AUSTRALIA AND ROAD RESEARCH

The author describes the structure of the Australian Road Research Board and outlines its research program, showing how the nature of the continent affects roads and transportation. The board is controlled by the permanent head of each state road authority plus a representative from the government Department of Transport and Construction. It has great autonomy in deciding research projects and in the conduct of the research. Research into pavement design and constructtion accounts for about 30 per cent of the expenditure; some 22 per cent is spent on traffic and safety whilst 15 per cent is spent on transport economics. Recently a road roughness meter has been developed which is used in the evaluation of riding quality around the country to form part of the process of the allocation of funds for road maintenance. An in depth study of road accidents is being conducted in adelaide. Video cameras and mirrors have been mounted on articulated vehicles of length up to 17M to study overtaking behaviour. Research into street lighting and geometric road design are outlined. Noise exhaust pollution and fuel consumption are the other topics being studied. Instrumented trucks have been used to study the relation between dynamic load, suspension type and axle configuration. (TRRL)

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/03066452
• Corporate Authors:

  Whitehall Press Limited

  Headington Hill Hall
  Oxford 0X3 0BW,   England 
• Authors:
  • Metcalf, J B
• Publication Date: 1983-6

Media Info

• Features: Figures; Photos; References;
• Pagination: p. 9-13
• Serial:
  • Highway Engineer
  • Volume: 30
  • Issue Number: 6
  • Publisher: Whitehall Press Limited
  • ISSN: 0306-6452

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Administration; Air pollution; Axles; Behavior; Costs; Crashes; Drivers; Economic factors; Economics; Exhaust gases; Fuel consumption; Geometric design; Highway maintenance; Highway safety; Highways; Layout; Maintenance; Measuring instruments; Noise; Organizations; Pavement design; Paving; Research; Research projects; Road construction; Roughness; Safety; Smoothness; Street lighting; Surfacing; Traffic; Transportation; Trucks; Vehicles
• Geographic Terms: Australia
• Old TRIS Terms: Transportation research
• ITRD Terms: 1643: Accident; 155: Administration; 6155: Apparatus (measuring); 8006: Australia; 9001: Behaviour; 1394: Catalytic converter; 224: Cost; 1772: Driver; 263: Economics of transport; 3071: Evenness; 232: Fuel consumption; 2755: Highway; 2885: Layout; 545: Lighting (street); 1236: Lorry; 3847: Maintenance; 9057: Organization (association); 3055: Pavement design; 8557: Research project; 3665: Road construction; 1665: Safety; 6748: Sound; 2972: Surfacing; 755: Traffic; 1155: Transport; 1255: Vehicle
• Subject Areas: Construction; Economics; Geotechnology; Maintenance and Preservation; Materials; Operations and Traffic Management; Pavements; Research; Safety and Human Factors; Transportation (General); Vehicles and Equipment; I10: Economics and Administration; I20: Design and Planning of Transport Infrastructure; I30: Materials; I40: Soils and Rocks; I50: Construction and Supervision of Construction; I60: Maintenance; I70: Traffic and Transport; I80: Accident Studies; I90: Vehicles;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00381192
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Transport Research Laboratory
• Files: ITRD, TRIS, ATRI
• Created Date: Mar 30 1984 12:00AM