Synergy effect of speed management and development of road vicinity in Wrzosowo

Abstract

In the era of increasing traffic volumes and traffic calming problems, the challenges that connect a number of related, although at face value independent, issues involving different social groups seem to be fundamental. The fundamental problem in smaller towns and villages is to ensure the road safety at pedestrian crossings on through roads. The domestic and international guidelines of road design recommend introducing traffic calming devices at places where the traffic enters a built-up area and in central zones, to reduce speeds along the road cutting through a village. One solution is to construct traffic calming devices in the entry zones. As a result, one obtains the so-called speed zoning even before a zone directly related to the scattered or dense housing development. The second issue is to apply traffic calming means in the built-up area. It would seem that the task should pose no difficulty and that it should be the responsibility of the road workers. However, research and analysis into the effectiveness of traffic calming devices show that the best effect is obtained through synergistic efforts of road builders, local authorities, urban planners and many other specialists. The example discussed in the paper, a village of Wrzosowo, clearly supports the thesis. The mere application of traffic calming devices may not necessarily bring the expected results. Combined efforts of road builders and urban planners can, however, be successful in the effective control of speed zoning and reduction in some road sections. The paper presents results of speed reduction measurements of a pedestrian crossing on a regional road in an exemplary village. Measurements of road conditions were conducted three times, before the reconstruction, after it and after the introduction of all the elements of traffic calming, as designed by road builders and urban planners responsible for the development of the vicinity of the road. Analysis of results showed that the chicanes constructed in the entry zones to the village, if used alone, did not provide speed reduction along the throughway cutting through the village. It was only a combination of traffic calming devices and elements of road vicinity development that brought about the expected speed reduction, providing better environmental conditions and improved road safety. Conclusions drawn on the basis of the conducted analysis confirm that the location of chicanes, the use of central reservation strip and traffic barriers must be closely linked to the development of the road vicinity and the location of the road signs that inform motorists about the built-up area.