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Recognition of sustainably safe road types

 

The sustainably safe concept presupposes a limited number of road types, each with its own function. Each of these road types requires a different traffic behaviour and leads to different interactions between road users. It is, therefore, of great importance that road users can establish quickly and correctly which road type they are on. It is also important to know which other vehicle and road user types showing which behaviour can be expected, and what their own behaviour should be.

 

It can be determined which road characteristics are important to optimize the recognisability of the sustainably safe road types. This is done by using a structured TNO Human Factors Research Institute laboratory experiment, in which photographs and video animations are used.

This report (R-98-57), within the framework of the long term project 'Sustainably Safe Road Environment and Behaviour', presents the results of the preparatory activities for such a laboratory experiment. These were: identifying and selecting potential, relevant road characteristics; and making a definite research design.

 

Design and layout of sustainably safe road types

First of all an overview is given of these ideas, up till now, about the design and layout of sustainably safe road types. These ideas should be seen as the preconditions, within which the laboratory experiment must take shape. Next, a number of general criteria are formulated, to which the variable road characteristics have to conform. Then a summary is given of previous studies of this subject.

The research design involves experimenting with four variants of road designs of the five road types according to the principles of sustainably safe:

The design variants have been so worked out that it is possible to study the effect of the following five road characteristics on the recognition of the road types by the road users:

At the same time, the influence of these characteristics on the expectations (road user types, safe speed etc.) of road users of a particular road type will be investigated.

Finally, the design of the experiment is examined more closely.

SWOV Research Activities 11 - March 1999

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