Area-wide application of low-cost engineering measures for accident reduction aims to prevent many accidents which occur at diffusely scattered points in urban areas. It is designed to affect road user behaviour and the usage of the roads of different types. Because the possible effects of introducing measures over whole areas may be widespread it is important to carry out efficient monitoring which can be used to evaluate a scheme both in terms of effectiveness in reducing accidents and in terms of ease of movement by car, bus, bicycle and walking. The resulting information is relevant not only to technical and economic assessment but also to any public debate which may arise. Efficient monitoring should provide both short-term and medium-term information. In the short-term it should give indication not only of success in reducing accidents but also of any undue inconvenience or additional accidents which might be occurring as a result of unforeseen features of the operation of any component of the scheme. In the medium-term effects can be estimated more precisely and trends in the pattern of traffic and accidents can be detected by continued monitoring. This paper describes various methods that have been developed for monitoring occurrences of accidents and distribution of traffic in residential areas and on main traffic routes outside town centres. The techniques described deal with analysis of accident frequencies and with measurement and sample sizes for traffic flows, turning movements, pedestrian crossing behaviour, journey times, journey lengths and speed of movement along main roads and through residential areas. For the covering abstract of the conference see IRRD abstract no. 264967. (Author/publisher).
Samenvatting