THE SAFETY, ECONOMIC, AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONSEQUENCES OF REQUIRING STOPS AT RAILROAD-HIGHWAY CROSSINGS
The purpose of this study was to determine the safety, economic, operational, and environmental consequences of requiring hazardous materials transporters, school buses, and passenger buses to stop at railroad crossings with active warning devices when the devices are not activated. The study included an assessment of the positive and negative impacts on accidents involving trains and those in which trains are not involved, traffic operations, fuel consumption, delay, pullout-lane construction and maintenance costs, and environmental degradation. Results indicate that not mandating stops at railroad crossings with active devices when the devices are not activated would reduce both train and nontrain accidents annually for all three classes of vehicles; the net annual decrease in train-involved accidents would be 2.6, 10.8, and 17.4 percent for hazardous materials transporters, school buses, and passenger buses, respectively. The annual economic savings resulting from not requiring stops were estimated as $328,000 in accident costs; $1,241,000 in pullout-lane construction and maintenance costs; $12,267,000 in excess fuel consumption; and $1,510,000 in delay.
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Availability:
- Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/isbn/0309040639
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Supplemental Notes:
- Publication of this paper sponsored by Committee on Railroad-Highway Grade Crossings. Publication of this paper sponsored by Committee on Traffic Control Devices. 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
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Authors:
- Bowman, Brian L
- McCarthy, Kevin P
- Hughes, Gary
- Publication Date: 1986
Media Info
- Media Type: Print
- Features: Figures; References; Tables;
- Pagination: pp 117-125
- Monograph Title: TRAFFIC CONTROL DEVICES AND RAIL-HIGHWAY CROSSINGS
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Serial:
- Transportation Research Record
- Issue Number: 1069
- Publisher: Transportation Research Board
- ISSN: 0361-1981
Subject/Index Terms
- TRT Terms: Buses; Construction; Costs; Crashes; Economics; Environmental impacts; Fuel consumption; Hazardous materials; Maintenance management; Operations; Railroad grade crossings; Safety; School buses; Traffic delays; Traffic safety
- Uncontrolled Terms: Accident costs; Active warning systems; Construction costs; Maintenance costs
- Old TRIS Terms: Mandatory stopping; Operational effects; Pullout lanes
- Subject Areas: Administration and Management; Construction; Economics; Energy; Environment; Finance; Highways; Operations and Traffic Management; Public Transportation; Railroads; Safety and Human Factors; I73: Traffic Control;
Filing Info
- Accession Number: 00474265
- Record Type: Publication
- ISBN: 0-309-04063-9
- Report/Paper Numbers: HS-040 108
- Files: HSL, TRIS, TRB
- Created Date: Oct 31 1990 12:00AM