Highway Users Research Articles

Are gates at rail grade crossings always safe? Examining motorist gate-violation behaviors using path analysis

Gates are installed at highway-rail grade crossings to prevent collisions between highway users and trains. However, sometimes motorists may intentionally go around or through the lowered gates and this behavior often causes severe crashes. The behavior of violating gates is one of the most dangerous actions a motorist might take at gated crossings; it may compromise the intended safety improvement made by adding gates at crossings. This study answers an important research question – what factors are associated with gate-violation at rail grade crossings. Answering this question extends the understanding of correlates of injury severity in rail grade crossing crashes. This study uses path analysis to explore the contributing factors to the gate-violation behavior and the correlation between gate-violation and injury severity. This study investigated 7129 crashes that occurred at gated crossings between 2005 and 2014 in the United States. Results show there is a 9.92% greater likelihood of gate-violation in crashes at crossing with two quadrant gates (compared with four quadrant gates), and gate-violation is associated with a 7.47% larger chance of being killed in a gated crossing crash. Therefore, through the path analysis, the crossings with two quadrant gates is related to a higher possibility of fatality given a crash, owing to the greater likelihood of gate-violation at such crossings. The study identifies the issue of gate-violation at gated crossings, and contributes to enhancing the understanding of gated crossing safety by incorporating pre-crash behaviors at highway-rail grade crossings.

PARKING DEMAND ANALYSIS OF REST AND SERVICE AREA ALONG EXPRESSWAY IN SOUTHERN REGION, JOHOR MALAYSIA

Rest and Service Area (RSA) is an important aspect in highway operation in terms of safety and comfort for highway users. Stopping and resting at these facilities will help reducing users fatigue and thus avoiding possible accidents. Existing guidelines for RSA planning apparently provides insufficient information on the design capacity for estimating parking requirements for RSA. The objectives of this study were to determine the parking demand trend on RSA, and to evaluate significant parameters related to parking demand. This study was conducted on six RSA located in southern region of Peninsular Malaysia, Johor. Variations of traffic volume on major road and the size of the facilities on RSA were observed on two days for 10 hours for each site. Correlation analyses were conducted to determine the relationship of these two parameters as related to parking demand on RSA. It was found that the parking demand varies with time of the day and day of week. The analysis showed that there is a significant correlation between vehicular volume on major road and gross floor area to parking demand on RSA. Linear regression models were developed to predict parking demand on the RSA land use type. The developed models equations are recommended to be used for RSA land use type.

Application of mechanistic empirical approach to predict rutting of superpave mixtures in Iraq

In Iraq rutting is considered as a real distress in flexible pavements as a result of high summer temperature, and increased axle loads. This distress majorly affects asphalt pavement performance, lessens the pavement useful service life and makes serious hazards for highway users. Performance of HMA mixtures against rutting using Mechanistic- Empirical approach is predicted by considering Wheel-Tracking test and employing the Superpave mix design requirements. Roller Wheel Compactor has been locally manufactured to prepare slab specimens. In view of study laboratory outcomes that are judged to be simulative of field loading conditions, models are developed for predicting permanent strain of compacted samples of local asphalt concrete mixtures after considering the stress level, properties of local material and environmental impacts variables. All in all, laboratory results were produced utilizing statistical analysis with the aid of SPSS software. Permanent strain models for asphalt concrete mixtures were developed as a function of: number of passes, temperature, asphalt content, viscosity, air voids and additive content. Mechanistic Empirical design approach through the MnPAVE software was applied to characterize rutting in HMA and to predict allowable number of loading repetitions of mixtures as a function of expected traffic loads, material properties, and environmental temperature.

A general iterative approach for the system-level joint optimization of pavement maintenance, rehabilitation, and reconstruction planning

We formulate a general bottom-up model for the joint optimization of maintenance, rehabilitation, and reconstruction (MR&R) schedules for a system of heterogeneous pavement segments under budget constraints. The objective is to minimize the total costs incurred to both the highway users and the pavement management agency. We propose a Lagrange multiplier approach together with derivative-free quasi-Newton algorithms to solve the problem for two scenarios: i) with a combined budget constraint for all the treatments; and ii) with one budget constraint for each treatment. The system-level solution approach has the following merits: i) it can be applied to problems with any forms of segment-level models for user and agency costs, deterioration process, and treatment effectiveness, given that the solution to the segment-level problem is available; ii) under the combined budget constraint, it ensures that the optimality gap of the system-level solution is bounded by a term that depends upon the optimality gap of the segment-level solutions; and iii) it exhibits linear complexity with the number of segments.At the segment level, a new maintenance effectiveness model fitted on empirical data is proposed and incorporated into the MR&R optimization program. A greedy heuristic algorithm is developed, which greatly reduces the computation time without compromising the solution quality. Combining the system- and segment-level models and solution algorithms, we examine a batch of numerical cases. The results show considerable cost savings from the incorporation of maintenance, and from jointly optimizing the use of a combined agency budget. A number of managerial insights stemmed from the numerical case studies are discussed, which can help highway agencies formulate more cost-efficient MR&R plans and budget allocation.

Does compact development increase or reduce traffic congestion?

From years of research, we know that compact development that is dense, diverse, well-designed, etc. produces fewer vehicle miles traveled (VMT) than sprawling development. But compact development also concentrates origins and destinations. No one has yet determined, using credible urban form metrics and credible congestion data, the net effect of these countervailing forces on area-wide congestion. Using compactness/sprawl metrics developed for the National Institutes of Health, and congestion data from the Texas Transportation Institute's (TTI's) Urban Mobility Scorecard Annual Report database, this study seeks to determine which opposing point of view of sprawl and congestion is correct. It does so by (1) measuring compactness, congestion, and control variables using the best national data available for U.S. urbanized areas and (2) relating these variables to one another using multivariate methods to determine whether compactness is positively or negatively related to congestion. Our model (and earlier studies by the same authors) suggests that an increase in compactness reduces the amount of driving people do, but also concentrates the driving in smaller areas. The former effect is slightly larger than the latter. The relationship between compactness and congestion falls short of statistical significance at the conventional 0.05 level. This analysis does not support the idea that sprawl acts as a “traffic safety valve,” as some have claimed. However, it also does not support the reverse idea that compact development offers a one-stop solution to congestion, as others have claimed. Developing in a more compact manner may help at the margin, but the greatest reduction in congestion appears to be achievable through expansion of surface streets and higher highway user fees.

Contributory Factors Related to Permanent Deformation of Hot Asphalt Mixtures

Permanent deformation (Rutting) of asphalt pavements which appears in many roads in Iraq, have caused a major impact on pavement performance by reducing the useful service life of pavement and creating services hazards for highway users. The main objective of this research is investigating the effect of some contributory factors related to permanent deformation of asphalt concrete mixture. To meet the objectives of this research, available local materials are used including asphalt binder, aggregates, mineral filler and modified asphalt binder. The Superpave mix design system was adopted with varying volumetric compositions. The Superpave Gyratory Compactor was used to compact 24 asphalt concrete cylindrical specimens. To collect the required data and investigate the development of permanent deformation in asphalt concrete under repeated loadings, Wheel-Tracking apparatus has been used in a factorial testing program during which 44 slab samples; with dimensions of 400×300×50 mm; were tested to simulate . actual pavement. Based on wheel-tracking test results, it has been concluded that increasing the compaction temperature from 110 to 150ºC caused a decreasing in permanent deformation by 20.5 and 15.6 percent for coarse and fine gradation control asphalt mixtures respectively. While the permanent deformation decreased about 21.3 percent when the compaction temperature is increased from 110 to 150ºC for coarse gradation asphalt mixtures modified with styrene butadiene styrene SBS with 3 percent by asphalt binder weight.

Estimation of Pavement Damage Cost for Establishing Equitable Road Use Fee for Commercial Vehicles – An Exploratory Empirical Analysis

Funding the maintenance, rehabilitation and reconstruction (MR&R) of highway infrastructure is becoming a challenging task for highway agencies around the globe. Highway agencies usually charge road use fees to the highway users that are either mileage based or proportional to the actual share of infrastructure damage occasioned. Current road user charges (highway toll) for commercial vehicles in Pakistan are based on expert opinion, thus completely disregarding equity impacts. Present study used a rational framework by incorporating the actual maintenance strategies used by national highway authority (NHA) of Pakistan for estimation of pavement damage cost. MR&R strategies (treatment type and timings) were formulated using twenty-five year life-cycle length and standard maintenance and rehabilitation treatments used by national highway agency. Marginal pavement damage cost (MPDC) for unit traffic loading was estimated by relating the highway agency pavement MR&R expenditure to the level of pavement loading. MPDC for national highway system was estimated to be Rs. 0.395 (2014 constant Rupees) per ESAL-km. Present study also compared the road use fee based on MPDC with existing road use fee for major truck classes and evaluated equity impacts.

Responses of Freeway Users under Various Rewards Programs

Responses of Freeway Users under Various Rewards Programs

Population exposure to ultrafine particles: Size-resolved and real-time models for highways

Prior research on ultrafine particles (UFP) emphasizes that concentrations are especially high on-highway, and that time on highways contribute disproportionately to total daily exposures. This study estimates individual and population exposure to ultra-fine particles in the Minneapolis – St. Paul (Twin Cities) metropolitan area, Minnesota. Our approach combines a real-time model of on-highway size-resolved UFP concentrations (32 bins, 5.5–600nm); individual travel patterns, derived from GPS travel trajectories collected in 144 individual vehicles (123h at locations with UFP estimates among 624 vehicle-hours of travel); and, loop-detector data, indicating real-time traffic conditions throughout the study area. The results provide size-resolved spatial and temporal patterns of exposure to UFP among freeway users. On-highway exposures demonstrate significant variability among users, with highest concentrations during commuting peaks and near highway interchanges. Findings from this paper could inform future epidemiological studies in on-road exposure to UFP by linking personal exposures to traffic conditions.

Investigating risk factors of traffic casualties at private highway-railroad grade crossings in the United States

Private highway-railroad grade crossings (HRGCs) are intersections of highways and railroads on roadways that are not maintained by a public authority. Since no public authority maintains private HRGCs, fatal and injury crashes at these locations are of concern. However, no study has been conducted at private HRGCs to identify the safety issues that might exist and how to alleviate them. This study identifies the significant predictors of traffic casualties (including both injuries and fatalities) at private HRGCs in the U.S. using six years of nationwide crashes from 2009 to 2014. Two levels of injury severity were considered, injury (including fatalities and injuries) and no injury. The study investigates multiple predictors, e.g., temporal crash characteristics, geometry, railroad, traffic, vehicle, and environment. The study applies both the mixed logit and binary logit models. The mixed logit model was found to outperform the binary logit model. The mixed logit model revealed that drivers who did not stop, railroad equipment that struck highway users, higher train speeds, non-presence of advance warning signs, concrete road surface type, and cloudy weather were associated with an increase in injuries and fatalities. For example, a one-mile-per-hour higher train speed increases the probability of fatality by 22%. On the contrary, male drivers, PM peak periods, and presence of warning devices at both approaches were associated with a fatality reduction. Potential strategies are recommended to alleviate injuries and fatalities at private HRGCs.

Tolling the Freeway: Congestion Pricing and the Economics of Managing Traffic

will manually Highway congestion increases the cost of travel in most urban areas of the United States. Policy makers have tried to reduce congestion by building more highways and mass transit. This approach is expensive and has generally failed to put a significant dent in congestion. Long commute times cost the United States an estimated $121 billion in 2012. This paper examines the economics of highway congestion pricing. Its goal is to make clear to policy makers how a variable congestion toll can reduce congestion and improve the operation of urban highway systems. Failure to charge a toll in order to use a highway can lead to congestion at certain times of the day. Additional drivers entering the freeway at some point slow traffic, which imposes an externality or cost on other highway users. The result is an inefficient use of the highway and too much infrastructure investment. The congestion externality can be corrected by a congestion toll that varies with the level of traffic. There are concerns that gasoline and congestion taxes are regressive. Many factors, such as the proximity of residential communities to jobs, can influence this outcome. Also, the use to which the tax revenues are put determines the degree a tax is regressive or progressive. The evidence is mixed with respect to congestion tolls. In order to better understand how congestion pricing might be implemented in the United States, cases where variable highway pricing systems have been used are analyzed. The evidence indicates congestion tolls reduce congestion and increase driving speeds. These cases provide examples of how congestion pricing might be implemented in the United States. To encourage and facilitate the adoption of congestion pricing in the United States, congestion tolls should be made legal on all interstate highways. They could stand alone or be part of a vehicle-miles-traveled tax. While both types of taxes provide revenues and influence traffic, the congestion toll has a bigger impact on improving highway efficiency as it directly addresses peak congestion. Advances in technology have lowered the transaction costs of collecting tolls, eliminating a barrier to adoption. Experience with congestion tolling improves the public perception and willingness to accept highway tolls. One tactic that has been successful is to follow a pricing experiment with a referendum on whether the system should be made permanent. The private sector’s role in building and managing roads can be increased to improve highways in the United States. The private sector offers a source of capital to expand the highway system. An advantage of private ownership is that it creates incentives for efficient management.

PERANAN POLISI LALU LINTAS DALAM PENINGKATAN DISIPLIN BERLALU LINTAS DI WILAYAH HUKUM POLRES BOGOR

This study aims to determine the role of traffic police know the increase in traffic discipline and to know the police efforts to improve traffic discipline. The writing is done using the method of juridical sociological approach, the court concluded that the data obtained from an answer. This type of research used in the study of law is that legal research is descriptive. The results obtained that the role of the police carrying out of order and law enforcement in the field of traffic is by doing the demolition of highway users. The role of traffic police in improving the discipline and enforcement of traffic laws in Police Jurisdiction Police Bogor by the dissemination of traffic rules. The area is usually only seen one or two officers, more visible police officers assisted school children (MCC), Police Friends of Children (PSA), Satpol PP, Transportation Agency, the military and others. As a result the location of the normally chaotic start neat. Public transportation that generally take the path carelessly began to follow the sign that rules have been determined, including stops behind the road markings. Socialization is aimed at people. With the hope of growing awareness of the importance of order and lintas.Tak than mere appeals, undisciplined road users will be immediately ticketed. Range of efforts made to suppress the Bogor Police traffic policeman level of traffic violations is put tape shock, making the road median, make a zebra crossing, putting personnel at vulnerable places, and patrolling the road. When road users do not comply with rules set then the action will be penalized with a verbal reprimand and prosecution by giving a speeding ticket. Bogor Police traffic policeman in reducing offenses involving police discipline is the Friends of Children (PSA) for kindergarten children, coaching on a motorcycle taxi driver, extension to the applicant's driver's license, do some police operations.

Updating State and Local Highway Cost Allocation and Revenue Attribution: A Case Study for Indiana

This study investigated the responsibility for the cost of upkeep of the highway infrastructure and the contribution of revenue from highway users on that upkeep. The costs consisted of actual expenditures on the construction, preservation, maintenance, and operation of the infrastructure at both the state and the local levels. The revenues from the federal, state, and local levels were assessed and considered. The types of assets included were pavement, bridge, safety, and mobility assets. The highway users were represented by the 13 FHWA vehicle classes, and the study was based on data on the expenditures made and the revenues collected from 2009 to 2012. The study framework duly recognized the dichotomy between attributable and common costs: for allocation of the attributable costs to the vehicle classes, equivalent single-axle loads, AASHTO load equivalency factors, and passenger car equivalents were used, and for allocation of common costs, the number of vehicle miles traveled adjusted for vehicle width was used. Of the 13 vehicle classes, Vehicle Classes 1 to 4 (passenger vehicles) were found to be overpaying their cost responsibilities, whereas Vehicle Classes 5 to 13 (trucks) were found to be underpaying. In particular, Vehicle Class 2 (automobiles) was found to overpay its cost responsibility by 10%, whereas Vehicle Class 9 (five-axle trucks) was found to underpay by 19%. The product of this study facilitates assessment of the appropriateness of the types and rates of current taxes and fees and provides a data-based and objective platform for devising future funding mechanisms and establishing appropriate user rates to meet Indiana’s future financing needs.

What Role Do Precrash Driver Actions Play in Work Zone Crashes?:Application of Hierarchical Models to Crash Data

Highway infrastructure requires periodic maintenance, reconstruction, and rehabilitation. As a result, highway users have to deal with work zone activities such as lane closures and lane shifts or crossovers, and they must be aware of changes in road conditions to drive safely through work zones. A large-scale statewide crash database from the Virginia Department of Transportation was used in this study to examine correlations between precrash actions and the severity of the injuries of drivers involved in crashes. An innovative aspect of this study is that it accounts for the injury severity of each vehicle driver involved in a crash by estimating hierarchical models. The correlates of the severity of a driver’s injury are nested in crashes. Modeling revealed that for work zone crashes the chances of driver injury are 9.9% to 10.3% higher than for the base behavior (i.e., no improper actions by the driver) if the driver intentionally commits an improper action or a violation. For non–work zone crashes, the chances of injury are higher by only 1.7% to 5.7% compared with the base behavior. Such actions and violations are mainly the following: ( a) speeding, ( b) following too closely, and ( c) disregarding officers, flaggers, signals, and signs. The correlations between precrash actions and injury severity provide insights into safety improvements (e.g., effective speed enforcement and traffic regulations) that could reduce the risk of injury in work zones. Hierarchies embedded in highway crash data were explored in this study to make methodological and empirical contributions to the understanding of work zone safety and to improve understanding of behaviors that lead to injuries and fatalities in work zone crashes.

Highway Travel Time Information System based on Cumulative Count Curves and New Tracking Technologies

Travel time is probably the most important indicator of highway level of service, and it is also the most appreciated information for highway users. Administrations and private companies make increasing efforts to improve its real time estimation. The appearance of new technologies makes the precise measurement of travel times easier than never before. However, direct measurements of travel time are, by nature, outdated for real time applications, and lack of the desired forecasting capabilities.This paper introduces a new methodology to improve the real time estimation of travel times by using the equipment usually present in most highways, i.e., loop detectors, in combination with the newer Automatic Vehicle Identification or Tracking Technologies. One of the most important features of the method is the usage of cumulative counts at detectors as an input, avoiding the drawbacks of common spot-speed methodologies. Cumulative count curves have great potential for freeway travel time information systems, as they provide spatial measurements, allowing the calculation of instantaneous travel times. In addition, vehicle accumulation exhibits predictive capabilities. Nevertheless, they have not been extensively used mainly because of the error introduced by the accumulation of the detector drift. The proposed methodology solves this problem by correcting the deviations using direct travel time measurements. The method results highly beneficial for its accuracy as well as for its low implementation cost.

Renewing Trucking’s Infrastructure for the 21st Century

The trucking industry depends critically on the National Highway System and in particular on the Interstates. With a design life of less than 50 years, the Interstate corridors are aging, and most will need reconstruction over the next two decades. Many corridors—especially those used heavily by trucking companies—also will need widening. This paper reviews several funding alternatives for the reconstruction and widening of the Interstate system, with a focus on the needs and concerns of the trucking industry. After concluding that toll financing may be the least-bad alternative for this estimated trillion-dollar set of projects, the paper addresses the trucking industry’s long-standing and current concerns about the expanded use of tolling. The paper seeks to develop a value proposition for that industry (as well as for other Interstate highway users). The value proposition builds on recent developments in all-electronic tolling technology, current trucking industry uses of this technology, and policy changes aimed to guarantee that tolls used for Interstate modernization will be pure user fees, used solely for the capital and operating costs of the revamped system.

Engineering Properties of Asphalt Concrete Patching Mixtures

Abstract Potholes are a visible and annoying form of pavement distress for highway users. One reason for the short life of pothole repairs is that the commonly used patching mixtures cannot withstand the wet weather and the traffic loading. A comprehensive laboratory investigation was performed to evaluate the engineering properties of hot-mix, cold-laid (HMCL) asphalt concrete patching mixtures. The performance characteristics of patching materials was categorized based on four aspects related to initial stability, in-service durability, water resistance, and workability. The engineering properties of HMCL patching mixes were investigated, including Marshall stability, indirect tensile strength, rutting resistance, pothole simulation, and uniaxial compression. Four binders, one aggregate type, two gradations, and one residual binder content were selected for testing in the laboratory. Test results indicated that curing time, nominal maximum aggregate size, temperature condition, and binder type influenced the performance of maintenance materials. The difference in indirect tensile strength among patching mixtures was shown to be high, and the indirect tensile test appeared to be effective in differentiating patching mixtures. A preliminary criterion of the dynamic stability value of more than 1000 cycles/mm was suggested for maintenance materials for rutting resistance. Patching mixtures subjected to loading cycles of 30 or higher to reach 3-mm rut depth under wet conditions in the pothole test were deemed satisfactory in resistance to moisture-induced damage. The patching mixtures tested exhibited good workability at temperatures of 20°C or higher. Test procedures and acceptance criteria developed in this study could be useful as part of a specification to promote quality of bituminous patching mixtures.

Negotiating a Financial Package for Freeways: How California’s Collier–Burns Highway Act Helped Pave the Way for the Era of the American Interstate Highway

With the Collier–Burns Highway Act of 1947, California pioneered a new system of highway finance. In response to estimates of enormous highway needs in the postwar period, the state planned substantial increases in funding. The key debate was about who would pay what share. Legislators planned a significant increase in the motor fuel tax and a shift of more of the tax burden onto heavy vehicles, which inflicted most damage to roads. However, the proposal met with intense opposition from motorist groups, oil companies, and truckers. California eventually passed legislation that established the first-ever trust fund dedicating highway user tax revenue to roads, a law that was later copied widely, including by Congress in 1956, when the Interstate system was funded. The trucking industry in California defeated proposals to require it to shoulder more of the financial burden; this outcome too would be repeated elsewhere, including at the federal level. Finally, the inclusion of urban freeways eased the California legislation’s passage, and this provision also became a key element of the federal Interstate legislation. Thus, the legacy of Collier–Burns reaches well beyond California to influence transportation and public finance across the United States to the present day.

Efektivitas Komunikasi Nonverbal Supeltas dalam Mengatur Lalu-lintas di Surakarta

Traffic control volunteer worker motivation objective indirectly want to create traffic road conditions are not always jammed, but they were able to unravel for smooth for all road users with communication devices owned that body language and whistles. Nonverbal messages such as body language, which refers to an object used consistently by its users. Appearance and style of volunteers who served in front of the highway users make sense of something that is consistent because it pollutes the material that has been prevailing in the society. That's when the process of formation of meaning in the minds of the road users in general. Keywords: Volunteer Officers Motive, Credibility Evective Volunteer Officers and nonverbal messages.

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Symptoms, Sleepiness and Accidental Risk in 36140 Regularly Registered Highway Drivers.

BackgroundAttention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a frequent neurodevelopmental disorder that increases accidental risk. Recent studies show that some patients with ADHD can also suffer from excessive daytime sleepiness but there are no data assessing the role of sleepiness in road safety in patients with ADHD. We conducted an epidemiological study to explore sleep complaints, inattention and driving risks among automobile drivers.Methods and FindingsFrom August to September 2014, 491186 regular highway users were invited to participate in an Internet survey on driving habits. 36140 drivers answered a questionnaire exploring driving risks, sleep complaints, sleepiness at the wheel, ADHD symptoms (Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale) and distraction at the wheel. 1.7% of all drivers reported inattention-related driving accidents and 0.3% sleep-related driving accidents in the previous year. 1543 drivers (4.3%) reported ADHD symptoms and were more likely to report accidents than drivers without ADHD symptoms (adjusted OR = 1.24, [1.03–1.51], p < .021). 14.2% of drivers with ADHD symptoms reported severe excessive daytime sleepiness (Epworth Sleepiness Scale >15) versus 3.2% of drivers without ADHD symptoms and 20.5% reported severe sleepiness at the wheel versus 7.3%. Drivers with ADHD symptoms reported significantly more sleep-related (adjusted OR = 1.4, [1.21–1.60], p < .0001) and inattention-related (adjusted OR = 1.9, [1.71–2.14], p<0001) near misses than drivers without ADHD symptoms. The fraction of near-misses attributable to severe sleepiness at the wheel was 4.24% for drivers without ADHD symptoms versus 10,35% for drivers with ADHD symptoms.ConclusionOur study shows that drivers with ADHD symptoms have more accidents and a higher level of sleepiness at the wheel than drivers without ADHD symptoms. Drivers with ADHD symptoms report more sleep-related and inattention-related near misses, thus confirming the clinical importance of exploring both attentional deficits and sleepiness at the wheel in these drivers. Road safety campaigns should be improved to better inform drivers of these accidental risks.