High-speed Roads Research Articles

Design and Analysis of Automatic Pruning Machine Electrical Control System for Hedgerows on Highway

It is difficult for workers to achieve the pruning effect when pruning the fence with hedgerow on the highway, which is heavy in workload and high in costs. Meanwhile, workers are not safe when working on a high-speed road. To solve these problems, a full-automatic pruning machine and its control system are designed. The machine kinematics and work processes are analysed. Then the control system is designed and the actual work is simulated under the monitoring environment for system debugging. Results show that the machine is universal and multifunctional. The equipment has a high degree of automation and low work intensity. The machine does not require workers to have the high operating skills, and has low normative requirement for the planting method. The adaptability is strong, which means that the equipment could cut not only the plan but also the entire geometrical shape, and it can be used normally in the complicated environment. The machine is especially suitable to prune hedgerows on a highway with good safety performance.

Case report of ureteric transection of lower moiety in high-speed road traffic collision

Ureteric injuries from blunt trauma are rare in adults requiring prompt diagnosis and management. To our knowledge this is the second case report of a complete transection of the ureter due to blunt injury at the pelvi-ureteric junction in an adult. Following a high-speed road traffic collision, a 26-year-old female with bilateral duplex kidneys was admitted with complete transection of the lower moiety of her right collecting system confirmed on computed tomography Urogram. This was repaired successfully with a minimally invasive laparoscopic technique in keeping with European Association of Urology guidelines. A 3-month follow-up MAG 3 renogram indicated adequate drainage from the right kidney with no evidence of obstruction. This successful outcome demonstrates a laparoscopic repair is achievable and favourable, improving post-operative recovery and reduction of inpatient length of stay. We recommend that a laparoscopic approach should be attempted unless laparotomy is indicated for other injuries.

Overcoming the procedures for obtaining a location permit for the Podravska high-speed road project

Roads are important infrastructure facilities that enable traffic accessibility, i.e. they improve the quality of transport communication between people, goods and innovations. The Podravina high-speed road project was designed with the aim of developing Podravina and Slavonia and enabling a better connection between them and the rest of Croatia. Road construction is a complex process that requires a location permit before construction begins. This paper is written with the aim of presenting in detail the process of obtaining a location permit, which is preceded by obligatory preliminary work. Its complexity depends on the type of a road, its purpose and characteristics of the area through which a planned road passes. The Podravina high-speed road is the largest infrastructure project in that part of Croatia and therefore detailed preliminary work is required. This paper describes some types of preliminary work which include geological, geomechanical and climatic tests. The paper presents a project justification study, an environmental impact study, an environmental impact study, a construction and a technical study as well as a spatial transport analysis. Based on the chosen Podravina high-speed road route, a general design was created by using a road design software program “Platea”.

A study of management of nonunion of tibia by ilizarov method

: Background: FDA Panel definition of nonunion ---- "Established when a minimum of 9 months has elapsed since injury and fracture shows no visible progressive signs of healing for 3 months". Tibial nonunion is most frequently met while considering the other long bone nonunion. This is mostly due to increase in the number of tibial fractures both close and open and in high-speed Road Traffic Accident (RTA) injuries. Failure of union may be due to an inappropriate mechanical environment or infection and in some cases, there is no apparent reason. The Ilizarov method relies on distraction osteogenesis and is used not only for segmental defects, but also to complex malalignment with minimal surgery. Ilizarov technique has the additional advantage of efficient fixation, early ambulation, elimination of bone grafting with minimal complications. Ilizarov provides stability and at the same time allow micro movements with axial loading with neo vascularization due to distraction, giving an excellent biological environment for fracture healing. Methods: Sample size of twenty (20) patients fulfilling the inclusion criteria admitted to Department of Orthopaedics, Chettinad Hospital and Research Centre, Kelambakkam. Study period from to November 2020.

Development and scientific justification a set of the high-speed road construction machines with hardware-percent integration and intellectual interactions algorithm of various technical systems

The description of complex technical systems with the implementation of hardware and software integration through the introduction of additional controls is presented. Recommendations for increasing the service life of the road surface and preventing premature repair of asphalt concrete surfaces are presented. A review of possible difficulties in implementing new technologies in road construction companies is performed. The project of modernization of new equipment is described, considering the research conducted in the field of finding alternative solutions to eliminate the “human” factor during road construction works. The interaction of the components of the complex for high-speed construction of asphalt concrete pavements is considered. The work of machines is described from the energy point of view, which is based on various interaction processes. The main components of the system structure and principles are considered. Multi-factor processes of road construction equipment operation are explained. The structure of algorithms for implementing an integrated machine management system is presented. The structure of hardware interaction through mathematical modeling to direct control of machine functionality in real time is described. Asphalt paving is represented by a multi-factor process, where one of the significant factors of the quality of the laid asphalt concrete is the road construction equipment used, which provides the required quality parameters of the road surface. The article describes a method for creating complex structural elements that allow creating artificial intelligence systems in the future.

Capacity of merging areas of multi-lane roads with two-lane entrance ramps

The discrepancy between transport demand and supply in the largest cities of the Russian Federation determines the need to create urban high-speed roads on their territory. Currently, there is no data on the capacity of sections of multi-lane road junctions with two-lane exit ramps, taking into account traffic conditions in large and major cities of Russia. The article presents the results of studies of the throughput of such sections of interfaces. The research was carried out using simulation methods after calibration of the model taking into account traffic conditions on the roads of the largest cities of the Russian Federation. The obtained research results are recommended for a reasonable assignment of the type of conjugation of two-lane exits with multi-lane highways on the territory of large and largest cities in Russia.

Investigation of crashes at pedestrian hybrid beacons: Results of a large-scale study in Arizona

Introduction: The pedestrian hybrid beacon (PHB) is a traffic control device used at pedestrian crossings. A recent Arizona Department of Transportation research effort investigated changes in crashes for different severity levels and crash types (e.g., rear-end crashes) due to the PHB presence, as well as for crashes involving pedestrians and bicycles. Method: Two types of methodologies were used to evaluate the safety of PHBs: (a) an Empirical Bayes (EB) before-after study, and (b) a long-term cross-sectional observational study. For the EB before-after evaluation, the research team considered three reference groups: unsignalized intersections, signalized intersections, and both unsignalized and signalized intersections combined. Results: For the signalized and combined unsignalized and signalized intersection groups, all crash types considered showed statistically significant reductions in crashes (e.g., total crashes, fatal and injury crashes, rear-end crashes, fatal and injury rear-end crashes, angle crashes, fatal and injury angle crashes, pedestrian-related crashes, and fatal and injury pedestrian-related crashes). A cross-sectional study was conducted with a larger number of PHBs (186) to identify relationships between roadway characteristics and crashes at PHBs, especially with respect to the distance to an adjacent traffic control signal. The distance to an adjacent traffic signal was found to be significant only at the α = 0.1 level, and only for rear-end and fatal and injury rear-end crashes. Conclusions: This analysis represents the largest known study to date on the safety impacts of PHBs, along with a focus on how crossing and geometric characteristics affect crash patterns. The study showed the safety benefits of PHBs for both pedestrians and vehicles. Practical Applications: The findings from this study clearly support the installation of PHBs at midblock or intersection crossings, as well as at crossings on higher-speed roads.

A random parameter bivariate probit model for injury severities of riders and pillion passengers in motorcycle crashes

This study proposes a random parameter bivariate probit model to analyze risk factors on the crash injury severity of both motorcycle riders and passengers in a single modeling framework. The proposed model can not only account for the underlying correlation of common factors affecting the rider and its pillion passenger simultaneously, but also can capture the unobserved heterogeneity across crash samples. The case analysis is based on 3665 motorcycle-carrying-passenger crashes in Hunan province of China. Model comparisons show that the proposed random parameter bivariate probit model outperforms two conventional models in the goodness-of-fit. The results of parameter estimations show that, age and gender differences in passengers pose significant effects on injury severity of the rider in crashes. Specifically, when carrying a vulnerable passenger including women, children and elders, the rider is less likely to sustain severe injuries. But for injury severity of the passenger, these vulnerable passengers are more likely to suffer from severe injuries. Apart form age and gender attributes, factors including collision objects, helmet use, drunk riding, night without lights, peak periods, high-speed roads have significant effects on rider injury and/or passenger injury. Relevant suggestions to alleviate the injury severity for motorcycle-carrying-passengers crashes are recommended.

Potentiality of tree variables as predictors in pavement roughness progression rate modelling

ABSTRACT This paper presents statistical evidence of roadside vegetation’s contribution to pavement roughness progression rates. Detailed statistical and regression analysis of the roadside vegetation data collected via satellite imageries and road roughness data collected via high speed road profiler was performed. Elaborative investigation on interaction between roadside vegetation and waveband roughness progression has provided a clear indication of tree variable’s contribution on road deterioration. Statistical parameters such as moderate Pearson correlation coefficient (r) values, low mean squared error (MSE), root mean squared error (RMSE), mean absolute error (MAE) values, high Willmott’s index of agreement (d) were obtained for training and validation datasets, that depicted the potentiality of tree variables as predictors in pavement roughness progression rate modelling. Statistical evidence showed that effect of trees on road deterioration was more noticeable on long wavelength roughness progression rates. This can be justified via prevailing soil moisture interaction in expansive soil deposits subjected to moisture withdrawal of deciduous trees in arid climate conditions. Overall, the findings of this paper exemplify on the necessity of considering the presence of roadside vegetation in road deterioration analysis, and suggesting the scope of improvement for prediction performance.

RESEARCH OF THE GEOINFORMATION SYSTEM OF AUTOMATION AND ACCOUNTING AND CONTROL OF CAPACITIES OF HIGHWAYS OF THE REPUBLIC (ON THE EXAMPLE OF THE ALMATY-KAPSHAGAY-TALDYKORGAN HIGHWAY)

The work is aimed at studying the intensity of roads in the Republic of Kazakhstan (for example, Almaty-Kapshagai-Taldykorgan highway) and improving the traffic management system. The development of a single economic space of the country largely depends on the level of development of transport infrastructure in each region. In this regard, the need to strengthen the interaction of central and local executive bodies on issues of state regulation of transport activities, while maintaining the trend of balanced development and decentralization of the transport system of the regions is particularly relevant. The analysis also shows that several measures can be taken to improve traffic management. The issues under consideration are devoted to topical problems of the development of a network of highways, which ensures the integrity of the territory of the largest cities and their zones of influence. The issues of the complex interrelation of urban planning factors, social and functional requirements that affect the degree of the necessary development of the network of the main structure-forming highways in the development of master plans of cities, planning projects of agglomerations, schemes of territorial planning of interconnected systems of settlements are considered. A method is proposed for the approximate development of the main network of highways formed by streets and high-speed roads. Modified classification of streets and roads in large cities is proposed, as well as a model for the planning organization of a single network of highways of cities and interconnected settlement systems, considering the modern requirements of sustainable development of urbanized territories and the growing level of motorization. The effectiveness of the proposals is illustrated by specific examples of domestic cities. For employees of scientific and design organizations engaged in the design and prospective development of main streets and roads in large and large cities, in urban agglomerations and areas of their influence. The methodological basis of the work was the results of fundamental and applied research in the field of vehicle operation in order to determine the main directions for increasing energy efficiency by improving the traffic management system. The solution to these problems requires to a large extent not only scarce financial, material, labor and other resources, but also the development of information technologies in the road industry. There is an urgent need for qualitative changes at all stages of collection, processing and ordering of information, at all stages of the continuous spiral of life cycles of the development of both the road itself and its structures - surveys, design, construction, operation and again surveys for design, reconstruction, repair, etc.
 The article considers the problems of the Almaty-Kapshagai-Taldykorgan highway and ways to solve them in the geographic information system.

An investigation of cyclist passing distances in the Australian Capital Territory

In Australia, cycling hospitalisations are increasing and the cycling participation rate is stagnating. In an effort to improve cyclist safety, many Australian jurisdictions have mandated a minimum passing distance that vehicles much provide when overtaking a cyclist on a public road, including the Australian Capital Territory (ACT). However, it is not currently clear how vehicle-cyclist passing distances are affected by various parameters such as the road environment, the vehicles involved, or the speed limit. This naturalistic bicycle riding study examined data from passing distance measurement devices that were installed on the bicycles of volunteer cyclists who ride in the ACT, to explore how passing distances and compliance with the minimum passing distance were affected by several parameters. Over a four-week period, 23 volunteer cyclist participants undertook 465 journeys and travelled 6531 km over a total period of 271 h. There were 10,959 passing events identified on roads zoned greater than 60 km/h (high speed roads) of which 1349 (12.3 %) were non-compliant. On roads zoned 60 km/h or less (low speed roads) there were 5517 passing events of which 153 (2.8 %) were non-compliant. Regression analyses showed that differences in passing distance and non-compliance with the minimum passing distance were associated with road classification, bike lane presence, and speed limit. The results were mixed but, in general, passing distances were greater on roads with a lower (hierarchy) classification and on motorways as well as on roads with higher speed limits. An exception to this was roads with a speed limit of 50 km/h where passing distances were closer in comparison to roads with a speed limit of 60 km/h. Bike lanes were generally associated with an increase in passing distance except on ‘trunk’ classified roads, where a bike lane resulted in closer passing events. This suggests that on trunk roads, which are assumed to carry large amounts of traffic, bike lanes may be insufficient to offer protection to cyclists and additional measures may be required.

Safety outcomes for incident responders operating on high speed roads: An analysis of the relationship with behaviour, motivation and role clarity

High-speed roads present a considerable level of risk for frontline workers operating in these environments. To optimise safety, prevention activities need to target the key skills required to mitigate risk. The aim of this research was to explore the behavioural (compliance, participation, voice), motivational (safety motivation) and work demand (role clarity) factors that influence safety outcomes for incident responders working on high-speed roads. Safety outcomes included secondary incidents and near misses with passing vehicles. A total of 295 complete survey responses were received from six emergency service and incident response agencies in one Australian state. Data were analysed using structural equation modelling. The results showed that higher levels of safety voice, safety motivation and, role clarity were significantly associated with safer self-reported safety outcomes after controlling for the number of incidents attended. The findings from this study will be used to guide the development of a training program to improve the cognitive, behavioural and perceptual skills of incident responders operating on high-speed roads. Some insight into the structure and format of this program is provided.

The effects of reed fly ash modified bitumen on the volumetric and mechanical properties of open grade friction course mixtures

The global use of open grade friction course (OGFC) asphalt pavements began in 1950, though this practice has gained further interest over time, especially for high-speed high-volume roads, due to the material’s excellent characteristics in terms of skid resistance, drainage control, and noise reduction. Unfortunately, the porous structure of this type of mixture results in other problems related to mechanical and durability properties, despite extensive studies being conducted to overcome such problems using virgin modifiers such as polymers or fibres. Recently, the concept of using recycled and by-product materials as stabilising additives for asphalt binders and mixtures has became more popular, both in order to reduce the construction costs and to increase pavement service life, as well as preserving natural resources and reducing the environmental impact of construction. This study investigates the effect of using one such by-product material, reed fly ash (RFA), as a modifier for asphalt binder and to examine the performance of the resulting OGFC asphalt mixture. The effect of RFA on the OGFC mixture performance is examined in terms of volumetric (bulk density, air voids, porosity and permeability) and mechanical (indirect tensile strength (ITS), skid resistance, and Cantabro abrasion loss (CL)) properties. The results indicate that adding RFA to asphalt binder has a positive influence on mixture performance. In terms of volumetric measures, it leads to increases in air voids, porosity, and permeability of about 17%, 37%, and 102%, respectively at 18% RFA, while the bulk density is reduced as RFA dosage increases. Simultaneously, mechanical properties are increased, with ITS and skid resistance increased by about 10% and >25%; respectively at 18% RFA. However, the resistance to abrasion was enhanced only at lower dosages of RFA (6% RFA), by about 36%. Nevertheless, the use of RFA at optimal percentages appears to offer a sustainable approach to stabilising asphalt binder for OGFC mixtures.

‘Safety in the Grey Zone’: Evaluation of a Training Program to Improve the Safety of Incident Responders Operating on High-Speed Roads

‘Safety in the Grey Zone’: Evaluation of a Training Program to Improve the Safety of Incident Responders Operating on High-Speed Roads

A Comparative Study on Skid Resistance of Concrete Pavements Differing in Texturing Technique.

The paper presents a comparison of the skid resistance of concrete pavements textured with different techniques in the process of simulating phenomena occurring in actual road conditions. Tests were carried out on five different texturing methods for concrete pavements: burlap drag (BuD), brush drag (BrD), transverse tining (TT), longitudinal tining (LT) and exposed aggregate concrete (EAC). Changes in the skid resistance were recorded by measurements with a British pendulum tester and a circular texture meter before and during the simulation of the abrasion (1st phase of test) and polishing (2nd phase of test) of specimens using a slab polisher. The results of BPN (British pendulum number) and MPD (mean profile depth) allowed us to determine the influence of microtexture and macrotexture on skid resistance. Analysis of variance showed that the method of texturing concrete pavements has a significant influence on the mean BPN values as well as the MPD parameter at each stage of the test. In order to distinguish homogeneous groups in terms of BPN and MPD levels at the particular stages of the process, the Tukey’s HSD (honest significant difference) post-hoc test was performed. It was found that EAC obtained the most favorable results of all the tested pavement types. Due to the high value of the MPD coefficient after the test and the appropriate values of the friction coefficient, it was confirmed that the EAC pavement will be a durable solution due to the guarantee of skid resistance on high-speed roads during its service life.

2,4‐Dinitrophenol: ‘diet’ drug death following major trauma

There has been a resurgence in the illicit use of 2,4-dinitrophenol by people wishing to achieve rapid weight loss. Despite its availability, the drug is banned for human consumption as it is toxic and can have fatal consequences. We present the case of a 23-year-old man who regularly consumed 2,4-dinitrophenol to generate fat loss without apparent ill effect. He was involved in a high-speed road traffic collision and sustained limb-threatening injuries. The combination of emergency surgery, trauma and 2,4-dinitrophenol consumption culminated in deterioration under anaesthesia, with subsequent death from multiorgan failure in the intensive care unit 48h later. Previous cases have reported death from 2,4-dinitrophenol toxicity alone. We believe this is the first reported case of 2,4-dinitrophenol toxicity triggered by the additional physiological stress of polytrauma and emergency surgery.

Road traffic injuries-A comprehensive retrospective analysis

Road traffic injury has emerged as a major public health problem in recent years. The present study conducted over a period of two and a half years besides focusing on the demographic and medical aspects of road traffic injuries is unique in sketching a psychological and economical effects of the same in detail. Males 88.21% (187) predominate females 11.79% (25) as victims. Most victims coming to hospital had grievous injuries (47.17%) followed by dangerous (26.89%) and simple (25.94%) injuries. Firsthand accounts of reason leading to road traffic injuries reveal high speed 35 cases (16.52%) and rash driving from other vehicle 25 cases (11.79%). Most of cases of high-speed road traffic injuries involved young adults males in second or third decade of life travelling on two wheelers (mostly motorcycles) driven by a necessity for example, to reach work in time 15 cases (42.86%); thrill seeking behavior in 11 cases (31.43%); or influenced by speed centric films in 8 cases (42.86%). Maximum cases (49.53%) needed 1–2 weeks of hospitalization. The cost of such injuries is huge; a major operative procedure consumes 75 days of manpower besides a baseline cost of 4000 rupees. This excludes the cost of infrastructure; specialized treatment; or medical accessories needed for such a treatment. This baseline cost gets multiplied by a factor of 3 to 4 times at private run hospitals.

Risk factors affecting crash injury severity for different groups of e-bike riders: A classification tree-based logistic regression model

IntroductionAs a convenient and affordable means of transportation, the e-bike is widely used by different age rider groups and for different travel purposes. The underlying reasons for e-bike riders suffering from severe injury may be different in each case. MethodThis study aims to examine the underlying risk factors of severe injury for different groups of e-bike riders by using a combined method, integration of a classification tree and a logistic regression model. Three-year of e-bike crashes occurring in Hunan province are extracted, and risk factor including rider’s attribute, opponent vehicle and driver’s attribute, improper behaviors of riders and drivers, road, and environment characteristics are considered for this analysis. ResultsE-bike riders are segmented into five groups based on the classification tree analysis, and the group of non-occupational riders aged over 55 in urban regions is associated with the highest likelihood of severe injury among the five groups. The logistics analysis for each group shows that several risk factors such as high-speed roads have commonly significant effects on injury severity for different groups; while major factors only have significant effects for specific groups. Practical applicationBased on model results, policy implications to alleviate the crash injury for different e-bike riders groups are recommended, which mainly include enhanced education and enforcement for e-bike risky behaviors, and traffic engineering to regulate the use of e-bikes on high speed roads.

Имитационное моделирование работы пункта взимания платы с транспортных средств на внутригородской дороге

A large number of toll road projects with a barrier toll collection system are currently being implemented in Russia. Therefore, it seems relevant to study the toll plaza as an element of the transport infrastructure. Insuffi cient attention to the issues of assessing current and predicted intensity on TPscan cause regular traffi c congestions on toll roads. The goal of this study is to build a simulation model that allows to evaluate the capacity of the toll collection point during the operation of the toll road at different traffi c fl ow rates, taking into account the ratio of different types of vehicles and user behavior errors. Visual observation materials are used, the research method is discrete-event simulation of PVP using AnyLogic software, processing of the results is performed in the statistical package R. The toll point (TP) the Western High-Speed Diameter toll road in St. Petersburg, Russia was considered as a case for the study.As a result was build simulation model of TP was developed, taking into account the traffi c specifi cs and user behavior errors. Conducted experiments established the peak traffi c intensities, when traffi c congestion begins to form at the TP, with different ratios of electronic toll collection usage. During the analysis, few cases of service time distribution were considered — from low to high traffi c intensities. Main conclusions of the study: -for the low intensity case, the results of the analysis showed the splitting of the total distribution of the service time into two distributions for different operating modes of toll lanes, — for high intensity, the infl uence of user behavior on service time distribution was revealed, — for each case, the parameters of the gamma laws of service time distribution were determined, — in case of insuffi cient throughput capacity, the TP stops working effi ciently, and service time distribution increases, regardless of the type of payment. Estimated peak hours of TP operation, when there is a potential for congestion at the TP were defi ned. Possible ways of further increase thetoll collection system throughput capacity for the TP were indicated.

293 The Dangers of Off-Road Vehicles to Youths: Not Something to Kid Around About

Children are not allowed to operate motor vehicles such as cars until they are 16 years old due to the risks associated with the operation of such powerful machines. Yet, the operation of off-road vehicles (ORVs) by youths under 16 years old has been largely normalized in both rural and urban communities, despite the significant safety risks involved. To better understand this issue, the goal of this study was to characterize roadway ORV crashes with youth operators, including riding behaviors and crash outcomes, in a Midwest state. This study examined ORV roadway crashes involving operators <16 years of age (115 crashes) that were documented in Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT) records from 2002-2017. Descriptive and comparative analyses was performed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). In Iowa’s pediatric roadway crashes from 2002-2017, 63% of victims were male and 81% were 12-15 years old. Females were more commonly passengers than were males (60% vs. 24%), as were younger (<12 years) as compared to older riders (56% vs. 26%). Only a small percentage of victims were helmeted, 24% of operators and 14% of passengers. Additionally, 73% of all roadway crashes involved multiple riders on the ATV, around 40% occurred on paved roads, and 82% occurred in rural areas. Collisions with an object or another vehicle were the mechanism in 65% of crashes. Roads with speed limits over 50 mph were the location of around half (52%) of all crashes. Among pediatric victims, 3.5% were killed in the crash and 46% of the pediatric roadway crashes resulted in either major injury or death. Moreover, a higher proportion of the fatal or incapacitating injuries were observed in adolescents (12-15 years) than in younger children (35% vs. 23%). Our results illustrate that multiple risky behaviors are common among youth in roadway ORV crashes, including riding on high speed roads, with passengers, and/or without helmets. Adolescents (12-15 years old) are the large majority of pediatric victims, and serious injury or death resulted in almost half of all crashes. Based on these results, it is clear that multiple targeted approaches are needed for youth under 16 years old in order to prevent pediatric fatalities and severe injuries, particularly on the road.