Surface texture depth is an important factor in maintaining the high-speed skidding resistance of wet roads. The high-speed texture meter (hstm), which uses a laser-based contactless sensor, has been developed to enable texture depth to be measured on a routine basis on large road networks at normal traffic speeds. The prototype hstm has been used on networks in three english counties over several years, as part of a programme of work to relate texture depth, skidding resistance and accidents, with a view to identifying the implications of different levels of texture depth for in-service roads. This work has provided a mass of data on texture levels and this report presents a summary of this data to provide an indication of the general levels of texture depth to be found on roads in this country. The data are summarised in the form of histograms and cumulative frequency diagrams of the average texture depth for 50-metre road sections.
Abstract