Effectiveness of Speed Minders in Reducing Driving Speeds on Rural Highways in Pennsylvania (original) (raw)
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Effectiveness of Curve Advisory Speed Signs. A Characterization of Road Operations in Western Oregon
Posting advisory speed signs at sharp horizontal curve locations is a common practice in the U.S. These signs recommend drivers safe speeds to negotiate such curves. Literature indicates that adherence to advisory speeds is, in general, poor. Moreover, limited research is available that quantifies safety implications of these signs. This thesis focuses on assessing effectiveness of advisory speed signs at two-lane rural highways in western Oregon. This objective is achieved by categorizing road operations at horizontal curves that display advisory speed signs. The findings provide evidence of a generalized lack of adherence to advisory speeds. It is estimated that, on average, drivers in western Oregon exceed advisory speeds by 13.8 mph. However, it was not possible to identify any other significant effects of these signs over road operations. Since the study sample of sites represents a relevant portion of the state of Oregon, the author expects that these results are useful at the state policy making level.
Dynamic Speed Feedback Signs for Rural Traffic Calming
2013
Background Small rural communities often lack the expertise and resources necessary to address speeding and the persistent challenge of slowing high-speed through traffic. The entrances to communities are especially problematic given that drivers must transition from a high-speed, often-rural roadway setting to a low-speed community setting. The rural roadway provides high-speed mobility outside the community, yet the same road within town provides local access and accommodates pedestrians of all ages, on-street parking, bicycles, and other features unique to the character of a small community. Drivers who have been traveling for some distance on the high-speed road, and are traveling through the community, may not receive the appropriate clues that the character of the roadway is changing and may not adjust their speeds appropriately. Addressing speeding issues is an even greater challenge given that smaller communities typically lack engineering staff and resources, which can lead
Pilot Test of Heed the Speed - a Program to Reduce Speeds in Residential Neighborhoods
2008
Higher vehicle speeds are associated with more severe pedestrian injuries and increased chance of a fatality, particularly on residential roadways. There has been significant work on engineering approaches to traffic calming as a means of reducing neighborhood speeds. There have, however, been few attempts to combine public information, enforcement and innovative marking techniques with engineering changes as a means of enhancing speed reductions. The focus of the current study was therefore to determine the additive effect of enforcement and education on speeds in residential neighborhoods. Six neighborhoods, three each in two cities, Phoenix and Peoria, Arizona, were selected for a Heed the Speed program. Yard signs, pamphlets and other education materials were distributed to area residents. The police increased enforcement patrols, warnings and tickets for speeding violations. Speed tables or speed humps and innovative pavement markings that created the illusion of impediments we...
Evaluation of Speed Monitoring Displays for Work Zones in Las Vegas, Nevada
Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, 2009
Speed monitoring displays (i.e., speed trailers) have been evaluated in many states for reducing vehicular speeds in work zones. This study evaluated the enhancements to speed trailers regarding message size, the use of flashing, and the presence of more than one speed trailer in work zones. Field tests were conducted at two sites in the Las Vegas, Nevada, area, and traffic data were collected for statistical analysis. Regression models were developed to estimate the speeding likelihood and vehicle speeds on the basis of the free-flow speed data. The results indicated that the size of displayed messages and the use of flashing did show significant impact on speeding likelihood and speed reduction for vehicles in work zones. The extent of the impact varied for vehicle classification, the lanes they were operating in, and the day or night in which they were deployed. This study recommended larger message size and the use of flashing signs for speed trailers. More than one speed traile...
Design speed, operating speed, and posted speed limit practices
NCHRP Project 15-18 evaluated how speed is used within existing practices and developed recommended changes. The strongest statistical relationship between operating speed and roadway characteristics on suburban tangent sections was with posted speed limit. Other variables that showed potential influence on 85 th percentile free-flow operating speed included access density, median type, parking along the street, and pedestrian activity level. The findings from the field studies demonstrated than in urban areas, operating speed is insensitive to many geometric design decisions. Previous research showed that operating speed is sensitive to radius and grade on rural two-lane highways. When selecting the design speed value for a new roadway, the majority of the states use functional classification, with legal speed limit being used by almost one-half of the states responding to a mailout survey. A concern with the use of legal speed limit is that only between 23 and 64 percent of driver...
Speed Impacts of Temporary Speed Humps in Small Iowa Cities
Many jurisdictions are faced with increased traffic speeds and volumes on residential streets. In an attempt to mitigate these unwanted traffic characteristics many jurisdictions have implemented traffic calming programs. The most commonly used traffic calming devices to reduce vehicle speeds are speed humps and speed tables. These devices have been shown to be effective in large urbanized areas but little information is available on their impact in smaller rural cities. This study examined the impact of speed humps and speed tables on vehicle speed profiles, mean vehicle speed, 85th percentile vehicle speed, and the frequency of speeders in the City of Atlantic (population of approximately 7,400). Temporary speed humps and speed tables were installed on two residential streets, Roosevelt Drive and Redwood Drive, in Atlantic. Speed data was collected during four periods: "before", while the speed hump was in place, while the speed table was in place, and "after"....
2020
Roadway segments that include horizontal curves experience a disproportionate number of crashes compared to straight segments. Many of these crashes are lane departure-related, and excessive speed is often a contributing factor. One particularly vulnerable area for such crashes is freeway interchange ramps, which require a substantial reduction in speed to be safely negotiated. While dynamic speed feedback signs (DSFS) have been found to be an effective speed and crash reduction countermeasure at horizontal curves, the use of such signs on freeway interchange ramps has been limited nationwide. Consequently, the effectiveness of DSFS as a speed reduction countermeasure in such settings has remained largely untested. A before-and-after field evaluation was performed at three freeway exit ramps to assess the impacts of a DSFS on driver speed selection and braking characteristics while approaching and entering the ramp curves. The effectiveness of the feedback sign was tested across var...