Development of Safety Performance Measures for Urban Roundabouts in India
Publication: Journal of Transportation Engineering
Volume 141, Issue 1
Abstract
Roundabouts, although considered as safe among the various intersection types, have seen an increasing crash rate over the years in India. Geometric design of a roundabout directly influences the driver’s speed adoption and maneuvering behavior, and hence plays a vital role in its safety performance. Application of treatments at roundabouts by altering the geometric design requires careful safety evaluation before actual implementation. The present study identified the crash causes and devised safety performance measures for urban roundabouts located in the state of Kerala, India. Crash prediction models and crash modification factors (CMFs) are developed in this study for the safety assessment of geometric design features of roundabouts. Of the many models tried, the zero-inflated negative binomial regression model is the best model to predict the crash frequency of roundabout approaches. Geometric features of the central island, circulatory roadway, and approach roads are associated with the crash occurrence on roundabout approaches. CMFs are developed by a cross-sectional method and are useful for investigating the relationship between safety and geometric design features of roundabouts.
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Acknowledgments
We would like to express sincere gratitude to the National Institute of Technology Calicut, Ministry of Urban Development and Centre of Excellence in Urban Transport, and Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras for funds and support rendered throughout the research work.
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Published In
Journal of Transportation Engineering
Volume 141 • Issue 1 • January 2015
Copyright
© 2014 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Jun 26, 2013
Accepted: Jun 10, 2014
Published online: Jul 17, 2014
Discussion open until: Dec 17, 2014
Published in print: Jan 1, 2015
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