Strategies to enhance the level of service and safety of rural roads: A case study

by Qiannan Ai, Jun Zhang, Yuling Ye Faced with the contradiction between the increasing traffic volume and the aging road infrastructures in the rural area, this paper aims to propose feasible strategies to enhance the level of service and safety, by a case study of the rural area in the north Jintan district. In order to figure out current issues related to rural roads, a carefully designed investigation has been conducted, and the results of the two-week investigation include roads’ basic information, traffic signs and protective facilities, surrounding landscape, and etc. Based on the field driving tests, specific problem s including signs category, signs installation and facility maintenance have been fully analyzed. Meanwhile, the problem of roadnet connectivity has also been pointed out through the theory of complex network, and results show that the average node clustering coefficient and shortest path length per form worse than the demonstration plot of other rural districts. For the sake of rural traffic safety and management efficiency, both quantified and qualified strategies have been put forward. The quantified strategies include the regular inspection indicators, the safety sight distance at T-type cr ossings, as well as the risk severity of sections and the crossings. The qualified strategies involve the management of trucks and roadworks, the setting of signalized intersections, and the timely updates of traffic signs and facilities. Finally, an intelligent...
Source: PLoS One - Category: Biomedical Science Authors: Source Type: research