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https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/27432/critical-issues-in-transportation-for-2024-and-beyond

Vehicle speeds on main roads and on connecting road in 2008

Autojen nopeudet paateilla seka yhdysteilla vuonna 2008

Since 1961 the Finnish Road Administration (Finnra) has followed vehicle speed development on Finnish public roads. In the beginning the vehicle speeds were measured by radar. Since 1992 vehicle speeds on main roads have been automatically measured by a traffic monitoring system (TMS). In 2007 a constant traffic counting network was established on connecting roads. The network is a part of General traffic census in Finland. Besides of the traffic data, also vehicles speed data can be collected from the network. Since 1961 up to the beginning of the 1970s, the average vehicle speed increased rapidly. In 1973 a system of differentiated speed limits was introduced. The specified speed limits applied are 60, 70, 80, 100 and 120 km/h, of which most of the limits of 100 km/h and all of those of 120 km/h are reduced with 20 km/h during the wintertime. Speed limits decreased the average speed level by about 5 km/h. However, in 1975 vehicle speeds began to increase again, altought at a slower pace, and the speed level of 1972 was reached around 1990. Since then the average vehicle speed has been almost the same. In the 21th century average vehicle speed has dropped by a 1 km/h. The vehicle speeds of year 2008 on the main roads were calculated from the data of 173 TMS stations. The annual average speed of all vehicles was then 89,2 km/h. For cars and vans the average speed was 90,5 km/h, for lorries 82,2 km/h and for buses 85,7 km/h. On main roads with a speed limit of 60 km/h, the average speed of all vehicles was 63,0 km/h. On main roads with a speed limit of 70 km/h, the average speed of all vehicles was 69,4 km/h, with a speed limit of 80 km/h 81,7 km/h, and with a speed limit of 100 km/h (without winter or varying speed limits), 97,2 km/h. On roads with a summertime speed limit of 120 km/h (in wintertime 100 km/h), the average speed of the whole year was 106,2 km/h. The vehicle speeds on the connecting roads were calculated from the data of 30 counting points. The annual average speed of all vehicles was then 56,9 km/h. On roads with a speed limit of 50 or 60 km/h, the average speed of all vehicles was almost the same than the speed limit itself (on roads of 50 km/h limit: 51,6 km/h, on roads of 60 km/h limit: 60,4 km/h). On roads that had 80 km/h speed limit, the average vehicle speed was only 56,7 km/h. The maximum monthly deviation of average vehicle speeds on main roads by road and speed limit classes varies from -4 to +3 % of the annual average speed of each road and speed limit class; the speeds were highest in the summer and lowest in the winter. Weekend traffic was 1,6 to 2,5 % faster than average weekly traffic. On weekdays driving speeds were slightly lower than the average, and Friday represents the average for weekdays. Winter speeds reached a peak at night and summer speeds at early morning and evening. In the winter, speeds were at their lowest in the afternoon and in the summer, between 10 and 13 hours. The majority of vehicles moves close to the speed limits (+/-10 km/h). Approximately 12 % of all vehicles exceeded the speed limits significantly, i.e. by more than 10 km/h. Most cases of drivers exceeding a speed limit occurred in the 80 km/h areas of motorways, where in the wintertime 77 % of drivers exceeded the speed limit and in the summertime, 81 % of driver did so. This speed limit was still exceeded by more than 10 km/h by as many as 29 % of drivers in the wintertime and 31% in the summertime. This report may be found at http://alk.tiehallinto.fi/julkaisut/pdf2/3201129-v-autojen_nopeudet_paateilla_seka_yhdysteilla_vuonna_2008.pdf

Language

  • Finnish

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Filing Info

  • Accession Number: 01146911
  • Record Type: Publication
  • Source Agency: TRL
  • ISBN: 978-952-221-192-7
  • Files: ITRD
  • Created Date: Dec 24 2009 8:29AM