Final Report March 2000

Creation of Safe Road Traffic Environment

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Creation of Safe Road Traffic Environment

The safe arrangement of road facilities is essential to reduce traffic accidents. The chronic black spots for traffic accidents should be selected on the basis of the accident data accumulated over time.

Then, these spots could be classified by accident causes. On the basis of this data, the establishment of traffic accident database is essential and remedies should be implemented based on scientific analysis. Traffic safety facilities need to be arranged and complemented. To slow down speed, anti-slip facilities and speed humps are required, and traffic signal and safety signs should be installed.

Build-ups of guard rails, concrete barriers and crash cushions are to be pursued in an adequate space for the purpose of easing a collision shock and preventing falls.

The administration of the traffic facilities has to be effective. For instance, the TSM(Transportation System Management) methods could be applied through the transformation of geometric structures at the intersection and for signal operations, which might result in the smooth traffic flow and security. Additionally, it could be practiced into the road safety counter-measure against the night time or bad weather accidents. Investment in the traffic safety facilities is to be expanded. In particular, the investment relating to the road traffic safety has to be enlarged with consideration of the importance of individual road investment businesses. In this regard, the funding burden put on the regional self-governing body should be shared with the central government.

Enhancement of the Safety Administration

The safety related administration should be strengthened. The attachment of tacometer to commercial vehicles ought to be mandatory and the installation of speedometers in large-size vehicles and freight vehicles should be expanded. To enforce the monitoring on large-sized vehicles, the standard has to be strict in attaching the rear safety valve and ABS to the freight vehicle. To enhance the safety of vehicle, it should be mandatory to install the air bag and child seat. It is also needed to complement the auto capacity test and investigation facilities, and it is crucial to improve the auto repair system and capabilities, too

Enforcement of Traffic Safety Regulation to Protect Pedestrians
A safety zone for children is needed to be under the careful management as a special zone for traffic safety. If available, the enlargement of the safety zone is desirable and then the limitation of vehicle speed in the safety zone to 20-30 km per hour should be strengthened. Rigid punishment should be enforced in case of the traffic violation and occurrence of accident in the safety zone.
In this context, the disabled and the old have to be considered by the improvement and creation of the safety facilities. Numerous measures such as bumpy leading footpath, sound signal, anti-slip bump and a smooth inclining road should be taken at under- and overpasses. In the two-way roads accommodating both pedestrians and vehicles, speed limit should be restricted. More specifically, the highest speed should be limited to 40km or less per hour. Simultaneously, the speed limit sign has to be magnified in two-way road areas. Bicycle lanes should be provided to ensure safe passing space.

Improvement of the Ex Post Facto Settlement of Traffic Accident

A reasonable investigation procedure has to be applied to traffic accidents. To make it possible, traffic-related education should be provided to the police. Investigation agents should be specially trained. To guarantee fairness in managing traffic accidents, a re-investigation system has to be established. First of all, the scientific analysis on the causes of a traffic accident is to be built up. Investigation methods have to be reformed to include detailed and advanced techniques. To this end, ‘the Center for the Traffic Accident Analysis’ should be established to professionally investigate traffic accidents, train investigation agents and manage traffic accident data. Researches regarding traffic safety should be encouraged.

Improving the emergency relief system is important for reducing fatalities from the accident. To reinforce the reporting system of a traffic accident, more emergency telephones should be installed in larger areas and comprehensive emergency rescue system should be settled down. In this sense, special physicians for patients needing emergency treatment are to be supplemented with medical experts who are willing to deal with emergency care. Social welfare for the accident-bereaved family should be considered.

Improvement of Other Traffic Safety-related System

The driver’s license system needs to be reformed. For example, contents related to traffic safety should be included in the written test for driver’s license. The formal driver’s license should be distributed after passing the driver’s license test on the condition that actual road training is completed. The discipline on traffic safety in transport businesses should be strengthened. In an individual company, the reward and punishment should be made in parallel with the accomplishment of traffic safety targets set to reduce traffic accidents. Much emphasis should be put on the analysis of vehicle safety and the improvement of working conditions for employees may be necessary.

Practical Targets of Highway Safety
Targets to enhance the safety of road traffic should be practical so that they could be implemented and achieved. The followings are the typical ones of practical targets of highway safety for the effective reduction of traffic accidents.
- Intensified speed limit control (e.g. intensified crackdown on speed limit violation)

- Obligatory wearing of seat-belts for drivers

- Regulation for the safety of bicycles and riders (e.g. obligatory wearing of helmet)

- Traffic safety for children (e.g. safeguard for children)

- Traffic safety for school districts

- Prevention against traffic accident for large freight vehicles

- Intensified crackdown on drunken driving

- Prevention of fatigue driving

- Prevention against traffic accidents on railroad crossings

- Infrastructure and TSM improvements in the areas where traffic accidents frequently occur

It is difficult to weigh the effect of each of these targets. However, it is obvious that accomplishment of each of them will result in securing a safe traffic environment.

9.3 Case Study 1: TDM for Vehicle Emission Reduction in USA

9.3.1. Background and Contents

The U.S.A has been developing and applying new policies on the TCM(Transportation Control Measure). Among the TCM, TDM(Travel Demand Management) measures have been investigated since the 1980s with the emerging importance of demand-side policies. Along with this management, TSM(Transportation System Management) policies has encouraged the carpool and public transport as short-term goals, which sought to achieve efficiency of the use of existing roads with low costs. From the 1980s, the background of the emergence of TDM was the fact that the limitation of the traditional supply-oriented approach was recognized as leading to inadequate road infrastructure and environmental problems including air pollution.

The TDM has settled down as a main policy governed by a set of regulations: TCM based on CAAA(Clean Air Act Amendment) in 1990, SIP(State Improvement Program) designed to accomplish the environment standard, ISTEA(Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act) established in 1991.
Most of all, the purpose of TDM can be said to the reduction of SOV(Single Occupancy Vehicle) during the peak hours. The specified policies are considering in regards to the encouragement of carpool, the preferential right of HOV, inflow lamp, the accommodation of parking lot, the provision of carpool vehicle, a toll parking place for employees, and other measures. In particular, TDM was transformed into a feasible policy, previously criticized in the CAAA policy. CAAA demanded concrete and systematic procedures for adopting and enforcing its plan to the areas which lacked adequate procedures. In case of not observing the request mentioned above, the funding support for road projects is sure to be cut down. In 1991, TDM was emerged as a main pillar to prevent traffic congestion and reduce air pollution since the US DOT accepted CMAQ(Congestion Mitigation Air Quality) as the one of the 5 projects in the ISTEA.

Important Articles of ISTEA and CAAA

1. ISTEA in 1991

(1) CMAQ
Monetary resources for projects to accomplish the adequate degree of air quality

By the year of 1997, the total amount reaches to total $6 billion.

(2) Requisites for the congestion management measures.

TCM should include a congestion management

2. CAAA in 1990

(1) Punishment

Federal funding may be halted if TCM to improve the air quality is excluded in the SIP.

(2) Conformity

Immediate enforcement has to be driven in accordance with the law of ISTEA and CAAA

The policy of improving the environment is to be operated by the state government which establishes SIP(State Improvement Program). In particular, EPA(Environmental Protection Agency) has proposed 16 items of TCM on the issue of vehicle transport. It has also imposed severe conditions and time schedules to encourage the policy on the unqualified areas depending on the pollutants – ozone, carbon monoxide (the division of 38 moderate areas, 3 serious areas) - and particulates(the division of Moderate and Serious areas). The detailed articles includes the restriction of total gas mileage, the reduction of employee’s trucks and the control of large-sized vehicle during peak hours.

Transportation Policy of Improving the Air Quality in the USA

Main Contents of the Policies

The active usage of carpool and public transport

Introduction of home office, flex system, compressed work hour, changing work hour

Recommendation of coordinated traffic organization for metropolitan area such as TMA(Transport Management Association), taxation support

Improvement of system and service such as the improvement of fair system and punctuality

Improvement of traffic signal control at the intersection, the expansion and improvement of intersections/roads, the traffic regulation

Preferential rights of HOV in fare system, additional duties, parking restriction, etc.

Recommendation of bicycle use

Regulation for truck passing

Planning and designing the land-use/transportation

Regulation of idling circulation of bus/truck

According to a recent report from the USA Government, TDM for air quality improvement has caused the decrease of vehicle traffics, but in terms of the air quality, only around 5% of hydrocarbon(HC) and carbon monoxide(CO) has been decreased.

TDM is effective for local problems like traffic congestion, but for the air quality improvement, renewal maintenance of vehicles and improvement of fuels are necessary and a serious examination of its cost and benefit is required. This indicates that TDM’s effect in US society, where substitute means of transportation are limited, needs to be evaluated with great care.

Reduction of Pollutants by Transportation Control Measures in the USA
Unit: %

Presumptive Data

Reduction of HC

Reduction of CO

1. 1992. GAO’s Research

0-3

0-3

2. 1992. Federal Road

Administration

2-5

2-5

3. 1991/92. California

- Southern Area

4.0

10.8

- San Diego

4.1

-

- Virginia

2.1

5.4

Source: U.S. General Accounting Office, Reducing Vehicle Emission with Transportation Control Measures, August 1993.

9.3.2. Technical Policy Measures for TDM
Employer Trip Reduction (ETR)
ETR program means that the state or local government’s regulations are designed to make an employer of a certain number of employees encourage them to change from driving alone desirably to carpool or public transport . The general features of the ETR are subsidy for public transport or vanpool use, parking priority for carpool vehicles, support for bicycling, etc. An imposition of parking fees for general driving-alone cars constitutes an important condition of the ETR program, but employers do not pay much attention to the strategies like this. Employers should encourage workers to change their commuting pattern. The Regulation 15 in the South Coast Air Quality Management District of California is the best example of the ETR program. A recent analysis of the U.S. DOT for 22 sample companies put the result of the reduction of cars by comprehensive package in each unit at above 20%, which is higher than expected.
Area-wide Ridesharing
Area-wide ridesharing program offers information on carpool schemes and related ones, aiming to encourage the use of full cars. The scheme for encouraging carpooling was first put into practice in 1970s when the energy crisis broke out. Usually it is managed by local government or non-profit contractor. In case that a non-profit contractor runs the program, it is general that the local government offers financial support in order to encourage carpooling and to induce workers to ridesharing. The Commuter Transportation Service of the Southern California is well-known for an area-wide ridesharing program. Other similar programs have been tried in many areas in the U.S.
Transit Improvement
Transit improvement is one of the oldest forms of TCM. Since the government’s financial support for mass transportation began in early 1950s, the government’s pay for transportation cost has been justified. This has been so because it was thought that quality transit service would reduce the car usage, and financial support would be needed in order to realize it. Improvement of transit service is initiated by local government usually. Sometimes it needs financial supports from the state or even federal government. In fact, the transit service is made up of bus, subway and others, not by a single mode. For the investment of a mode for improving the LOS, the past investment, expected ridership, highway traffics, etc. are considered.
HOV lanes
HOV(High Occupancy Vehicle) lanes are the facilities that were devised to coax people out of the driving alone. They are the lanes of the highways applied only to bus and carpool vehicles occupying above a certain scale. For example, many HOV plans require cars with at least 3 persons. The appeal of HOV lanes is that drivers of HOV can run faster in the peak hours of traffic jam. In principle, it is general that HOV lanes should be newly constructed and offered, there may be a strong resistance from drivers in case it takes one lane in existing roads. Because of the need for actual road investment, the state government takes charge of the program with support of the federal government.
Park & Ride
Park & ride facilities are parking areas near a transit station, and are generally located in the areas from which access for mass transportation is convenient. Like HOV lanes, park and ride is offered to driving-alone commuters to help them change to mass transportation or carpool system. In TCM, park & ride also functions as a support device to encourage people to use mass transportation and HOV. Generally, park & ride is constructed on existing land and handled by the institution in charge of mass transportation or the government.
Bicycle and Pedestrian Facilities
Bicycle and pedestrian facilities are loosely defined areas of TCM. Generally it means the provision of roads and related facilities that pedestrians and bicycle users can use without being hindered by the flows of other vehicles. It also includes a bicycle storage and related facilities near workplace. Eventually those facilities are to enhance the safety of pedestrians and bicycle users. The facilities are not many in the U.S., but is expected to increase in compliance with ISTEA’s scale.
Parking Pricing
In most cases, it is general that vehicles for commuting to workplace are allowed to park free of charge. However, the new scheme is designed to restrict the use of cars through charging fees in such free parking areas for commuting vehicles.
Congestion Pricing
It is rare that congestion pricing is actually applied to roads in the U.S. But, many policy makers and economists have recommended application of the scheme as a method to change transport modes and alleviate traffic congestion during peak hours. In general, higher charges are imposed on the use of roads during congestion hours in order to reduce the traffics. In several cities, different rates have been charged for congested peak hours and off-peak hours. Main feature of congestion pricing is that the charge rate varies according to travel demand. If the travel demand drops by a certain limit of level or there is no traffic congestion, no charge is to be imposed. To run the scheme effectively, the charge should be set above a certain level which discourages the use of vehicles considerably. The San Francisco Bay area obtained the approval for one of the five congestion pricing plans from ISTEA, and the other four plans are pending.
Compressed Work Week
Compressed work week scheme is designed to extend work hours in a day to reduce traffic congestion during peak hours. The most frequently applied method is 4/40, which is four- day work for 10hours a day, and 9/80, nine-day work for 80hours in total in two weeks. However, reducing effect of traffic circulation during weekdays will be partly or completely offset by additional traffic increase during weekends. Employers are encouraged to voluntarily choose such schemes. Whether they will comply with the decision or not entirely depends on the employers.
Telecommuting
Telecommuting is designed to allow workers to work at home during a certain period of time so that their commuting time can be saved. Whether the scheme will be implemented or not will entirely depend on business firms, and it can be applied well to the workers in the field of information and analysis workers who can perform their duties without coworkers’ help. In general, they shall work at home one or 2 days a week and work at their workplaces for the rest of the working days.