For a sustainably safe traffic system it is important that road users have the right expectations with regard to both the presence and behaviour of other road users, and the demands with regard to their own behaviour. In this study it was investigated: (1) to what extent different 80 km/h road types in the Netherlands can be distinguished; (2) whether different road images evoke the right expectations by road users; and (3) whether proposed alternative road design options would produce improvement. For each road design a different set of subjects performed both a categorization task (sorting pictures of roads) and a reaction time task (responding to questions with regard to their expectations). The different road design systems were implemented by means of computer manipulations of photographs for the present road design. The results showed that the present road design system insufficiently distinguishes between the various types of 80 km/h roads, in some cases evoking incorrect expectations. Alternative design systems had positive effects. Particularly bicycle lanes on the road, separation of traffic in different directions using a continuous center line, and the so-called "stream-marking" showed to be effective. (A) See also C 5065 (IRRD 884133).
Samenvatting