Design and Evaluation of Peripheral Transverse Bars to Reduce Vehicle Speed

Speeding is considered to be a contributing factor in crashes and therefore is a very important safety issue. Because higher vehicle speeds result in more severe crashes, if vehicle speeds can be reduced in dangerous road sections, then presumably safety can be improved. One speed reduction method that has shown promise in past research is to use pavement marking patterns to give drivers the perception that they are traveling faster than they really are. This illusion is created by making the travel lanes appear narrow or adding optical patterns to the roadway surface. The present research project examined whether perceptual countermeasures such as pavement marking patterns have the potential to reduce vehicle speeds. Sites were chosen in New York, Mississippi, and Texas. Speed measures were taken to evaluate the effectiveness of the markings during three phases: 1) before installation, 2) shortly after the installation, and 3) six months after the installation to examine long-term effects at each site. The markings resulted in a decrease in overall vehicle speeds with total vehicles as well as specific classifications of vehicles. There were also reductions in speed with vehicles traveling with headways greater than four seconds. Speed reductions were found to be higher at the New York site and Mississippi site, which were interstate and arterial roadways whereas in Texas where the markings were placed on a local road, the effects were not as large. The results of the analysis will be used to make recommendations to the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) team with input from the Traffic Control Devices Pooled Fund Study members.

• Corporate Authors:

  Transportation Research Board

  500 Fifth Street, NW
  Washington, DC  United States  20001
• Authors:
  • Rakha, Hesham Ahmed
  • Katz, Bryan J
  • Duke, Dana
• Conference:
  • Transportation Research Board 85th Annual Meeting
  • Location: Washington DC, United States
  • Date: 2006-1-22 to 2006-1-26
• Date: 2006

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: CD-ROM
• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 14p
• Monograph Title: TRB 85th Annual Meeting Compendium of Papers CD-ROM

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Countermeasures; Perception; Road markings; Speed control; Speeding; Traffic safety
• Uncontrolled Terms: Peripheral transverse lines
• Subject Areas: Highways; Safety and Human Factors; I83: Accidents and the Human Factor;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01020447
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: 06-0577
• Files: BTRIS, TRIS, TRB
• Created Date: Mar 3 2006 10:23AM