Title: TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT AT MAJOR ROADWORKS ON MOTORWAYS: SAFETY PERFORMANCE IN 1982. TRAFFIC OPERATION AND MANAGEMENT. PROCEEDINGS OF SEMINAR M HELD AT THE PTRC SUMMER ANNUAL MEETING, UNIVERSITY OF SUSSEX, ENGLAND, 15-18 JULY 1985, VOLUME P269
Abstract: The Transport and Road Research Laboratory was commissioned by the Department of Transport to assess the safety performance of traffic management systems operated in 1982 at major roadworks on motorways, and to provide indications of how improvements might be made. The study included 23 sites on dual three-lane motorways of traffic controlled by full contra-flow (with two-lane and single-lane crossovers) and by partial contra-flow. In all, studies were made of 241 personal injury accidents (pia) at roadworks and 166 pias during the same period of a previous year at the same sites but without works. The pia rate per 10 to the power of 6 veh-km with works averaged over all traffic management systems was 1.5 times the no-works rate over a length of road thought to embrace all traffic activity associated with the works. Partial contra-flow with a buffer lane was the least safe system, whereas partial contra-flow with a buffer zone was the safest, with full contra-flow lying between. These differences are largely attributable to a relatively high risk of accident when the secondary traffic is operated on the hard shoulder. Because there were fewer fatalities, the accident costs per site of 86000 pounds with works (1979 prices) were 20000 pounds less than in the no-works period, though the variability between sites - standard deviation 175000 pounds - was large. The paper also considers the effect of lighting conditions on pia rates, an association between accidents and breakdowns, and other accident characteristics. For the covering abstract of the seminar see IRRD 286745. (Author/TRRL)
Publication Year: 1985
Publication Date: 1985-01-01
Language: en
Type: article
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