Speed limits are legally imposed in all countries for the purpose of restricting drivers from travelling faster than is safe in the best of conditions on any particular road. Selecting an appropriate speed limit for a segment of a road is important in order to encourage compliance by the drivers. A 60 km/h speed zone on the Motorway M2 has been in force since 2004. This was established following a speed limit review along the Motorway M1 and M2 in Mauritius. This report contains a spot speed study which was carried out along an established speed zone to determine the levels of compliance of drivers. The study was conducted on a Monday afternoon and Wednesday morning during off-peak period over a duration of two hours. In this context, driver's speeds were measured at two different station points using a hand held laser speed detection device (STALKER Lidar). The survey stations were carefully chosen where free flow speed could be measured while providing a suitable inconspicuous observation position. A sample of more than three hundred vehicles in each direction was taken at each station. Speed measurements of cars, buses and light and heavy goods vehicles were taken during the spot speed survey. The main findings of the study are as follows: (1) In general driver compliance with the posted speed limit of 60 km/h is poor. On average, seven out of ten motorists exceeded the posted speed; (2) Mean speed for passenger cars at both stations were higher (+10 km/h) than the posted speed limit; (3) The 85th percentile speed for passenger cars is around 82km/h, i.e. 22 km/h above the posted speed limit; (4) Mean speed for light and heavy goods vehicles were higher (+6km/h) than the posted speed limit; (5) The 85th percentile speed for light and heavy goods vehicles varies between 73 km/h to 75 km/h. (A). For the covering abstract of the conference see E216632.
Abstract