Traffic Safety and Highway Planning
When highway planners examine ways to improve the driving experience while still ensuring that everyone arrives safely at their destination, they consider traffic safety. Thousands of passengers, bicyclists, and pedestrians are killed in traffic accidents, while hundreds of thousands more are injured or handicapped. Consequently, roadways’ design, maintenance, and management must be premium on safety.
According to highway engineers, a range of characteristics contributes to the risks of driving on highways, expressways, freeways, and other public routes. Transportation method, traffic volume, vehicle type on the road, road surface condition, and driver behaviour all impact. Historically, road construction companies used standard traffic planning techniques to prioritise each danger to a vehicle on the project site. Driving when distracted or intoxicated, driving on poorly designed roads, driving in risky cars, driving in inclement weather, and driving in unforeseen traffic circumstances during rush hour are all instances.
Historically, roads have been designed to accommodate high-speed traffic, resulting in many deaths and significant injuries. Consequently, engineers have been responsible for creating highways that consider flow rate, vehicle type, and traffic volume. Several models based on ideas and experience may be used to rebuild roadways. Therefore, the research paper will discuss designs methods to increase traffic safety to the public. Several factors need to be considered when designing safe roads. The first is the speed at which vehicles will travel. Routes with a high-speed limit should be designed with this in mind, as drivers may not be able to see hazards or react quickly enough to avoid them if they are travelling too fast. A well-designed road signs and traffic lights system can help reduce accidents caused by speeding drivers.
Another way to design safe roads is through bypasses and footbridges. It allows pedestrians and cyclists to cross the road without stopping at traffic lights or waiting for cars ahead of them on either side before crossing over on foot. Footpaths can also be installed along busy streets with no space for pedestrians or cyclists because they take too much room. Installing adequate lighting systems in streets can help improve road safety. Lighting allows people to see what’s happening around them, particularly at night-time.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO) 2021, vehicle accidents claim 1.3 million lives each year. Millions more people are harmed in non-fatal car accidents, many of whom suffer long-term impairment. The economic impact of these injuries is immense. They harm individuals and their families, but they also hurt governments and economies at large. Those killed or disabled in car accidents lose their ability to contribute to society, while family members must take time off work or school to care for the injured. The economic losses can add up to 3% of a nation’s gross domestic product each year.
Many researchers have recommended various techniques to improve road safety; one of the techniques is placemaking. According to Callari (2020), placemaking emphasises topographical elements that facilitate the usage of ‘people’ rather than motor vehicles. The critical idea to comprehend, at least for humans, is location, not the motion of traffic. Small-scale interventions, such as the placement of artwork on highways and large-scale activities, such as the development of shared spaces and the reconfiguration of road space, may contribute to asset revitalisation and economic growth. Placemaking as a tool or catalyst for improving road safety is intriguing. The advantages of placemaking are ostensibly derived from a decrease in the number of autos on the road and their speeds (Schepers et al., 2018). More disruptive placemaking will also improve road safety by reclaiming more public space (i.e., streets) for people rather than automobiles, resulting in improved traffic flow.
Characteristics That Contribute to Road Hazards
Research question: Do redesigned roads improve road safety?
The data collection process will take many months owing to the study’s goal of combining several sources of information to account for other system components and provide more accurate findings. The road and footpath structure’s key participants and end operators will be consulted throughout the planning process. Each participant will have freely provided their informed consent. Additionally, a traffic agency will be established to collect historical data on the study’s region. The report will include maps of the province’s target area’s infrastructure, media and periodical articles on the part, and data on collisions between a highway vehicle and a vulnerable road user. Secondary data from authorities from 2018 to 2022 will also be collected.
As a result, personal observations and pictures gather early information on environmental and infrastructural risks. Innovative signage and markings, road crossings and underground tunnels, walkways and parking spaces, and the lighting system are all examples of technical adaptations that must comply with local legal requirements.
A multiple-choice questionnaire will be developed to elicit information on why vulnerable road users choose the rebuilt route to reach their city destinations. Additionally, N=100 vulnerable road users (60 men and 40 women) will be questioned about their trip duration, mode of transport (motorbike, bicycle, or foot), and suggestions for alternate routes to the footbridge. After completing the surveys, respondents will be invited to participate in group interviews to explain why they chose their course.
As a consequence of the exploratory observation phase, an infographic map of the road system was constructed. The graphical map identified environmentally and infrastructurally critical components that were underdeveloped at the time of the mapping. Depending on the situation, the map will indicate whether or not good signs and markers were installed at crucial highways and buried tunnel crossings. Additionally, the lighting system will be evaluated for sufficiency, emphasising parking lots, a pedestrian path, and a pedestrian bridge. Weather conditions such as rain or snow can disrupt the road lighting system, putting vulnerable road users’ safety at risk. This is especially true in locations with little pavement.
Through surveys and two focus groups, designers will have access to user-centred data that will help them better understand users’ behaviours, motivations, and the environment in which they engage with the product. These will be connected to the user’s preferred method of transportation (bicycle, motorbike, automobile, or none at all) and any unique requirements for city mobility that the user may have. Numerous factors must be considered to properly comprehend the relationships of pedestrian safety users with different infrastructural aspects.
Along with other approaches, the survey’s findings will be analysed using statistical tools such as R or SPSS. Additionally, secondary data from the city’s traffic authority will be evaluated to provide a complete picture of the city’s overall road safety situation. Finally, conclusions and recommendations are formed via secondary and primary data integration.
This project combined a road user and system design approach to demonstrate how highway system mechanisms relate with end-users and provide verifiable redesign recommendations to minimise deaths and injuries in a high-accident site. As part of the study process, data were gathered through interviews from the road users. The other system components were accounted for via a range of data sources located around the city.
The study will ensure that all infrastructure components are created and maintained safely for the public’s benefit. The infrastructure includes lighting systems, guardrails, traffic circles and medians, crosswalks, and pedestrian spaces. It will be used to develop possible redesign plans presented to a focus group of traffic institutions from the local region later this year. Infrastructure weaknesses found throughout the examination must be addressed immediately. Among other things, the lighting system will illuminate areas around bridges, walkways, and parking lots. Additional traffic roundabouts and guard walls between driving tracks will be installed to slow cars down.
People are urged to ride bicycles rather than drive automobiles to protect pedestrians from congested streets (Baares et al., 2018). Additionally, to effectively respond to end-users, particularly those most vulnerable on the road, technology solutions must be accompanied by an in-depth understanding of the many events and causes inside a typical complex system. Pedestrians continue to be one of the road’s most vulnerable users. This is mainly because these rules have been consistently disregarded in favour of motorised mobility. Improved road infrastructure can make a significant difference in reducing injuries among the most vulnerable road users. Recent technological improvements have placed a premium on an in-depth understanding of the needs and diversity of all road users, with the system’s design customised to the capabilities and restrictions of each user group and the kind of road use.
Engineers may improve highway safety by developing and building road bypasses (Chen et al., 2020). Bypass roads are constructed around cities and towns to alleviate traffic congestion and prevent accidents by providing other routes for travellers. Additionally, they facilitate residents’ commutes to work and travel to other cities and tourists’ access to neighbouring major tourist spots. Consequently, engineers must plan roads appropriately to avoid costly future repairs.
References
Bañares, J. R., Caballes, S. A., Serdan, M. J., Liggayu, A. T., & Bongo, M. F. (2018). A comprehension-based ergonomic redesign of Philippine road warning signs. International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics, 65, 17-25. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ergon.2018.01.011
Callari, T. C., Tirello, G., Occelli, C., & Re, A.(2020) Infrastructure redesign to improve vulnerable road users’ safety.
Chen, T., Sze, N., Chen, S., & Labi, S. (2020). Urban road space allocation incorporates lane and footpath widths’ safety and construction cost impacts. Journal of Safety Research, 75, 222-232. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsr.2020.09.014
Schepers, P., Lovegrove, G., & Helbich, M. (2018). Urban form and road safety: Public and active transport enable high levels of road safety. Integrating Human Health into Urban and Transport Planning, 383-408. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-74983-9_19
WHO. (2019, October 2). Road safety. WHO | World Health Organization. https://www.who.int/health-topics/road-safety#tab=tab_1
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