scholarly journals Identification of the Determinants of the Effectiveness of On-Road Chicanes in Transition Zones to Villages Subject to a 70 km/h Speed Limit

Energies ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (20) ◽  
pp. 5244
Author(s):  
Alicja Sołowczuk ◽  
Dominik Kacprzak
Keyword(s):  
Traffic Safety ◽  
Traffic Management ◽  
Design Parameters ◽  
Additional Energy ◽  
Speed Reduction ◽  
Transition Zones ◽  
Road Design ◽  
Traffic Calming ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Surrounding Landscape

In recent decades traffic calming, especially in villages situated on through roads, has become an urgent issue. Various schemes are applied in the transition zones to reduce the inbound traffic speeds and thus improve the traffic safety. The studies conducted in several countries point to different determinants of the speed reduction obtained in this way. This article deals with the schemes including a central island horizontally deflecting one lane, located in transition zones to villages with 70 km/h speed restriction on two-lane roads (6 m carriageway width). In order to identify the speed reduction determinants, the speeds before and after chicanes were measured and the effect of the three criteria was investigated, characterising: the traffic management scheme, road design parameters, landscape elements present in the surroundings of the transition zone and visibility conditions. Based on the confirmation of logical tautology of many pre-selected factors, one aggregate parameter was proposed for the assessment of the practicable level of speed reduction, combining the effect of the selected factors in the above-mentioned criteria. Statistical analysis of the obtained results confirmed a statistically significant relationship between both the speed reduction value and the speed reduction index, and the aggregate parameter proposed by the authors. Factors related to the surrounding landscape and visibility conditions were found to have the greatest direct effect on speed reduction. The chicanes chosen in the final step of the proposed design process should be enhanced by additional solar-powered elements ensuring their improved visibility. These devices should not, however, require any additional energy supply and should not increase the construction or maintenance costs.

scholarly journals Identification of the Determinants of the Effectiveness of On-Road Chicanes in the Village Transition Zones Subject to a 50 km/h Speed Limit

Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (13) ◽  
pp. 4002
Author(s):  
Alicja Barbara Sołowczuk ◽  
Dominik Kacprzak
Keyword(s):  
Traffic Management ◽  
Road Traffic ◽  
Speed Reduction ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Transition Zones ◽  
The Road ◽  
Traffic Calming ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Traffic Volumes ◽  
The Village

In recent years, in which a considerable increase in the road traffic volumes has been witnessed, traffic calming has become one the key issues in the area of road engineering. This concerns, in particular, trunk roads passing through small villages with a population of up to 500 and the road section length within the village limits of ca. 1400–1700 m. A successful traffic calming scheme must involve primarily effective reduction in inbound traffic speed. A review of the data from various countries revealed that chicanes installed in the transition zones may have a determining effect on the success of the traffic calming project. The effectiveness of such chicanes depends mainly on the type of chicane, its location on the carriageway, its shape and the size of the lateral deflection imposed by the chicane on the inbound lane. The purpose of this study was to identify the speed reduction determinants in traffic calming schemes in village transition zones, based on a central island horizontally deflecting one lane of a two-lane two-way road with 50 km/h speed restriction. As part of the study, vehicle speeds were measured just before and after the chicanes under analysis. Furthermore, the inbound lane traffic volumes were measured in field and a number of factors were identified, including the applied traffic management scheme, road parameters, view of the road ahead and of the village skyline, isolated buildings, road infrastructure and adjacent roadside developments. The obtained data were analysed with a method employing tautologies of the selected 32 factors affecting the drivers’ perception. A single aggregate parameter was proposed for assessing the coincidence of the influence of selected factors on speed reduction. The analysis of the existing schemes and the results of statistical analyses carried out in this study confirmed the authors’ hypothesis that the combined selected factors produce a desirable effect and that they should be additionally enhanced by the application of solar powered devices.

scholarly journals Effect of Lane Narrowing Implemented on an Urban Dual Carriageway on Speed Reduction and Acoustic Environment

Buildings ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 31
Author(s):  
Alicja Barbara Sołowczuk ◽  
Dominik Kacprzak
Keyword(s):  
Traffic Safety ◽  
Traffic Noise ◽  
Motor Vehicles ◽  
Surrounding Area ◽  
Acoustic Environment ◽  
Speed Reduction ◽  
Traffic Calming ◽  
Local Topography ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Surrounding Landscape

The on-going growth in the use of motor vehicles leads to a number of traffic safety problems. Therefore, various traffic calming measures are applied to increase traffic safety in built-up areas. Lane narrowing is one of the techniques used to influence the perception of drivers and make them slow down. With this in mind, the authors conducted traffic volume and speed counts before and after installation of the lane narrowing treatment, covering 100 passing vehicles, at an intersection between an urban dual carriageway and an estate street where over a dozen fatal accidents occurred in the recent years. Traffic noise was also measured, both before and after lane narrowing. The traffic count data were analysed to show speed reduction by ca. 15 km/h, yet in all cases still above 50 km/h, which is the speed limit applicable to built-up areas in Poland. The analysis of the “before” and “after” noise maps showed only minor changes to the distribution of noise. The locations of these changes to the acoustic environment depended on the speed and volume of traffic and, much more importantly, on the topography of the surrounding area, the existing roadside layered landscape and the type of planted vegetation. The detailed analyses of the analysed parameters demonstrated that sustainable design of traffic calming measures on urban dual carriageways must consider not only the desired speed reduction but also the surrounding landscape and the local topography.

Renewed Commitment to Traffic Calming for Pedestrian Safety

1997 ◽  
Vol 1578 (1) ◽  
pp. 11-19 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sheila Sarkar ◽  
A. A. Jan Nederveen ◽  
Albert Pols
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Traffic Management ◽  
Field Research ◽  
The United States ◽  
European Countries ◽  
Strong Argument ◽  
Speed Reduction ◽  
Road Design ◽  
Traffic Calming

Success of road design depends to a large extent on how safe it is for different users. Unfortunately, in most instances the definition of road users in the United States has precluded pedestrians and bicyclists. Safety of pedestrians and bicyclists is most often relegated to a marginal status in many parts of the urban areas. The roads in the past few decades, with a few exceptions, were built for speed, ensuring maximum convenience to drivers, but, intimidating the green modes (pedestrians and bicyclists). Traffic calming is one way of reclaiming the roads for a more equitable use by different users. Many European countries have been successful in giving back the road to the pedestrians and bicyclists by implementing areawide traffic management and speed-reduction measures. The United States, however, is far behind these countries in actual implementation of such concepts, although thinking on these lines had started as early as the 1960s. There is a strong argument in favor of traffic calming in the United States based on facts and figures on accidents, road conditions, and driver behavior. In addition, field research in some European countries reveals the positive attributes of these planning principles and designs.

scholarly journals Human factor and traffic safety

2017 ◽  
Vol 18 (7-8) ◽  
pp. 49-52
Author(s):  
Ewa Brożyna
Keyword(s):  
Traffic Safety ◽  
Traffic Engineering ◽  
Traffic Management ◽  
Traffic Accidents ◽  
Road Traffic ◽  
Human Person ◽  
Road Transport ◽  
Transport Infrastructure ◽  
Road User ◽  
Road Design

This article deals with issues in the field of traffic engineering. According to its assumptions, traffic is a system consisting of three inseparable elements which are man, vehicle and road. In this article, the author focuses on the relationship between two of these elements: human as a road user and a path that should be a subordinate of the user’s capabilities and convenience. The first part of the article is an introduction to the topic of the article. There are presented the data on the amount of road traffic accidents caused by human factors and the categories of errors committed by drivers. In the further part there were analyzed the biological factors which have influence on driver’s actions such as sight, attention and reaction time with particular emphasis on the imperfections of those factors which should be taken into account when designing roads and organizing traffic because it lets to provide a higher level of road safety. The purpose of this article is to develop practical conclusions for road design and traffic management that will help to better adjust the road transport infrastructure to the capabilities and natural limitations of the human person. These conclusions are included in the summary.

scholarly journals Identification of Determinants of the Speed-Reducing Effect of Pedestrian Refuges in Villages Located on a Chosen Regional Road

Symmetry ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 597
Author(s):  
Alicja Sołowczuk ◽  
Dominik Kacprzak
Keyword(s):  
Traffic Engineering ◽  
Geometric Parameters ◽  
Speed Reduction ◽  
The Road ◽  
Traffic Calming ◽  
Engineering Discipline ◽  
Number Of Factors ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Layout Geometry ◽  
Specific Factors

Traffic calming, as a traffic engineering discipline, is becoming an increasingly important aspect of the road engineering process. One of the traffic calming treatments are pedestrian refuges—raised islands located on or at the road centreline. This paper presents factors relevant to the performance of this kind of traffic calming devices retrofitted on the stretches of regional roads in village areas. To this end, speed surveys were carried out before and after the islands in each direction on purposefully chosen test sections. In order to identify the determinants, each test section was characterised by features including the symmetry of the road layout geometry, surrounding features and the existing traffic signs and, last but not least, visibility of the road ahead. The survey data were used by the authors to perform analyses in order to group the speeds at the pedestrian refuges and relate them to specific factors and, finally, identify the determinants of speed reduction. In this way, the authors arrived at a conclusion that the performance of pedestrian refuges depends on a number of factors rather than solely on their geometric parameters. The analyses showed that the pedestrian refuge geometric parameters, features located in its proximity that influence the driver’s perception and placement of appropriate marking, can, in combination, result in achieving the desired speed reduction and ensure safety of non-motorised users. These hypotheses were tested on a stretch of a regional road in village area at three points of the process: before upgrading, after installation of pedestrian refuges, and after retrofitting of enhancements.

scholarly journals Synergy Effect of Factors Characterising Village Transition Zones on Speed Reduction

Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (24) ◽  
pp. 8474
Author(s):  
Alicja Sołowczuk ◽  
Dominik Kacprzak
Keyword(s):  
Transition Zone ◽  
Confidence Level ◽  
Synergy Effect ◽  
Speed Reduction ◽  
Transition Zones ◽  
Pavement Markings ◽  
Traffic Calming ◽  
Combined Impact ◽  
The Village ◽  
Relevant Factors

There are various traffic calming measures that can be installed in village transition zones. So far, focus was placed on diversified use of pavement markings, amounts of horizontal deflection, shape of the installed chicanes or central islands, presence of gateway, etc., and their location along the transition zone. However, the combined effect of the different transition zone factors on speed reductions has been rarely studied so far. Authors put forward a hypothesis of there being some determinants, which in combination influence speed reduction. To corroborate the hypothesis on the combined impact of the transition zone features on speed reduction in the village transition zones and to validate the established relationships the authors conducted verification study in transition zones containing chicanes or central islands. To verify this hypothesis the authors studied twenty transition zones and managed to confirm the hypothesis at 95% confidence level. The authors used previously adopted binary methods, verified the previously defined factors and added a few new determinants. The contribution of this study is a further investigation of the synergy effect of various relevant factors and the findings can assist in planning new transition zones or suggest additional measures to achieve the desired speed reduction in existing transition zones.

scholarly journals Traffic Safety Factors in the Qassim Region of Saudi Arabia

SAGE Open ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 215824402091950
Author(s):  
Ahmad A. Al-Tit ◽  
Imed Ben Dhaou ◽  
Fahad M. Albejaidi ◽  
Mohammed S. Alshitawi
Keyword(s):  
Traffic Safety ◽  
Road Safety ◽  
Traffic Accidents ◽  
Road Traffic ◽  
Traffic Signals ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Vehicle Design ◽  
Road Maintenance ◽  
Road Design ◽  
Traffic Calming

This study investigates the factors that affect traffic safety in the Qassim region. A questionnaire was developed on the basis of the Handbook of road safety and consisted of 85 items measuring seven dimensions: area-wide traffic calming (22 items), vehicle design and protective devices (26 items), road design (24 items), road maintenance (three items), traffic education (four items), police campaigns and sanctions (three items), and post-accident care (three items). A sample encompassing 1,500 Qassim University students, and visitors was randomly selected to collect data. A total of 1,500 questionnaires were distributed to students, and visitors of which 1,053 were retrieved. The elimination of data outliers resulted in a sample of 909 subjects. The results pointed out a moderate level of traffic safety in the Qassim region. Furthermore, 10 leading causes of road traffic accidents emerged, namely, excess speed, irregular bypasses, irregular rotations, lack of prioritization of other drivers, irregular stops, lack of road readiness, driver carelessness, use of a mobile phone while driving, noncompliance with traffic signals, and, finally, nonuse of seat belts. On the basis of these results, conclusions and policy implications were provided.

scholarly journals A Method for Traffic Calming Using Radio Transmitter

2017 ◽  
Vol 2017 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Amin Mirza Boroujerdian ◽  
Samane Sheikhy
Keyword(s):  
Video Processing ◽  
Intelligent Transportation System ◽  
Transportation Safety ◽  
Speed Limit ◽  
Speed Reduction ◽  
Traffic Calming ◽  
Innovative Methods ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Voice Message ◽  
Major Factors

Excessive speed is one of the major factors in transportation safety assessment and is influenced by road geometric design, vehicle properties, and driving pattern. Exploiting innovative methods along with the conventional ones has been proven to be effective in road safety to control the speed limit. In this study, a supplementary tool is introduced to help drivers to observe the speed limit. In line with this objective, the effectiveness of Voice Sign System (VSS) as an Intelligent Transportation System is evaluated. In order to measure the speed, video processing software is used. Moreover, SPSS is utilized to perform statistical analysis and compare upstream and downstream speeds before and after a message transmission. The study is conducted in Yadegar-e-Imam expressway, located in Tehran, to evaluate the effectiveness of a voice message. The message reads as follows: “Observe the Speed Limit.” The results reveal that VSS is an effective tool for speed reduction as well as the speed limit observation in expressways. The study shows that the speed is reduced by 18% on average, and speed limit observation is improved by 46.5%, out of which 18.2% is direct and 28.3% is indirect influence of VSS.

Design and Evaluation of K-Pass: A Bicycle-Friendly Modification of Speed Bumps

2018 ◽  
Vol 2672 (36) ◽  
pp. 157-166
Author(s):  
Vinod Vasudevan ◽  
Aniruddha Rajurkar ◽  
Rahul Soni ◽  
Akhil Tiwari
Keyword(s):  
Traffic Safety ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Traffic Crashes ◽  
The Road ◽  
Traffic Calming ◽  
Road Users ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Two Wheeler ◽  
Motorized Vehicles ◽  
Speed Humps

Traffic safety is a major concern across the world. Since speed is a major cause of traffic crashes, various traffic calming measures are used to enhance the safety of the road users in urban areas. Speed humps and bumps are the most widely used traffic calming devices. As a considerable number of bicyclists use the road along with motorized users, it is important to consider them while deploying any traffic calming devices. Studies have shown that bicyclists experience significantly larger discomfort as compared to motorized vehicles while passing over speed humps. In this study, a modification has been proposed to enhance riding comfort of bicyclists without compromising the traffic calming attribute of a speed bump. This modification is named “K-pass.” Analysis of data collected before and after the modification justifies the effectiveness in reducing the discomfort of bicyclists. Over a period of eight months, 70% of the bicyclists chose to use K-pass. Data also revealed that a high proportion of motorized two-wheeler users also used the K-pass at reduced speeds. It is expected that the K-pass will be a useful modification to the existing speed humps and speed bumps in areas where bicycle usage is expected.

scholarly journals Calculation Method of Permanent Deformation of Asphalt Mixture Based on Interval Number

Materials ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (9) ◽  
pp. 2116
Author(s):  
Yue Xiao ◽  
Limin Tang ◽  
Jiawei Xie
Keyword(s):  
Interval Analysis ◽  
Calculation Method ◽  
Design Theory ◽  
Permanent Deformation ◽  
Asphalt Mixture ◽  
Design Parameters ◽  
Interval Variable ◽  
Road Design ◽  
Weight Assignment ◽  
Variable Weight

There are great uncertainties in road design parameters, and the traditional point numerical calculation results cannot reflect the complexity of the actual project well. Additionally, the calculation method of road design theory based on interval analysis is more difficult in the use of uncertain design parameters. In order to simplify the calculation process of the interval parameters in the road design theory, the asphalt pavement design is taken as the analysis object, and the permanent deformation of the asphalt mixture is simplified by combining the interval analysis theory. Considering the uncertainty of the design parameters, the data with boundaries but uncertain size are expressed in intervals, and then the interval calculation formula for the permanent deformation of the asphalt mixture is derived, and the interval results are obtained. In order to avoid the dependence of interval calculation on the computer code, according to the interval calculation rule, the interval calculation method with the upper and lower end point values as point operations is proposed. In order to overcome the contradiction between interval expansion results and engineering applications, by splitting the multi-interval variable formulas, the interval variable weights are reasonably given, and the synthesis of each single interval result realizes a simplified calculation based on interval variable weight assignment. The analysis results show that the interval calculation method based on the point operation rule is accurate and reliable, and the simplified method based on the interval variable weight assignment is effective and feasible. The simplified interval calculation method proposed in this paper provides a reference for the interval application of road design theory.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document