THE EFFECT OF SPEED LIMITS AND DESIGN SPEED ON RURAL FREEWAY OPERATIONS AND COSTS

This report looks at three aspects of the effect of speed limits on rural freeways. It first examines the interrelationship of speed limits and minimum design speed with total operating costs, total community costs, fuel consumption and accidents, on rural freeways designed to different minimum design speeds. Secondly, it investigates the consequences of increasing the maximum speed limit from the existing 100km/h to 120km/h. Thirdly, a brief report is presented of the behaviour of car drivers on Traansvaal freeways over an 80-week period during which the speed limit was 100km/h. (TRRL)

• Corporate Authors:

  National Institute for Transport & Rd Res S Af

  P.O. Box 395
  Pretoria 0001, Transvaal,   South Africa 
• Authors:
  • Fieldwick, R
  • Brafman Bahar, G
• Publication Date: 1983-3

Media Info

• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 59 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Behavior; Crashes; Design speed; Drivers; Freeway operations; Freeways; Fuel consumption; Operating costs; Rural areas; Rural highways; Speed limits; Vehicles
• Uncontrolled Terms: Increase
• Geographic Terms: South Africa
• ITRD Terms: 1643: Accident; 9001: Behaviour; 635: Design speed; 1772: Driver; 232: Fuel consumption; 2752: Motorway; 221: Operating costs; 328: Rural area; 8103: South Africa; 624: Speed limit; 1255: Vehicle
• Subject Areas: Energy; Highways; Operations and Traffic Management; Safety and Human Factors; Vehicles and Equipment; I73: Traffic Control; I83: Accidents and the Human Factor; I96: Vehicle Operating Costs;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00450103
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Transport Research Laboratory
• Report/Paper Numbers: RF/1/83
• Files: ITRD, TRIS, ATRI
• Created Date: Aug 27 2004 8:56PM