Research and Development (R&D), recently completed a study on the use of pavement markings to reduce instances of vehicles stopping on the tracks at grade crossings. Specifically, the study evaluated the effectiveness of pavement markings placed within the dynamic envelope, the region between and immediately adjacent to the tracks at a grade crossing, and new corresponding signage at the Commercial Boulevard grade crossing (ID# 628186E) in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. The goal of this research study was to gain an understanding of the effect of dynamic envelope pavement markings and accompanying signage on driver’s not stopping while traversing the tracks. The addition of the dynamic envelope markings and signage is intended to make this area more pronounced, resulting in fewer motorists entering the dynamic envelope if they are unable to exit the other side. Researchers coded driver stopping behavior at this crossing before and after the surface treatments were installed. Vehicles were coded as having stopped in one of four zones: behind the stop line and gate arm (Zone 1), past the stop line but before the tracks (Zone 2), on the tracks (Zone 3), or immediately after the tracks (Zone 4). Stopping in Zone 3 is considered to be the most dangerous behavior that a driver could perform, while stopping in Zone 1 is the safest. The goal of the added markings and signage is to reduce the number of vehicles which come to a stop within the dynamic envelope, thus reducing the possibility that a vehicle is present on the tracks when a train approaches resulting in a collision. The addition of the dynamic envelope pavement markings and modified signage resulted in a statistically significant change in driver stopping behavior. Specifically, the pavement markings and signage reduced the proportion of vehicles that stopped in Zone 3, resulting in a 45% reduction in vehicles stopped in Zone 3 for eastbound vehicles and 14% for westbound vehicles. They also increased the proportion of vehicles stopping in Zone 1, which is the safest behavior a driver can perform (9% increase for eastbound and 6% increase for westbound). Additionally, fewer vehicles were found to stop in both Zone 2 and Zone 4, which are both moderately dangerous. Based on these results, the Florida Department of Transportation is exploring the use of this safety treatment at additional grade crossings with a high risk for unsafe vehicle stopping behavior.

scholarly journals A Comprehensive Assessment of the Existing Accident and Hazard Prediction Models for the Highway-Rail Grade Crossings in the State of Florida

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (10) ◽  
pp. 4291 ◽  
Author(s):  
Junayed Pasha ◽  
Maxim A. Dulebenets ◽  
Olumide F. Abioye ◽  
Masoud Kavoosi ◽  
Ren Moses ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Traffic Control ◽  
Prediction Models ◽  
Rank Correlation ◽  
The State ◽  
Alternative Methods ◽  
Index Formula ◽  
Potential Hazard ◽  
Priority Index ◽  
Grade Crossing ◽  
Grade Crossings

Accidents at highway-rail grade crossings can cause fatalities and injuries, as well as significant property damages. In order to prevent accidents, certain upgrades need to be made at highway-rail grade crossings. However, due to limited monetary resources, only the most hazardous highway-rail grade crossings should receive a priority for upgrading. Hence, accident/hazard prediction models are required to identify the most hazardous highway-rail grade crossings for safety improvement projects. This study selects and evaluates the accident and hazard prediction models found in the highway-rail grade crossing safety literature to rank the highway-rail grade crossings in the State of Florida. Three approaches are undertaken to evaluate the candidate accident and hazard prediction models, including the chi-square statistic, grouping of crossings based on the actual accident data, and Spearman rank correlation coefficient. The analysis was conducted for the 589 highway-rail grade crossings located in the State of Florida using the data available through the highway-rail grade crossing inventory database maintained by the Federal Railroad Administration. As a result of the performed analysis, a new hazard prediction model, named as the Florida Priority Index Formula, is recommended to rank/prioritize the highway-rail grade crossings in the State of Florida. The Florida Priority Index Formula provides a more accurate ranking of highway-rail grade crossings as compared to the alternative methods. The Florida Priority Index Formula assesses the potential hazard of a given highway-rail grade crossing based on the average daily traffic volume, average daily train volume, train speed, existing traffic control devices, accident history, and crossing upgrade records.

Drivers’ Attitudes, Understanding, and Acceptance of Passing Lanes in Kansas

1998 ◽  
Vol 1628 (1) ◽  
pp. 25-33 ◽  
Author(s):  
Madaniyo I. Mutabazi ◽  
Eugene R. Russell ◽  
Robert W. Stokes
Keyword(s):  
Questionnaire Survey ◽  
Project Evaluation ◽  
Department Of Transportation ◽  
Local Conditions ◽  
Improvement Project ◽  
The Public ◽  
Pavement Markings ◽  
Design Practices ◽  
Comprehensive Study ◽  
Just Right

Traditionally, highway improvement project evaluation is done without incorporating highway users’ views. The Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) wants drivers to be satisfied and have “good feelings” about its passing lanes program. KDOT needs input to decide whether passing lanes are efficient, safe, and acceptable to the public. Drivers’ views were solicited via a questionnaire survey which was part of a comprehensive study on passing lanes in Kansas. Generally, drivers support the passing lane program and suggest construction of more passing lanes. Drivers think that passing lanes are more beneficial for improving safety than for saving time. They are equally divided on the length of passing lanes between “too short” and “just right,” although the provided lengths are within the recommended optimum lengths found in the literature. The “too short” responses could be due to existing passing lane spacings, preference of four-lane highways over two-lane highways, and difference in local conditions from those used to determine lengths. Drivers cited fellow drivers’ failure to follow signs and markings properly, and failure to use the lanes properly; this seems to indicate that improvements in signing and pavement markings should be considered. A smaller proportion of drivers, satisfied with a lower frequency of local travel on a route closer to the state’s borders (i.e., more unfamiliar drivers), suggests the importance of standardizing highway operating and design practices throughout the country.

Ships in the Night: The CIA, the White House and the Bay of Pigs

1995 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-42 ◽  
Author(s):  
Piero Gleijeses
Keyword(s):  
State Department ◽  
The State ◽  
White House ◽  
Campaign Rhetoric ◽  
Bay Of Pigs ◽  
Comprehensive Study

AbstractA comprehensive study of the available documents about the Bay of Pigs, including many that have been declassified within the last eighteen months, and extensive interviews with the protagonists in the CIA, the White House and the State Department lead me to conclude that the disastrous operation was launched not simply because Kennedy was poorly served by his young staff and was the captive of his campaign rhetoric, nor simply because of the hubris of the CIA. Rather, the Bay of Pigs was approved because the CIA and the White House assumed they were speaking the same language when, in fact, they were speaking in utterly different tongues.

The Theoretical Origins of Management of Innovation Entrepreneurship Development

2021 ◽  
pp. 247-257
Author(s):  
Mariia Buhaieva ◽  
◽  
Sofia Demchenko ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Management System ◽  
Innovation Policy ◽  
The State ◽  
Innovative Activity ◽  
Innovative Development ◽  
Internal Environment ◽  
Entrepreneurship Development ◽  
Management Actions ◽  
Management Of Innovation ◽  
Comprehensive Study

The development of any economic system involves the transformation of the basic characteristics of its participants. In this case, the development itself can be both traditional and innovative. Currently, it is important to consider the innovative type of development at the enterprise level, which means a purposeful process of finding ideas, preparing innovations and their implementation, to increase their efficiency, and for society - to increase needs, the state - to increase the competitiveness of national products in the international market. It is obvious that the development of innovative activity of the enterprise is one of the decisive factors of its successful development. The purpose of this study is a comprehensive study of the theoretical origins of management of innovative entrepreneurship, the formation of a systematic view of the features of innovation management of the enterprise in modern business conditions. A comprehensive study of the theoretical origins of management of innovative entrepreneurship development was carried out, in particular, the emergence of views on the essence of such concepts as “innovation”, “innovative enterprise”, “innovative entrepreneurship”, “development of innovative entrepreneurship” were analyzed in the article. The authors suggest their own interpretation of such categories taking into account the analysis of domestic and foreign approaches and theoretical provisions for this problems in the modern understanding. Also, a systematic presentation of the features of management of the innovative activity of an enterprise in modern economic conditions was formed. The authors believe that for successful management of innovative development of the enterprise there should be a "smart" management system of innovative development of the enterprise. The purpose of the IDE management is to increase the competitiveness of the enterprise - the stable market position for continuous development in a constantly changing external and internal environment. Features of managing the development of innovative entrepreneurship at the present stage are the following: the ability and readiness of the economic entity to positive change, progress; the sequence of management actions that realize the innovation potential; quantitative changes in the relevant "growth points"; qualitative changes based on cooperation and rivalry between market participants for better conditions of production, purchase and sale of goods. It should be noted that management of innovation entrepreneurship development should have the support of the state in the context of Ukraine's innovation policy. The prospects for further research are related to the improvement of the innovation entrepreneurship management system as a key element for increasing the competitiveness of modern enterprises in a constantly changing external and internal environment.

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