Safer Roads

Safer Roads
Author: Kenneth Wade Ogden
Publisher:
Total Pages: 558
Release: 1996
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN:

An international review of road safety engineering. This study illustrates the practices/procedures used in the identification of hazardous sites and the development of road/traffic countermeasures. It identifies the sources of accident problems and factors of human behaviour.

Designing Safer Roads

Designing Safer Roads
Author: National Research Council (U.S.). Transportation Research Board
Publisher: Transportation Research Board National Research
Total Pages: 336
Release: 1987
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN:

In response to a provision of the Surface Transportation Assistance Act of 1982, the Secretary of Transportation, acting through the Federal Highway Administration, requested the National Academy of Sciences to study the safety cost-effectiveness of geometric design standards and recommend minimum standards for resurfacing, restoration, and rehabilitation (RRR) projects on existing federal-aid highways, except freeways. RRR projects can extend the service life of existing highways through pavement and other repairs and at the same time improve highway safety by making selective improvements to highway geometry and other roadside features. Striking a balance between preservation and safety improvements on RRR projects has proved controversial, however. The controversy has centered on which minimum geometric design standards should be applied to RRR projects to qualify for federal aid. This report presents the findings of a study committee which conducted case studies of current RRR design practices, reviewed current knowledge about relationships between geometric design and safety, and analyzed the cost and safety trade-offs of geometric improvements to existing highways. The report concludes with the study committee recommendations concerning a variety of practices that will increase the safety cost-effectiveness of RRR projects.

Strong Towns

Strong Towns
Author: Charles L. Marohn, Jr.
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
Total Pages: 262
Release: 2019-10-01
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1119564816

A new way forward for sustainable quality of life in cities of all sizes Strong Towns: A Bottom-Up Revolution to Build American Prosperity is a book of forward-thinking ideas that breaks with modern wisdom to present a new vision of urban development in the United States. Presenting the foundational ideas of the Strong Towns movement he co-founded, Charles Marohn explains why cities of all sizes continue to struggle to meet their basic needs, and reveals the new paradigm that can solve this longstanding problem. Inside, you’ll learn why inducing growth and development has been the conventional response to urban financial struggles—and why it just doesn’t work. New development and high-risk investing don’t generate enough wealth to support itself, and cities continue to struggle. Read this book to find out how cities large and small can focus on bottom-up investments to minimize risk and maximize their ability to strengthen the community financially and improve citizens’ quality of life. Develop in-depth knowledge of the underlying logic behind the “traditional” search for never-ending urban growth Learn practical solutions for ameliorating financial struggles through low-risk investment and a grassroots focus Gain insights and tools that can stop the vicious cycle of budget shortfalls and unexpected downturns Become a part of the Strong Towns revolution by shifting the focus away from top-down growth toward rebuilding American prosperity Strong Towns acknowledges that there is a problem with the American approach to growth and shows community leaders a new way forward. The Strong Towns response is a revolution in how we assemble the places we live.

Transport Planning and Traffic Safety

Transport Planning and Traffic Safety
Author: Geetam Tiwari
Publisher: CRC Press
Total Pages: 372
Release: 2018-09-03
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 1498751474

In recognition of the importance of road safety as a major health issue, the World Health Organization has declared 2011-2021 the Decade of Safety Action. Several countries in Europe, North America, and Asia have been successful in reducing fatalities and injuries due to road traffic crashes. However, many low-income countries continue to experience high rates of traffic fatalities and injuries. Transport Planning and Traffic Safety: Making Cities, Roads, and Vehicles Safer offers a source book for road safety training courses as well as an introductory textbook for graduate-level courses on road safety taught in engineering institutes. It brings together the international experiences and lessons learned from countries which have been successful in reducing traffic crashes and their applicability in low-income countries. The content is based on lectures delivered during an international course on transportation planning and traffic safety, sponsored annually by the Transportation Research and Injury Prevention Programme (TRIPP) at the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi. The book is interdisciplinary and aimed at professionals—traffic and road engineers, vehicle designers, law enforcers, and transport planners. The authors examine trends in performance of OECD countries and highlight the public health and systems approach of traffic safety with the vulnerable road user in focus. Topics include land use (transportation planning, mobility, and safety), safety education and legislation, accident analysis, road safety research, human tolerance to injury, vehicle design, safety in construction zones, safety in urban areas, traffic calming, public transportation, safety laws and policies, and pre-hospital care of the injured.

Urban Street Design Guide

Urban Street Design Guide
Author: National Association of City Transportation Officials
Publisher: Island Press
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2013-10-01
Genre: Architecture
ISBN: 9781610914949

The NACTO Urban Street Design Guide shows how streets of every size can be reimagined and reoriented to prioritize safe driving and transit, biking, walking, and public activity. Unlike older, more conservative engineering manuals, this design guide emphasizes the core principle that urban streets are public places and have a larger role to play in communities than solely being conduits for traffic. The well-illustrated guide offers blueprints of street design from multiple perspectives, from the bird’s eye view to granular details. Case studies from around the country clearly show how to implement best practices, as well as provide guidance for customizing design applications to a city’s unique needs. Urban Street Design Guide outlines five goals and tenets of world-class street design: • Streets are public spaces. Streets play a much larger role in the public life of cities and communities than just thoroughfares for traffic. • Great streets are great for business. Well-designed streets generate higher revenues for businesses and higher values for homeowners. • Design for safety. Traffic engineers can and should design streets where people walking, parking, shopping, bicycling, working, and driving can cross paths safely. • Streets can be changed. Transportation engineers can work flexibly within the building envelope of a street. Many city streets were created in a different era and need to be reconfigured to meet new needs. • Act now! Implement projects quickly using temporary materials to help inform public decision making. Elaborating on these fundamental principles, the guide offers substantive direction for cities seeking to improve street design to create more inclusive, multi-modal urban environments. It is an exceptional resource for redesigning streets to serve the needs of 21st century cities, whose residents and visitors demand a variety of transportation options, safer streets, and vibrant community life.

Global Street Design Guide

Global Street Design Guide
Author: Global Designing Cities Initiative
Publisher: Island Press
Total Pages: 425
Release: 2016-10-13
Genre: Architecture
ISBN: 1610917014

The Global Street Design Guide is a timely resource that sets a global baseline for designing streets and public spaces and redefines the role of streets in a rapidly urbanizing world. The guide will broaden how to measure the success of urban streets to include: access, safety, mobility for all users, environmental quality, economic benefit, public health, and overall quality of life. The first-ever worldwide standards for designing city streets and prioritizing safety, pedestrians, transit, and sustainable mobility are presented in the guide. Participating experts from global cities have helped to develop the principles that organize the guide. The Global Street Design Guide builds off the successful tools and tactics defined in NACTO's Urban Street Design Guide and Urban Bikeway Design Guide while addressing a variety of street typologies and design elements found in various contexts around the world.

Right of Way

Right of Way
Author: Angie Schmitt
Publisher: Island Press
Total Pages: 247
Release: 2020-08-27
Genre: Architecture
ISBN: 1642830836

The face of the pedestrian safety crisis looks a lot like Ignacio Duarte-Rodriguez. The 77-year old grandfather was struck in a hit-and-run crash while trying to cross a high-speed, six-lane road without crosswalks near his son’s home in Phoenix, Arizona. He was one of the more than 6,000 people killed while walking in America in 2018. In the last ten years, there has been a 50 percent increase in pedestrian deaths. The tragedy of traffic violence has barely registered with the media and wider culture. Disproportionately the victims are like Duarte-Rodriguez—immigrants, the poor, and people of color. They have largely been blamed and forgotten. In Right of Way, journalist Angie Schmitt shows us that deaths like Duarte-Rodriguez’s are not unavoidable “accidents.” They don’t happen because of jaywalking or distracted walking. They are predictable, occurring in stark geographic patterns that tell a story about systemic inequality. These deaths are the forgotten faces of an increasingly urgent public-health crisis that we have the tools, but not the will, to solve. Schmitt examines the possible causes of the increase in pedestrian deaths as well as programs and movements that are beginning to respond to the epidemic. Her investigation unveils why pedestrians are dying—and she demands action. Right of Way is a call to reframe the problem, acknowledge the role of racism and classism in the public response to these deaths, and energize advocacy around road safety. Ultimately, Schmitt argues that we need improvements in infrastructure and changes to policy to save lives. Right of Way unveils a crisis that is rooted in both inequality and the undeterred reign of the automobile in our cities. It challenges us to imagine and demand safer and more equitable cities, where no one is expendable.

How to Make Two-lane Rural Roads Safer

How to Make Two-lane Rural Roads Safer
Author: Ruediger Lamm
Publisher: Witpress
Total Pages: 152
Release: 2007
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN:

When accidents happen, drivers are blamed for the mishap. When drivers consistently fail at certain locations, it then becomes obvious that the problem lies not with them, but with the geometry of the road itself. Because accidents are not evenly distributed throughout the road network, locations with high accident rates are a clear indication that there are other factors involved, besides driver error, which are characterized by the road itself. In most countries, two-lane rural roads make up about 90 percent of rural networks and they account for over 60 percent of highway fatalities worldwide, approximately 500,000 people per year. The methodology described in this book will support the achievement of quantified measures of: design consistency; operating speed consistency; and, driving dynamic consistency. The safety criteria are then combined into an overall safety module for a simplified general overview of the safety evaluation process. The authors also encourage the coordination of safety concerns with important economic, environmental and aesthetic considerations. This book will be an invaluable aid to educators, students, consultants, highway engineers and administrators, as well as scientists in the fields of highway design and traffic safety engineering.

A Guide for Achieving Flexibility in Highway Design

A Guide for Achieving Flexibility in Highway Design
Author:
Publisher: AASHTO
Total Pages: 138
Release: 2004
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 1560512598

Context-sensitive solutions (CSS) reflect the need to consider highway projects as more than just transportation facilities. Depending on how highway projects are integrated into the community, they can have far-reaching impacts beyond their traffic or transportation function. CSS is a comprehensive process that brings stakeholders together in a positive, proactive environment to develop projects that not only meet transportation needs, but also improve or enhance the community. Achieving a flexible, context-sensitive design solution requires designers to fully understand the reasons behind the processes, design values, and design procedures that are used. This AASHTO Guide shows highway designers how to think flexibly, how to recognize the many choices and options they have, and how to arrive at the best solution for the particular situation or context. It also strives to emphasize that flexible design does not necessarily entail a fundamentally new design process, but that it can be integrated into the existing transportation culture. This publication represents a major step toward institutionalizing CSS into state transportation departments and other agencies charged with transportation project development.