POSITIVE-GUIDANCE DEMONSTRATION PROJECT AT A RAILROAD-HIGHWAY GRADE CROSSING

A rural railroad-highway grade crossing used exclusively by local drivers was selected for a positive-guidance demonstration project. Initially, and throughout the project, the crossing was controlled by STOP signs because of sight-distance restrictions. The project first upgraded the motorist-information system at the site by installing improved advance-warning signs and markings that conform to the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices. (The crossing is on a minor county road, not on the state system.) Then, application of the positive-guidance procedure resulted in the addition of rumble strips on both approaches and LOOK FOR TRAIN and HIDDEN XING signs on the more restricted approach. The as-is condition and the two levels of improvement were evaluated by observing the extent to which drivers slowed down at a safe rate, stopped at a safe distance from the track, and looked both ways before crossing. It was found that the positive-guidance procedure was workable, and the project yielded field-tested schemes for evaluation that can be recommended to other agencies that desire to use the positive-guidance system at grade crossings. However, overall, the project did not produce an improvement in driver behavior. In fact, the rumble strips induced some swerving into the oncoming lane and may have been responsible for the observed increase in vehicles crossing at reckless speeds. These findings, while essentially negative, are important because they document the difficulty of influencing drivers who are thoroughly familiar with a road. Rumble strips should be reserved for nonresidential areas where unfamiliar drivers are numerous. (Author)

• Record URL:
  http://onlinepubs.trb.org/Onlinepubs/trr/1982/844/844-007.pdf
• Summary URL:
  http://scholar.google.com/scholar_lookup?title=POSITIVE-GUIDANCE+DEMONSTRATION+PROJECT+AT+A+RAILROAD-HIGHWAY+GRADE+CROSSING&author=P.+Parsonson&author=E.+Rinalducci&publication_year=1982
• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/03611981
• Supplemental Notes:
  • This paper appeared in Transportation Research Record No. 844, Automotive Technology, Information Needs of Highway Users, and Promotion of Safety Belt Usage. Distribution, posting, or copying of this PDF is strictly prohibited without written permission of the Transportation Research Board of the National Academy of Sciences. Unless otherwise indicated, all materials in this PDF are copyrighted by the National Academy of Sciences. Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
• Corporate Authors:

  Transportation Research Board

  500 Fifth Street, NW
  Washington, DC  United States  20001
• Authors:
  • Parsonson, P S
  • Rinalducci, E J
• Conference:
  • 61st Annual Meeting of the Transportation Research Board
  • Location: Washington District of Columbia, United States
  • Date: 1982-1-18 to 1982-1-22
• Publication Date: 1982

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: p. 29-34
• Monograph Title: AUTOMOTIVE TECHNOLOGY, INFORMATION NEEDS OF HIGHWAY USERS, AND PROMOTION OF SAFETY BELT USAGE
• Serial:
  • Transportation Research Record
  • Issue Number: 844
  • Publisher: Transportation Research Board
  • ISSN: 0361-1981

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Behavior; County roads; Driver information systems; Drivers; Measures of effectiveness; Railroad grade crossings; Rumble strips; Rural highways; Warning signs
• Uncontrolled Terms: Effectiveness; Guidance
• Subject Areas: Highways; Railroads; Safety and Human Factors; I82: Accidents and Transport Infrastructure;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00367448
• Record Type: Publication
• ISBN: 0309033225
• Report/Paper Numbers: HS-033 618
• Files: HSL, TRIS, TRB
• Created Date: Dec 30 1983 12:00AM