The report documents the first phase of a project investigating treatments aimed at reducing speeds on approaches to intersections and maintaining safer speeds through intersections. A literature review of factors affecting speeds on intersection approaches, and treatments aimed at reducing speeds, pointed to several promising treatments. An analysis of speed-related intersection crashes showed that they differ on several aspects from crashes where speeding is not considered to be a factor. Speed-related crashes appear to be of greater severity, are relatively more prevalent in rural areas, on curved sections, at T and X intersections rather than at roundabouts, and at unsignalised locations. Inspections of intersection sites at which casualty crashes had occurred indicated the need for attention to adequate sight distance, advance warning and roadside access issues in the consideration of intersection speed reduction measures. A good potential is seen for implementing initiatives such as dynamic speed feedback signs and alignment deflections as approach speed reduction treatments, extending the use of roundabouts as intersection speed reduction treatments, particularly at rural/urban interfaces, and introducing intersection area surface treatments as through-speed reduction measures. Opportunities for installing and evaluating such treatments should be explored. (Author/publisher)
Abstract