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Effects of raised safety platforms (RSPs) on travel time and traffic delay at roundabouts

Abstract
Raised safety platforms (RSPs) are vertical deflection devices that utilise vertical acceleration to slow vehicle operating speeds down to safe systems-compliant speeds. These devices are not as jarring for drivers as a traditional judder bar and are specifically designed for motorist comfort when traveling at a safe and appropriate speed. RSPs have been specifically identified through the Austroads Guide to Traffic Management and New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) Standard Safety Intervention Toolkit as a key safe systems safety intervention. RSPs are also part of best practice guidance and are designed to slow vehicle speeds enough so that when people make mistakes, they have time to react and avoid a crash. If a crash were still to happen it is kinetic impact energy which determines the severity outcome of a crash is lower. At lower speeds the likelihood of a death or serious injury occurring as a result is drastically reduced. Safe Systems is a road safety philosophy that requires industry practitioners to provide a more forgiving road system reducing the harm to the human body in the event of a crash. Safe systems have four key pillars safe roads and roadside, safe speeds, safe vehicles, and safe road users. Safe speeds are the areas within which RSPs sit. Although there are proven safety benefits of RSPs through various literature sources there is still a common user perception that these devices cause a decrease in operational efficiency. Literature is also light on this topic and in cases where past literature is available, they seem to contradict with each other. Some user arguments are that RSPs create congestion at intersections resulting in an increased travel time. The aim of this thesis report was to provide data-based clarity on the effects of the RSP on travel time and traffic delay at roundabouts to help clarify this area of knowledge gap. This report also seeks to understand effects on traffic speed, crashes, queue lengths, and LOS at roundabouts as a result of RSPs. This report specifically focuses on roundabouts due to a lack of roundabout-related operational literature as the majority of RSP applications have been at signalised intersections. It should be noted that RSPs are still a new and emerging idea for Australia and New Zealand (NZ). RSPs are a widely used safety intervention in European countries such as the Netherlands. Investigation in this paper has been done through a review of the literature and quantitative assessment of a sample of sites through microsimulation traffic modeling using Multimodal Traffic Simulation Software. Based on the findings of this paper it is identified that there is a negligible change in traffic delay and a decrease in travel time as a result of RSPs at roundabouts. The findings of this research shows that RSPs create smoother traffic flow, and safer and better gap selection for vehicles entering a roundabout resulting in improved or the same efficiency for the intersection when compared to pre RSP operation. Some increases in queue lengths was evident on the approach to RSPs and this could relate to driver perception of an increase in congestion. There is no evidence from this paper that supports this as the overall LOS remains unchanged or is improved. This paper also found that speeds dropped notably on approach to RSPs which resulted in a change in driver psychology where drivers were yielding more at the slower speed. Crash data also showed a decreasing trend in the number of crashes and their severity following RSP installation across all the sites studied. These finding also support past literature on RSP speed and crash reductions.
Type
Thesis
Type of thesis
Series
Citation
Date
2024
Publisher
The University of Waikato
Supervisors
Rights
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