Under contract with Van Hattum en Blankevoort BV, TNO Human Factors studied the subjective comfort and risk while driving profiled road markings for the tunnels at the road RW14 near Voorburg (Sijtwende). These profiled road markings are put on the road as side markings in order to limit the available comfortable width of the lanes, thereby limiting driving speeds. Truck drivers have to drive over the road markings in order to stay within their lane. The purpose of this study was to select that type of marking that was experience to be the most uncomfortable by car drivers and least uncomfortable by truck drivers. Besides that the chosen type should be experience to include the least risk. At location Sijtwende, 5 types of profiled road markings were put on the road. Twelve car drivers and twelve truck drivers drove the profiled road markings in a different order. Every road marking was driven at a speed of 70 km/h and of 90 km/h. After every ride, a score had to be provided for the subjective comfort and risk. The results from the study showed that road users did not experience the road markings differently at different speeds. For car drivers, type 1, 2 and 4 were experience most uncomfortable and for truck drivers type 3, 4 and 5 were experienced as least uncomfortable. On the basis of subjective comfort of the two types of driver, type 4 was considered most suitable. For both groups of drivers type 3, 4 and 5 were considered to include the least risk. When taking both subjective comfort and risk into account, type 4 (3 mm high) was considered best. (Author/publisher)
Abstract