What is the impact of road safety on the design and management of road networks?

Abstract way transport is the most common type of transportation worldwide, which inevitably style that profession misadventures, and returning casualties, atomic number 18 a regular occurrence. Further, the frame of cars in juvenile years, which combine risque- travel engines with poor bridle-path exploit, has a direct correlation with the occurrence of accidents. Consequentially, itinerary natural rubber has become a common refer within all countries throughout the world. In my opinion, pass prophylactic abide be make betterd by incorporating germane(predicate) nonrepresentational, climatic and physical esteems in the image of driveways. In addition, the application of an aw arness program in precept and advertising plays a signifi stick outt situation in strengthening path skillfulty and reducing accidents. On the basis of the foregoing, when one is building a safe passageway, every factor of preventive should be taken into consideration and at every stage of the process, including shape.The primary(prenominal) objective of this bill is to instaurationate the dissemble of route prophylactic considerations in the aim of alleys and the solicitude of the bridle-path ne cardinalrk, and how the aim of decreasing bridle-path traffic accidents and casualties influences nonrepresentational design, traffic design and structural design in road social structure. In particular, geometric design and traffic design are greatly influenced by road rubber eraser standards, as evidenced in the geometric design of roundabouts, junctions, and matter-of-fact and cyclist highways. By relying on a specific depicted object theater, this publisher will in like manner investigate roundabout design and its interrelation with road preventative for instance, whilst roundabouts are likely safer than intersections be casing they encourage a decline in vehicles speed and conflict points, it has been found that roundabouts with signalisati on are safer for both cyclists and uninterestings. For these reasons, it is absorb that the improvement of road safe requires the inclusion of safeguard in road design and caution procedures.IntroductionThe road network is a magisterial structure, which is constructed on invariable criteria for the purpose of road transportation and designed with real considerations (such as traffic, climate condition and the environment) in mind. It is used by the bulk of people worldwide, which is unsurprising considering the volume of traffic accidents and road link deaths and injuries. so in recent times, this is lots seen as a global phenomenon, with the sum of road related deaths ranging from between 0.75 and 0.8 million annually1. Unfortunately, it also appears that this number is to a greater extent and much rising indeed, a 2008 publication of the knowledge domain Health Organisation (World health statistics) estimated that the death evaluate from traffic accidents globally is 2.2%, and that due to the manufacture of car engines capable of higher speeds and the development of the economy in development countries, it is anticipated that this figure will dramatically plus to about 3.6% by 20302. Likewise, road traffic accident costs are expected to increase. on that point are three main factors which contri thoe to road traffic accidents road and engineering deficiencies road exploiter errors (human factors) and vehicle defects3. Indeed, a UK bring from the 1970s demonst wanderd that the human factor plays an unfavorable role in 95% of accidents, whilst 28% and 8% of accidents are at least partly caused by environmental and vehicle shortcomings4. For these reasons, it is not logical to focus exclusively on one single factor. It is clear that the fact that road user errors feature in the majority of accidents proves that the human factor is the principle cause of traffic accidents however, if the construction of roads was geometrically change, thi s may not be the case. Indeed, according to Restructuring road institutions, finance and circumspection engineering5, engineering is one of quartet factors that influence road safety (along with enforcement, education, and climate). By focusing on the impact of the engineering factor on road safety improvement, the objective of this report isTo demonstrate and define the concept of road safety. To explain the incorporation of safety features in road design and management.This report consists of 6 parts methodological analysis an explanation of road safety, road design, and road management the impact of road safety factors on the geometric design and management of roads a presentation of a case study on road intersections, cyclists and pedestrian safety at roundabouts a discussion and finally, a conclusion2. methodologyTo demonstrate the effect of the road safety considerations on road design and management, this paper will investigate road intersections through a case study link ed to geometric design, and then discuss the safety of cyclists and pedestrians in relation to roundabouts. chequer Figure 1.3. highroad safetyAccording to Oxford Wordpower Dictionary1, safety is delimit as the state of macrocosm safe not being dangerous or in danger, whilst road safety is defined as the prevention of road accidents. The purpose of roads is to go forth facilities for safe travel and transport, and improved road safety toilet be achieved in the design and management of road management by incorporating safety orientated design criteria, design values and interventions2. Such an approach could not only lead to a decrease in road related deaths and accidents, but it could also coif roads more accessible. Indeed, as outlined in the DTMRQ manual3, such an outcome can be achieved with the application of certain factorsup road network safety using a risk management approach Designing for safer travel for all road users Providing safer access to the road system for c yclists and pedestrians Ensuring work site safety and Co-ordinating with otherwise government agencies in partnership.As stated above, road users errors is the main factor which contributes to road accidents. However, it has been ascertained that the enhancement of engineering design and management can influence drivers expression positively and reduce the number of such errors4. It should be noted that no road is absolutely safe and that the safety of a road is often measured on the volume of accidents on it. For that reason, it is logical to indicate that the construction of a road involves the use of a nominal safety level54. highway designAccording to Oxford Wordpower Dictionary6, design is defined as to plan and make a drawing of how something will be made. The three aspects of design that must be considered in the construction of roads are geometric design (which relates to physical elements such as upright piano and horizontal curves, roadway widths, clearances, cross-se ction dimensions, etc7) traffic design and structural design. Good road design standards involve a combination of these three variable aspects to produce good and safer road.4.1 Geometric designRoad geometric design involves horizontal and vertical alignment and road cross-section, with the determination of these elements based on the criteria of road safety8. The reduction of the road accident rate is importantly influenced by these elements meaning in that respect is a clear relationship between road design and road safety. For example, it has been found that junctions that are geometrically designed with road safety in mind see a smaller number of road accidents. safe geometric design can involve a reduction in the number of conflict points (with the construction of channels). Indeed, it has been found that the use of roads with two lanes, which are each 3.7m wide, are safer than roads with one lane that is 2.7m wide9. In addition, it is felt that the presence of the median r educes the cross-median accident rate, even where it is narrow, and that the inclusion of safety fences at the outer edge of roads plays a authoritative role in road safety10. Road ManagementAccording to Robinson (2008)11, road management is defined as a process that is attempting to optimise the overall performance of the road network overtime. This involves implement that motivates or can affect the road network quality and efficiency during the service lifespan and which facilitates trade, health protection, and education by enhancing accessibility. Further, the improvement of road efficiency, effectiveness and safety can lead to increasing economic well-being as a result of lower commodity prices. Road management is affected by a number of factors, but the dominant is accident levels and costs, which is directly related to road users and economic infrastructure12. As a consequence, road management action can involve the policing of vehicle speed in order to improve safety. Ad ditionally, it can also include such activities which are conducted on the road itself and the surrounding environment, such as road maintenance. As Robinson (2008) states, the aim of road maintenance is to make roads safer because it contributes to the geometric factors in the areas ofPavement and footway move up Carriageway marking and delineation and Signs, street lights and furniture.13In this way, road safety can be incorporated in road management for example, the continuous patch of pavements reduces vehicle operating costs to be reduced and the rate of accidents on the road. Road intersectionsRoad intersections are a significant part of the road network structure, and in spite of their simple function, they contributes more than 20% of sinister road accidents in the EU14 and even though it has been reported that about 31% of serious accidents occur in non-built-up areas, 65% occurred at built-area junctions in 1984 in the UK15. According to the Federal Highway Administra tion (2006)16, road intersection safety has become a considerable problem in the ground forces because more than 45% of virtually 2.7 million smash-upes that occurred there in 2004 happened at junctions. Unfortunately, in spite of the fact that junction design and traffic standards have seen a significant improvement generally, it has not caused a significant reduction in the rate of accidents per year. For those reasons, the FHWA supported the concept of converting intersections to roundabouts in order to decrease the rate of accidents and to provide increase safety.Rate of fatal casualties in EU at junctions and other locations of roads Case studyA study was carried out in 8 States of the USA in 2004 for 24 junctions before and after diversity to roundabout. It resulted in a 39% reduction of overall crash rates, with a 90% and 76% reduction in the fatal and injury crashes, respectively1. See Table 1.Reduction of crashes following roundabout conversions at 24 U.S. junctions I n 8 states in USAReduction In Crashes % In 2004OverallFatalInjury -39%-90%-76%Table 1 the entropy from FHWA, 2006DiscussionThe reduction in the level of road traffic accidents in the case study proves that replacing junctions with roundabouts is the logical decision in the USA because it is clear that such a course of action increases overall safety. Unfortunately, the study sample is small as it does not cover all safety aspects, and the safety of the cyclist and pedestrian is not clarified because the crashes categorized are only based on motor vehicles. It should be noted that approximately 75% of cyclist accidents occur at roundabouts2. For that reason, the impact of roundabouts on passengers and cyclists is cum laude of investigation.8.1 Roundabout and road designAccording to Fortuijn (2003)3, the majority of cyclist-car accidents occur when a cyclist is move in the roundabout and a car either enters or exits from the roundabout. It has also been said that roundabouts that a re charactarised with a significant design feature (e.g. a requirement to reduce vehicle speed to 30phm, use of a exchange island, a right angle connection between roadways and circular roadways, or a right of way traffic movement) serve to reduce crash rates and cyclist accidents. Another characteristic that improves road safety at roundabouts is the reduction of conflict points to about a quarter of the number apply at other junctions.8.2. Roundabout and road managementModern roundabouts are recognised with high capacity, low speed, and non-use of signalisation. The use of roundabout signalisation is typical betant on traffic volume and safety. Nevertheless, the roundabouts that dont use signalisation are still safer than junctions1. Further, the maintenance of traffic signs, lights and pavement surface serve to increase road life service and safety.The manufacture of vehicles with higher speed engines may serve to reduce the efficiency of roundabouts and increase the safety ha zards to cyclists and pedestrians, especially at times of high traffic volume. According to the findings of the London Road rubber Unit (2003)2, the roundabouts with signalisation are safer for both cyclists and pedestrian, based on a study which was conducted in 2003 for a number of roundabouts, before and after signalisation ConclusionThis report has sought to demonstrate the impact of road safety in design and road management by defining and analysing the relevant concepts, with particular attention paid to cyclist and pedestrian safety. The following points were also concludedRoad accidents occur due to three main factors road users, environment and engineering. The level of road safety measures that are utilized depend on the volume of accidents. Road safety is incorporated into road design and management through incorporation of safety considerations. Road safety is improved through road maintenance. Roundabouts typically serve to reduce vehicle speed and conflict points, whi ch in turn can reduce the road accident rate, and increase the safety of cyclists and pedestrian. It is believed that the road design and management plays a significant role in road safety enhancement through the fundamental interaction of safety criteria with the road efficiency. Signalisation at roundabouts can increase the safety of cyclists and pedestrians, and a cyclist right of way can reduce the rate of car-cyclist accident ReferencesRobinson, R., & Thagesen, B. (2004). Road engineering for development, second ed. Taylor & Francis. London.Moller, M., & Hels, T. (2008). Cyclists perception of risk in roundabouts.Accident Analysis & Prevention, 40(3), 1055-1062. online https//wiki.cecs.pdx.edu/pub/ItsWeb/BikeBoxes/Moller_Hels_2007.pdf accessed October nineteenth 2013Fortuijn, L. G. H. (2003). 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