EVALUATION OF SAFETY IMPROVEMENTS AT HIGHWAY-RAILWAY GRADE CROSSINGS

IN RECOGNITION THAT ADDED EFFORT MUST BE PLACED ON REDUCING THE CONFLICT AT HIGHWAY-RAILROAD GRADE CROSSINGS, THIS RESEARCH TO EVALUATE MEANS OF SUPPLYING MOTORISTS WITH MORE CREDIBLE AND FORCEFUL INFORMATION WAS DEVELOPED. MANY INNOVATIVE ACTIVE PROTECTION DEVICES FOR GRADE CROSSINGS HAVE BEEN TRIED OR PROPOSED. MANY SUCH DEVICES ARE REVIEWED WITH EVALUATIONS OF THEIR EFFECTIVENESS, IF ANY WERE AVAILABLE. THE "MONON GREEN LIGHT" SIGNAL, SEVERAL OF WHICH ARE IN INDIANA, WAS FIELD OBSERVED FOR EFFECTIVENESS AND RECOMMENDATIONS ARE MADE FOR IMPROVEMENTS. A STUDY OF SPEED PROFILES OF VEHICLES APPROACHING A CROSSING PROTECTED BY A STANDARD FLASHING LIGHT SYSTEM IS ALSO REPORTED. A PHOTOGRAPHIC DATA COLLECTION SYSTEM WAS DEVELOPED WHICH ALLOWED DETERMINATION OF VEHICLE SPEED PROFILES, THUS INDICATING DRIVER REACTION TO THE CROSSING CONDITION. SPEED PROFILES FOR NONACTUATED AND ACTUATED SIGNAL CONDITIONS ARE ANALYZED. IT WAS DETERMINED THAT DRIVERS APPROACHING THE CROSSING UNDER PROGRESSIVELY GREATER STIMULUS RELATIVE TO AN APPROACHING TRAIN ENTERED THE APPROACH AT CORRESPONDINGLY SLOWER SPEEDS. /AUTHOR/

• Supplemental Notes:
  • PROJ NO: C-36-59N
• Corporate Authors:

  Purdue University/Indiana Department of Transportation JHRP

  Purdue University, School of Civil Engineering
  West Lafayette, IN  United States  47907-1284

  Federal Highway Administration

  1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Authors:
  • Butcher, T A
• Publication Date: 1973-2

Media Info

• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 125 p.
• Serial:
  • Issue Number: 1

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Photography; Railroad grade crossings; Railroad signals; Safety; Signaling; Studies; Surveys; Traffic flow; Traffic speed; Travel patterns
• Uncontrolled Terms: Photographic surveys; Traffic patterns
• Old TRIS Terms: Speed studies
• Subject Areas: Highways; Operations and Traffic Management; Railroads; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00226728
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: Intrm Rep
• Files: TRIS, USDOT
• Created Date: Aug 5 1973 12:00AM