scholarly journals Assessment of road safety parameters in the city of Kigali, Rwanda

2021 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 209-219
Author(s):  
David Nkurunziza ◽  
Rahman Tafahomi ◽  
Irumva Augustin Faraja
Keyword(s):  
Road Safety ◽  
Geometric Parameters ◽  
Design Standards ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Road Crashes ◽  
Road Design ◽  
Sight Distance ◽  
Average Variance ◽  
Safety Parameters ◽  
The City

Increase in vehicular population has led to increase in road crashes. This is particularly very evident in low- and middle-income countries. Rwanda is no exception to this problem. While various factors influence the occurrence of a crash, it is argued that road design can make roads either safe or unsafe to drive. This research examines geometric parameters of roads in the City of Kigali, with emphasis on checking their safety parameters in comparison with design standards of AASHTO 2011. The case study of this research was „KN 123 St‟, a two-lane asphalt road located in the center of the City of Kigali. Road parameters like lane widths, curve radii, super-elevation, sight distances and slope grades were examined. The research found various areas of improvement, inconsistencies and non-conformities. The findings established a clear relationship between ignored safety parameters during design and construction, and road crashes that happened on specifically identified hazardous spots. For instance, there is an extreme abrupt change in lane widths over the whole length at a rate of 74%. Unsafe sharp curves make half of all evaluated horizontal curves. Curves with the smallest radii have already recorded many crashes. The study found that super-elevation values have been inadequately computed, designed, and constructed with an average variance of 5%. About 80% of assessed vertical curves had insufficient stopping sight distance and 90% of headlight sight distance likewise. Apart from geometric parameters, high operating speeds of car drivers and motorcyclists, lack of shoulders, lack of zebra crossings and left sidewalk were found as extra causes of traffic injuries. While widening of the road could potentially help meet most safety parameters, it is arguably expensive and unrealistic. Therefore, this study recommends speed governance, forgiving roadside features, traffic signalization, and road markings as tools to alert drivers where most crash-prone areas are. Keywords: Road safety, Geometric design, Safety assessment, Road Crashes, AASHTO 2011

scholarly journals Towards Road Safety in LMICs: Vehicles that Guide Drivers on Self-Explaining Roads

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hans Godthelp
Keyword(s):  
Road Safety ◽  
System Approach ◽  
Heavy Traffic ◽  
Driver Assistance ◽  
Driver Assistance Systems ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Road Design ◽  
Design Characteristics ◽  
Self Driving Cars ◽  
The Way

Abstract: Traffic collisions cause a huge problem of public health in low and middle income countries.. The safe system approach is generally considered as the leading concept on the way to road safety. Based on the fundamental premise that humans make mistakes, the overall traffic system should be ‘forgiving’. Sustainable safe road design is one of the key elements of the safe system approach. However, the road design principles behind the safe system approach are certainly not leading in today’s infrastructure developments in most LMICs. Cities are getting larger and road networks are expanding. In many cases, existing through-roads in local communities are up-graded, resulting in heavy traffic loads and high speeds on places, that are absolutely not suited for this kind of through-traffic. Furthermore a safe system would require that functional design properties of cars and roads would be conceptually integrated, which is not the case at all. Although advanced driver assistance systems are on their way of development for quite a long period, their potential role in the safe system concept is mostly unclear and at least strongly underexposed. The vision on future cars is dominated by the concept of automation. This paper argues that the way to self-driving cars, should take a route via the concept of guidance, i.e. vehicles that guide drivers, both on self-explaining roads and on more or less unsafe roads. Such an in-vehicle support system may help drivers to choose transport mode, route and speed, based on criteria related to safety and sustainability. It is suggested to develop a driver assistance system using relatively simple and cheap technologies, particularly for the purpose of use in LMICs. Such a GUIDE (Generic User Interface for Driving Evolution) may make roads self-explaining - not only by their physical design characteristics - but also by providing in-car guidance for drivers. In future the functional characteristics of both cars and roads should be conceptualized into one integrated safe system, in which the user plays the central role. As such GUIDE may serve as the conceptual bridge between vehicle and roadway characteristics. It is argued that GUIDE is necessary to bring a breakthrough in road safety developments in LMICs and also give an acceleration towards zero fatalities in HICs.

scholarly journals Cognitive Load Variability from Road Characteristics Should Influence a Safety Requirement for Vehicle Stopping Sight Distance

2019 ◽  
Vol 63 (1) ◽  
pp. 2129-2133
Author(s):  
Cody A. Pennetti ◽  
Kelsey Hollenback ◽  
Inki Kim ◽  
James H. Lambert
Keyword(s):  
Reaction Time ◽  
Weather Conditions ◽  
Design Standards ◽  
Road Design ◽  
Adverse Weather Conditions ◽  
Sight Distance ◽  
Adverse Weather ◽  
Road Geometry ◽  
Stopping Sight Distance ◽  
Road Characteristics

Current U.S. geometric road design standards are based on a prescribed value for a driver’s perception-reaction time (a constant value of 2.5 seconds), which represents the time necessary for a driver to safely stop the vehicle to avoid a crash (referred to as a stopping sight distance); however, these standards fail to consider how road complexity, driver risk perception, and visual stimuli can influence perception-reaction time. With over a million vehicle fatalities a year (WHO, n.d.), it is necessary to investigate methods of improving driver safety. The influence of road characteristics is considered with some road design policies, but not currently applied to stopping sight distance. This paper introduces theoretical considerations for increasing perception-reaction time (and thereby adjusting speed limits or road geometry) based on roadway complexity (volume of vehicles, road geometry, pedestrian crossings, frequency of adverse weather conditions, or other conditions).

scholarly journals Modeling Urban Road Scenarios to Evaluate Intersection Visibility

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 354
Author(s):  
Keila González-Gómez ◽  
Derrick K. Rollins ◽  
María Castro
Keyword(s):  
Road Safety ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
3D Models ◽  
Sustainable Mobility ◽  
Urban Road ◽  
Road Design ◽  
Sight Distance ◽  
Technological Advances ◽  
The Impact

Road safety is key to sustainable mobility. Rapid technological advances have allowed several road safety-related analyses, previously performed in situ, to be conducted virtually. These virtual analyses benefit understanding of how roads operate and how users perceive them. Additionally, they facilitate the assessment of several parameters that are fundamental to road design and operation. The available sight distance (ASD) is one of these parameters that, if not provided adequately, could alter the proper functioning of roads. This study presents a framework to assess the impact of certain features on visibility. First, the ASD is estimated using a geographic information system (GIS)-based procedure with LiDAR-derived three-dimensional (3D) models. Afterward, obstructions are detected and categorized. If the obstruction cannot be removed, their redesign or relocation is simulated to re-run the analysis. These simulations are performed using 3D city objects, and their results are statistically evaluated, providing evidence as to their effects on visibility. The results proved that the procedure helped achieve the efficient use of roadside space, while including safety concerns. Additionally, this study reflects the need for more inspections on the impact of on-street parking on drivers’ fields of view.

scholarly journals Brainy Road Accident Mitigation System

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (VIII) ◽  
pp. 249-251
Author(s):  
Dr. B. M. Vidyavathi
Keyword(s):  
Road Safety ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Road Transport ◽  
Road Accident ◽  
Road Accidents ◽  
Road Crashes ◽  
The Road ◽  
Road Crash ◽  
On The Road ◽  
The City

Many precious lives are lost due to road accidents because of over speeding and negligent driving every day. This is the matter of great concern for departments that deal with road safety and for the citizens. It is estimated that 80% of crashes and 65% of near collisions are due to driver’s lack of attention to traffic for three seconds before the event. The number of road crash deaths has increased by 31% from 2007 to 2017. As per the survey on the road accidents in India, according to the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, 1, 50,785 people were killed and another 4, 94,624 were injured in 4, 80,652 road crashes in India in 2016. Now day’s accidents are taking place at large scale. Majority of the accidents occurs due to the over speeding of vehicles, though there are speed limiting boards placed at the roadside of highways also at the road side in the city. But none of vehicles (drivers) follows the speed mentioned in the speed limit boards, due to which accidents occurs.

Safety at Curves and Road Geometry Standards in Some European Countries

1996 ◽  
Vol 1523 (1) ◽  
pp. 99-106 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thierry Brenac
Keyword(s):  
Urban Areas ◽  
National Standards ◽  
European Countries ◽  
Design Standards ◽  
The Road ◽  
Horizontal Curves ◽  
Road Design ◽  
Road Geometry ◽  
Design Speed ◽  
Curve Geometry

This paper deals with safety at horizontal curves on two-lane roads outside urban areas and the way the road design standards of different European countries account for this safety aspect. After a review of some research results, the main aspects of curve geometry and the curve's place in the horizontal alignment are analyzed. The main conclusions are that the traditional design speed approach is insufficient and that formal complementary rules in road design standards, especially to improve compatibility between successive elements of the alignment, must be introduced. If such complementary rules already exist in some national standards, they are neither frequent nor homogeneous throughout the different countries, and it seems that they are not based on sufficiently developed knowledge.

scholarly journals Personality and Behavioral Predictors of Cyclist Involvement in Crash-Related Conditions

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (24) ◽  
pp. 4881 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yubing Zheng ◽  
Yang Ma ◽  
Nan Li ◽  
Jianchuan Cheng
Keyword(s):  
Personality Traits ◽  
Road Safety ◽  
Sensation Seeking ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Personal Characteristics ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Online Questionnaire ◽  
Road Crashes ◽  
Crash Rates ◽  
Model Combining

In recent years, the increasing rate of road crashes involving cyclists with a disproportionate overrepresentation in injury statistics has become a major concern in road safety and public health. However, much remains unknown about factors contributing to cyclists’ high crash rates, especially those related to personal characteristics. This study aims to explore the influence of cyclist personality traits and cycling behaviors on their road safety outcomes using a mediated model combining these constructs. A total of 628 cyclists completed an online questionnaire consisting of questions related to cycling anger, impulsiveness, normlessness, sensation seeking, risky cycling behaviors, and involvement in crash-related conditions in the past year. After the psychometric properties of the employed scales were examined, the relationships among the tested constructs were investigated using structural equation modeling. The results showed that cyclists’ crash risks were directly predicted by risky cycling behaviors and cycling anger, and the effects of cycling anger, impulsiveness, as well as normlessness on crash risks, were mediated by cycling behaviors. The current findings provide insight into the importance of personality traits in impacting cycling safety and could facilitate the development of evidence-based prevention and promotion strategies targeting cyclists in China.

scholarly journals Development of Driving Simulation Scenarios Based on Building Information Modeling (BIM) for Road Safety Analysis

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 2039
Author(s):  
Juan F. Dols ◽  
Jaime Molina ◽  
F. Javier Camacho-Torregrosa ◽  
David Llopis-Castelló ◽  
Alfredo García
Keyword(s):  
Road Safety ◽  
Data Exchange ◽  
Building Information Modeling ◽  
Cost Savings ◽  
Safety Analysis ◽  
Information Modeling ◽  
Driving Simulators ◽  
The Road ◽  
Road Design ◽  
Building Information

The analysis of road safety is critical in road design. Complying to guidelines is not enough to ensure the highest safety levels, so many of them encourage designers to virtually recreate and test their roads, benefitting from the evolution of driving simulators in recent years. However, an accurate recreation of the road and its environment represents a real bottleneck in the process. A very important limitation lies in the diversity of input data, from different sources and requiring specific adaptations for every single simulator. This paper aims at showing a framework for recreating faster virtual scenarios by using an Industry Foundation Classes (IFC)-based file. This methodology was compared to two other conventional methods for developing driving scenarios. The main outcome of this study has demonstrated that with a data exchange file in IFC format, virtual scenarios can be faster designed to carry out safety audits with driving simulators. As a result, the editing, programming, and processing times were substantially reduced using the proposed IFC exchange file format through a BIM (Building Information Modeling) model. This methodology facilitates cost-savings, execution, and optimization resources in road safety analysis.

Discussion on the Intergration of Road Landscape Design and Urban Mining and Metallurgy Culture in Huangshi City

2013 ◽  
Vol 357-360 ◽  
pp. 2002-2004
Author(s):  
Ou Xie ◽  
Yuan Sheng Tu
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Landscape ◽  
Landscape Design ◽  
Natural Landscape ◽  
Urban Mining ◽  
Urban Road ◽  
Road Design ◽  
Urban Construction ◽  
The City ◽  
Public Environment ◽  
The Way

Road Landscape design does not exist independently in urban construction but intergrates into the urban cultures by design. This article discusses based on Huangshi Mining and Metallurgy culture the urban road design from the aspects of color, pavement, blind sidewalk, plants, and public environment facilities. Also it proposes the way of design that combines cultural landscape and natural landscape according to the city geographical features, therefore makes the urban road landscape design to be more cultural and representative.

scholarly journals Safety and reliability of the personal bus carriages in integrated municipal system of traffic and public transport management - analysis of literature

2018 ◽  
Vol 19 (12) ◽  
pp. 246-251
Author(s):  
Paweł Woś ◽  
Jacek Michalski
Keyword(s):  
Public Transport ◽  
Road Safety ◽  
Road Transport ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Road Accidents ◽  
Safety And Reliability ◽  
Key Indicators ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The City ◽  
The Eu

The article analyzes the city's logistics development strategies and its public transport, especially bus traffic. Statistical analysis of all road transport in the European Union (EU) has been carried out. The most important reasons for the tragic road accidents in Poland have been mixed up. Key elements of active safety and passive safety of buses and road safety were analyzed. Characterized key indicators of road safety in the EU and the probability of bus incidents. The impact on the ecology of the city of road transport was analyzed in terms of the significance of exhaust emissions of various bus designs and emissions of other pollutants.

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