August 2006

The effect of geometric road design standards on road safety

This is the fourth in a series of newsletters describing the results of the Road Safety Engineering Risk Assessment project which is being funded by Austroads to assess risk involving the road, traffic and roadside environment.

Study objectives and approach

The objectives of the research project were to: identify mid-block road design elements that affect road safety identify how a variation in standards for design elements (e.g. speed, sight distance, cross section) affects the safety of roads in different environments (e.g. rural and urban) identify key gaps in knowledge requiring further research develop models for practitioners to determine the appropriate balance between road design standards, road safety benefits and costs.

Introduction
Geometric road design standards have a direct bearing on the level of risk for drivers and other road users. The effective management of road safety risk involving different road design elements requires an understanding of: the factors that contribute to risk and how to reduce them the extent and distribution of these factors in the road network. This knowledge allows comparison of the effects of higher design standards and other measures on safety. It also provides a framework for road designers to measure the road safety impact of applying minimum standards where funds are limited.

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The study was based on a review of Australian and international research with an emphasis on geometric design elements that were expected to provide cost-effective safety benefits. Information was also sought from Australian road authorities to identify and include the results of any research undertaken by them.

Results
Key road design elements
The geometric road design elements that are critical to road safety are well established in research literature and in road design manuals. They comprise: horizontal alignment vertical alignment sight distance cross section (pavement width, shoulder width and type, lane width) roadside design (width, slopes and condition). No clear relationship has been shown between crash frequency and sight distance restrictions on crests over the whole range of sight distance values; there is some agreement that low sight distance crests (e.g. <140 m) have a substantially higher crash rate than comparable locations with greater sight distance (e.g. > 215 m) above which the effect remains constant. Crash rates have been found to decrease with increases in total seal width up to widths of 10 to 11 m. The effect of adding width to a sealed shoulder or to a lane is similar, although, crash risk is likely to increase on wide shoulders (> 2.5 m). On rural two-lane highways the crash risk reduces substantially with increasing lane width up to 3.6 m but is likely to increase on wider lanes. Lane width has only a small effect on crash rates for urban arterial roads within the range of normal lane widths (2.75 m to 3.75 m). On urban arterial roads the provision for right turning vehicles to stand clear of through traffic substantially reduces crash risk; the density of access and type of abutting development can substantially affect crash risk. Guidance typically identifies the benefits from the provision of roadside clear zones with a width of up to 9 m. However, additional benefits can be gained with clear zones of up to 13 m and beyond, especially in high speed environments.

Horizontal realignment is particularly important in the context of road safety treatments, major changes to existing roads and the design of new roads. The combination of cross section elements is also very important with respect to the overall sealed width, the optimum combination of lane width and sealed/unsealed shoulder width, and the roadside environment. Improvements to cross section and the roadside are usually very cost-effective treatments.

The effects of road design elements

The review of research led to the following main conclusions on the link between road design elements and safety: On rural highways the crash risk associated with horizontal curvature increases substantially at radii below about 400 m. No information is available on risk associated with horizontal curves on urban roads. Crash rates increase only slightly with increases in gradient below about 6%, but increase rapidly above 6%. There is a need to investigate the combined effects of horizontal and vertical alignment on crash rates and risk.

Adequacy of current information

There is agreement in the research literature on the relationships between various geometric design standards and crash risk. However, the values assigned to road safety effects or crash risks vary markedly between studies. Many studies aggregate data or present results in a way that limits their usefulness with respect to specific situations or treatment options. As a result, there is insufficient consistent information about the level of risk associated with specific road design elements in Australia and New Zealand. The results nevertheless provide a basis for some minor improvements in the values used in current models. No research information was found relating crash risk to standards of alignment for urban roads. Findings relating to width standards and cross-section treatments for urban roads were also more variable than for rural arterial roads. The key areas of geometric road design that require improved information involve determining the effect of: various standards of horizontal curvature for rural roads including variables such as length of curve and tangent conditions (e.g. alignment or approach speed) combinations of horizontal and vertical alignment different combinations of lane width and shoulder width for rural roads shoulder type at various traffic levels downhill gradient particularly for grades above 6% narrow lane widths and horizontal alignment for typical situations in urban and outer urban areas.

Future developments
Full details of this research will be provided in a report due later this year. Further research will continue at ARRB on the effect of geometric road design standards on road safety. Given the need for improved information, it is recommended that data on geometric alignment and cross-section that is currently collected using instrumented vehicles be used to develop comprehensive risk assessment models that relate to Australian and New Zealand conditions. The data should cover all jurisdictions and be analysed in relation to crash data.

For further information on this research, contact

Gary Veith +61 3 9881 1526 email gary.veith@arrb.com.au.

For further information on the overall research program, contact

Blair Turner +61 3 9881 1661 email blair.turner@arrb.com.au

To receive further editions

If you are interested in receiving future editions of this newsletter, contact us with your email address at riskreporter@arrb.com.au Newsletters will also be placed on the ARRB website.
Published by ARRB Group 500 Burwood Hwy Vermont South VIC 3133

ARRB would like to acknowledge the continued support and input of Austroads members in the development and delivery of this project.

Graphic Design Vicki Jaeger