Research Report 344 Personal security in public transport travel in NZ: problems issues and solutions
Published: 2008This research project explores concerns about personal security by users of public transport. The findings from an international literature review are used, and the concerns of public transport users in three New Zealand cities (Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch) that have significant public transport patronage streams are explored. Personal security concerns were found to discourage...
Research Report 349 Distractive effects of cellphone use
Published: Jul 2008The research systematically compared the driving performance and conversational patterns of drivers speaking with in-car passengers, handsfree cellphones, and remote passengers who could see the driver’s current driving situation (via a window into a driving simulator). Driving performance suffered during cellphone and remote passenger conversations as compared with in-car passenger...
Research Report 365 The usability and safety of audio tactile profiled road markings
Published: Feb 2009Audio Tactile Profiled (ATP) road markings (also known by road users as rumble strips) have been used at selected locations on New Zealand roads in recent years. However, a recent Land Transport Research report established that more extensive use of these markings over a wider range of traffic volumes and roadway situations would result in cost-effective crash reductions. The potential benefit...
Research Report 371 Relationship between road geometry observed travel speed and rural accidents
Published: 2009Speed is a major contributing factor in fatal and serious crashes in the rural environment (35% of fatal and 28% of serious crashes in 2003). In such crashes, drivers are generally described as travelling too fast for the conditions. Based on the premise that drivers do not deliberately travel too fast for conditions, what aspects of the road alignment affect drivers’ speed...
Research Report 377 Rural drink-drive enforcement in the Southern Police District
Published: Jul 2009Drink-driving is a serious road safety issue, particularly in the rural environment, with a significant number of road users killed or injured on rural roads annually. However, up until recently, the issue of rural drink-driving has been overlooked, by both practitioners and researchers alike. In order to begin addressing this knowledge gap, in 2008, the New Zealand Police carried out a...
Research Report 383 Measurement of the reflection properties of road surfaces to improve the safety and sustainability of road lighting
Published: 2009This study reports on a New Zealand-wide evaluation of road surfaces for reflection properties relevant to road lighting design. The sections of road to be surveyed were chosen from the national Road Assessment and Maintenance Management database (RAMM) on the basis of location, age and surfacing material. The measurement device was the portable reflectometer known as ‘Memphis’....
Research Report 386 Roundabout crash prediction models
Published: Jun 2009The management of speed is considered an important safety issue at roundabouts. The approach speed and negotiating speed through roundabouts depends on the geometric design of the roundabout and sight distance. In New Zealand and in Australia, the design standards recommend long approach sight distances and provision of relatively high design speeds. This is in contrast to European...
Research Report 389 Cycle Safety: Reducing the Crash Risk
Published: Oct 2009Cycling is a sustainable mode of travel and an alternative to motor vehicle trips, particularly for shorter trips. However, the risk of crashing while cycling is typically higher than while travelling in a motor vehicle. To create a safer environment for cyclists, traffic engineers and transport planners can select a number of safety countermeasures. These include changes to the road layout,...
Research report 405 Public lighting for safe and attractive pedestrian areas
Published: May 2010The Australian/New Zealand standard Lighting for roads and public spaces, part 3.1: pedestrian area (category P) lighting - performance and design requirements (AS/NZS 1158.3.1:2005) sets out specifications for pedestrian lighting. The standard defines adequate and acceptable pedestrian lighting practices to make walking safe. This research project complements and extends the standard by...
Research report 408 School bus safety
Published: Sep 2010In the 21 years from 1987 to 2007 inclusive, 22 children were killed, 45 seriously injured and 91 received minor injuries when crossing the road to or from a school bus. In addition, six children were killed while passengers on a school bus. As a result, there is widespread concern about school bus safety. This research project aimed to identify and advance those measures seen as having the most...
Research report 420 Improving school travel systems
Published: Nov 2010The purpose of this research, carried out between 2008 and 2010, was to investigate the evidence for prioritising school travel initiatives, and to develop an evidence-based toolkit for the design of school travel systems, to supplement existing school travel initiatives.
There are tangible economic, safety, health and environmental reasons for giving greater priority to school...
Research report 423 Effectiveness of transverse road markings on reducing vehicle speeds
Published: Oct 2010Transverse road markings as a speed mitigation device may be a cost-effective method of reducing fatal and serious injury crashes as a consequence of speeding on a high-speed hazard approach. As no established marking layouts have been formally applied in New Zealand, investigations into the use and application of transverse road markings have been conducted over 2008 2010. The culmination of...
Research report 428 Trialling pedestrian countdown timers at traffic signals
Published: Dec 2010The overall research objective was to evaluate changes in pedestrian safety and traffic efficiency from installing pedestrian countdown timers. The study analysed pedestrian behaviour and safety before and after the installation of a trial countdown timer at the intersection of Queens Street, Bunny Street and Margaret Street in Lower Hutt in July 2007. The results were compared with the 2006/07...
Research Report 431 The mechanisms and types of non-motor vehicle injuries to pedestrians in the transport system and indicated infrastructure implications
Published: Feb 2011Research carried out in 2008-2010 examined the quantum and causes of non-motor vehicle injuries to pedestrians through a structured interview survey. Pedestrians sustaining injuries in locations away from the road network (eg in parks) were excluded, as the emphasis was on the role of road and footpath features. The highest proportion of trips and falls (34%) was sustained while stepping over a...
Research Report 437 Next generation of rural roads crash prediction models pilot study
Published: Mar 2011The majority of fatal and serious crashes in New Zealand occur on rural two-lane roads. Data on historic crash patterns is not always sufficient to enable a suitable diagnosis of the safety deficiencies of various sections of this rural road network. It also cannot readily identify safety issues on low-volume roads and shorter sections of highway, where the relative scarcity of crashes may...
Research report 442 The effect of better road delineation: a new method of assessment
Published: Apr 2011In this research project, the innovative 'hands-on' method, first developed by Walton and Thomas in 2005, was tested in its ability to evaluate the effects of improved road delineation on driver behaviour. The method uses hand positions on the steering wheel as an indicator of drivers' perceived risk, with drivers being more likely to place both their hands on the top half of the...
Research report 465 Investigation into the use of point-to-point speed cameras
Published: Dec 2011Road safety is an issue that impacts on all levels of government and population. Since a high of 843 fatalities in 1973 the overall crash rate has been declining and 384 fatalities were recorded on New Zealand roads in 2009. Although this represents a significant reduction in casualties, there is still a need to reduce the current rate of about one fatality per day.
Lessening the...
Research report 476 Improved multi-lane roundabout designs for urban areas
Published: May 2012This research, undertaken 2008-2010, investigated the comparative safety of multi-lane roundabouts versus signalised intersections, pedestrian facilities, vertical deflection devices and visibility to the right. Guidance for practical application of the relevant measures to enhance roundabout safety has been developed and is included in this document. The Dutch turbo-roundabout was reviewed...
Research Report 477 Modelling crash risk on the New Zealand state highway network
Published: Mar 2012This report presents an updated statistical analysis of data relating to crash rates on New Zealand roads. The research was carried out during 2007-2009 and it precedes the changes in 2010 to the New Zealand T10 specification. The refinements presented are associated with accounting for differences between the local and the general (ie design) speed environment, crash severity and interactions...
Research report 478 Improved effectiveness and innovation for audio tactile profiled roadmarkings
Published: 01 Mar 2012The research identified how the physical noise and vibration generated by traversing ATP roadmarkings was influenced by the properties of the roadmarkings, such as their height, width and pitch, as well as by other factors, such as vehicle speed. The research established the relationship of human response to the noise and vibration generated. The physical effects of traversing ATP roadmarkings...
