The latest Austroads and ARRB report, Improving Rural Roads, identifies the design elements of Australasia’s rural roads and how they contribute to crash severity.
The report, released at the end of May, finds that almost 60 per cent of fatal road crashes occur on rural roads in Australia. Seventy per cent of fatal crashes take place on rural roads in New Zealand.
In-depth crash studies have shown that the road is the cause in about 30 per cent of all crashes.
The report reviews rural and remote road casualty data, pointing out design areas that require research. This includes: horizontal and vertical alignment, cross-sections, roadsides and rural intersections.
It also identifies specific road design elements which add to the risk or rural road crashes such as: lack of sealed shoulders, steep downhill grades combined with curves and high-flow rural at-grade intersections
Published research findings were supported by a before and after evaluation of crash reductions expected from shoulder sealing, pavement widening and road realignment.
Combining this evidence and inputs by the Austroads Road Design Task Force, the report proposes a number of possible changes to Austroads Guide to Road Design. Most proposed changes involve clarification of guidance, For example, a selection of design speed in challenging alignments, use of speed limits to control speeds, use of sealed shoulders, selection of barriers and clear zones and greater guidance for design of low speed roundabouts. The report makes a number of suggestions about selection of rural intersection types to future revisions of the Guide to Traffic Management.
.png){kind=small}
.png){kind=small}
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
