EVALUATION CRITERIA CONCERNING THE CONCEPT OF RECOMMENDED SPEED ON TWO-WAY MAIN ROADS (OPPOSING TRAFFIC STREAMS)

BEWERTUNGSKRITERIEN ZUM BEGRIFF DER RICHTGESCHWINDIGKEIT AUF ZWEISPURIGEN BUNDESSTRASSEN (GEGENVERKEHRSSTRASSEN)

THE EXTENT TO WHICH TRAFFIC FLOW AND THE ACCIDENT SITUATION ON 2-WAY MAIN ROADS WOULD BE INFLUENCED BY RECOMMENDED SPEEDS WAS EXAMINED. RECOMMENDED SPEEDS WERE INTRODUCED EXPERIMENTALLY ON TWO RURAL TEST ROADS (ONE IN SOUTH WEST GERMANY IN THE HILLS AND ONE IN NORTH GERMANY ON THE PLAINS). THE RANGE OF RECOMMENDED SPEEDS WAS CHECKED AND ESTABLISHED ACCORDING TO EIGHT RULES. THE EXPERIMENTAL PROGRAMME WAS BASED ON A LONG-TERM COMPARISON OF SPEED BEHAVIOUR BEFORE AND AFTER INTRODUCTION OF THE RECOMMENDED SPEEDS AND WAS SUPPLEMENTED BY ACCIDENT INVESTIGATIONS WHICH WERE CARRIED OUT SIMULTANEOUSLY. THE RESULTS OBTAINED FROM SPEED MEASUREMENTS INDICATED THAT ON ALL SECTIONS THE RECOMMENDED SPEEDS LED ONLY IN EXCEPTIONAL CASES TO AN INCREASE IN THE "15%-SPEED" (I.E. THE SPEED AT WHICH 15% OF DRIVERS TRAVEL) AND TO A DECREASE IN THE "85%-SPEED" (I.E. THE SPEED AT WHICH 85% OF DRIVERS TRAVEL). IN OTHER WORDS, THE INTRODUCTION OF RECOMMENDED SPEEDS DID NOT LEAD TO A TIGHTENING OF THE SPEED SPECTRUM. ON THE OTHER HAND, THE RESULTS OF THE ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION INDICATED THAT THE ACCIDENT RATE WAS TENDING TO DECREASE; INDEED THE DECREASE ON THE ROAD IN THE HILLY COUNTRYSIDE WAS QUITE SIGNIFICANT. DRIVING ACCIDENTS AND ACCIDENTS IN STRAIGHT TRAFFIC SHOWED A MARKED DECREASE. A SURVEY OF THE DRIVERS ON ONE OF THE STRETCHES INDICATED THAT THE RECOMMENDED SPEEDS, WITH THEIR NON-OBLIGATORY CHARACTER, WERE GREATLY PREFERRED TO MAXIMUM SPEED LIMITS WHICH HAD TO BE ADHERED TO UNDER THE LAW.

  • Authors:
    • KREBS, H G
  • Publication Date: 1976

Language

  • German

Media Info

Subject/Index Terms

Filing Info

  • Accession Number: 01293031
  • Record Type: Publication
  • Source Agency: Forschungsgesellschaft für Straßen- und Verkehrswesen (FGSV)
  • Files: ITRD
  • Created Date: Nov 21 2010 3:49AM