Speed Management Efficacy on National Roads - Early Experiences of Sectional Speed System Functioning in Podlaskie Voivodship

Abstract

Driving speed is one of the most important factors in road safety, and speed not only affects the severity of a crash, but is also related to the risk of being involved in a crash. Inappropriate speed is responsible for more than a third of all fatal accidents occurring on the roads. In Poland, the problem of speeding drivers is widely common. Hence, effective speed management and enforcement of speed limits on existing road plays an important role. Possible solutions for rural roads are very limited and have focused mainly on administrative speed limitations and speed cameras enforcement. However, due to their limited effectiveness, new solutions are still being sought. High expectations are associated with the latest introduction of sectional speed system in Poland. The aim of this paper is to examine the efficiency of the sectional speed control system implemented on chosen sections of national roads in Podlaskie province. For this purpose, speed surveys included road segments where the system for sectional speed control had been already implemented, as well as in order to evaluate its effectiveness, speed measurements were conducted on other national roads with no further specific restrictions. In addition, to evaluate the possible influence of the sections monitored by the system on driver's behaviour on adjacent segments, the relevant speed data was collected on adherent sectors. On the basis of the conducted measurements, high effectiveness of sectional speed control system was stated together with its impact on adjoining segments, but also some deficiency in terms of speed homogeneity has been revealed.

Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Traffic Calming Measures by SPEIR Methodology: Framework and Case Studies

“…The establishment of traffic calming groups must provide good uniformity of speed. The lack of uniformity of speed can lead to frequent and dangerous deceleration and acceleration maneuvers [26]. These maneuvers cause higher fuel consumption and noise emissions, which have a negative impact on the environment [27].…”

Analysis of the efficiency of traffic lights turning red in case of exceeding speed limit

“…); physical obstructions (raised median through intersections, semi and diagonal diverter, right-in and rightout island, etc. ); and signs and pavement markings (Kveladze and Agerholm, 2018;Gonzalo-Orden, Rojo, Pérez-Acebo and Linares, 2016;Pérez-Sansalvador, Lakouari, García-Díaz, and Pomares Hernández, 2020;Torres, Cloutier, Bergeron, and St-Denis, 2019;Ziolkowski, 2018). In urban areas, the succession of traffic calming measures and traffic lights maintains the speed of vehicles low.…”

Detecting, Tracking and Counting People Getting On/Off a Metropolitan Train Using a Standard Video Camera

“…In the last two decades, there have been significant improvements on the camera sensors, in terms of image quality and resolution, and on the digital infrastructure to transmit and store video data. Nevertheless, with the possible exception of Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) for speed control (e.g., see Ziółkowski [10]) and to analyze passenger and freight movements, as discussed by Hadavi et al [11], the analysis of the video data of CCTV systems in public transport networks has remained largely based on manual analysis, mostly because of the challenges posed by localizing people, their motions, and, ultimately, their behavior in realistic scenarios. More recently, however, there have been major scientific and technological improvements in computer vision, led by intelligent sensors that use deep-learning methods and that can offer a way forward.…”