Traffic calming measures: An evaluation of four low-cost TCMs' effect on driving speed and lateral distance

The transition from rural highways that afford higher speeds, to urban communities with lower speed limits and wide ranges of road users is a critical safety issue in Northern Iran that such transitions are frequent along a highway running approximately parallel to the Caspian Sea shoreline and linking >50 urban communities. This study aims to investigate the efficiency of 4 low-cost traffic calming measurements (TCM) at a simulated 1.5 km length of this rural highway as a representative. 39 participants with at least 3 years of driving experience took part in this study, and comparisons of driver behaviors in case of speed and lateral position as a safety index in 4 scenarios and base scenario were outputted. MANOVA analysis was conducted on speed and lateral position data outputted from the simulator device, at the entry into the urban community. Comparison of mean speed results obtained revealed that all 4 treatments significantly reduced the mean speed of drivers. In this respect, the benefits of modified road signs were proven to be as successful as road surface markings. As another criterion for safety, the investigation showed road signs and transverse rumble strips increased lateral position, but the pattern of peripheral hatched markings significantly reduced the lateral position. In case of speed reduction, maintaining the reduced speed is another issue that has been resulted that as soon as TCMs end up, the speed increases, however, does not reach the former values. (C) 2019 International Association of Traffic and Safety Sciences. Production and hosting by Elsevier Ltd.