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Tag Archives: road safety
Article share: Applying the New Traffic Safety Paradigm
Here is a quick share of an article on traffic safety from Todd Litman of the Victoria Transport Policy Institute. Source: Applying the New Traffic Safety Paradigm
In the article, the author discusses the use of ‘exposure’ as a measure of risk in as far as safety is concerned. The variable ‘vehicle miles traveled’ or in our case ‘vehicle kilometers traveled’ may be considered a risk factor. That is, higher or more VMT or VKT may lead to more crashes and casualties (and additionally damage to property). The objective is to reduce VMT or VKT in order to improve traffic safety.
To quote from the article:
“The new traffic safety paradigm recognizes the additional risk resulting from increases in low-risk vehicle travel and so favors strategies that reduce total vehicle-miles such as improved public transit services with free service for students, efficient school parking pricing to discourage driving, and more compact communities that reduce distances between homes and schools. In addition to reducing traffic risk these strategies also reduce household costs, traffic congestion and pollution problems making them win-win solutions. “
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Article share: Planners’ Complicity in Excessive Traffic Deaths
Here is a recent article on safety and the involvement on traffic engineers from Todd Litman:
Source: Planners’ Complicity in Excessive Traffic Deaths
Let me note here about the interchangeability of the terms ‘traffic engineer’, ‘transportation engineer’ and ‘planner’. This is important to contextualize who is actually complicit or involved or responsible particularly in the Philippine setting. Too often and too quickly, traffic engineers or even civil engineers (in general) are blamed for traffic deaths or flaws in road designs. Disregarded is the fact that, as the article mentions, of the two major elements of travel – distance and speed – distance is often determined by the plans and designs of non-engineers. These are planners, or to be accurate land use planners, many of whom are architects by profession. We also want to differentiate between traffic engineers and highway engineers, who in the Philippine setting are actually quite different. One common thing about many of them is that they are slow to adopt progressive ideas or concepts of road planning and design such as complete streets and road diets. The outcome of this stubbornness is the specter of road crashes that lead to fatalities and serious injuries. But then they are not solely to blame or who should take responsibility for the atrocious road safety situation. The ‘distance’ component of travel is very much a product of land use planning and land development as practiced in our country. For many if not most developments, architects and planners are the ones who call the shots for the roads and transportation in the proposals. Traffic engineers are involved later and if not progressive complicates the situation regarding safety. Thankfully, some local government units are becoming progressive and are more mindful of development proposals including implications to road safety. Hopefully, many things will change among those involved so we can improve travel safety.
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On the impact of bike lanes on motor vehicle traffic
With the news that bike lanes will be removed along major roads including, most recently, I share some findings from the US about a decrease in traffic speeds when there are protected bike lanes. The decrease in speeds are associated with a reduction in road crashes, ergo safer streets.
McPherson, K. (June 3, 2024) “Traffic Speeds Decrease When Bike Lane is Present,” Rutgers.edu, https://www.rutgers.edu/news/traffic-speeds-decrease-when-bike-lane-present [Last accessed: 6/8/2024]
To quote from the article:
“They found that the presence of the delineated bike lane made a difference: a 28 percent reduction in average maximum speeds and a 21 percent decrease in average speeds for vehicles turning right. For those heading straight and not turning, a smaller speed reduction of 8 percent was observed. In addition, drivers moving at a perpendicular angle to the bike lane did not slow down.
Marking the bike lanes with cones as a clearly delineated space was more effective at reducing speed than a painted-only bike lane. The painted-only bike lane was associated with a smaller speed reduction of between 11 percent and 15 percent, but only for drivers turning right.
Younes hypothesized that drivers slow down when they see a bike lane marked with the cones because the driving lane is narrower and requires more concentration, and it’s easier to notice cones or planters or some other space delineator than it is to spot painted lines on the road surface.”
Of course, one major element that was probably not considered in their studies is the presence and behavior of motorcycle riders. Motorcycles here frequently enter and use bike lanes whether protected or not. Often they crowd out bicycle users leading to situations where riders of motorized and non-motorized 2-wheelers come into conflict. Still, it would be nice to have a study to determine not just whether there are similar outcomes here but to what extent as well as how motorcycles figure in the study.
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Safety or speed?
We start June by sharing a video on why safety and vehicle speed are incompatible:
I saw this video while browsing an article on “Dangerous by Design”. The article discusses a new publication where road designs are evaluated from the perspective of safety. Most of our roads have been designed with speed in mind. That is, how to facilitate the movement of motor vehicles to ensure they travel faster. Forgotten or, even worse, disregarded is the most important element of safety. Why do we widen roads or insist on higher speeds in populated areas or school zones? Such questions are not addressed directly or not answered at all by agencies in charge of planning, designing, constructing and maintaining roads and bridges. The same is true for agencies or units in charge of traffic regulations or management. The result not surprisingly is an increase in the number of road crashes, fatalities and injuries due to our roads being ‘dangerous by design’.
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On non-roadway traffic deaths and incidents
I found this interesting article about non-roadway crashes or incidents that may cause deaths. These are often recorded in buildings including parking lots or facilities but are not generally collected and reported by governments as part of road crash data.
Wilson, K. (April 18, 2024) “Why Does the Vision Zero Movement Stop At the Edge of the Road?,” Streetsblog USA, https://usa.streetsblog.org/2024/04/18/why-does-the-vision-zero-movement-stop-at-the-edge-of-the-road [Last accessed: 4/28/2024]
From the article:
“According to the latest report from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, a shocking 3,990 people died in car crashes that occurred outside of the traditional transportation space in 2021, the last year for which data is available. One-quarter of those people were outside vehicles, including, pedestrians, cyclists, wheelchair users, and even children simply wishing their parents goodbye before they were accidentally run over by the caregivers who loved them most; all lost their lives after they were struck by drivers on private property, like parking lots, driveways, drive-thrus, and private roads.”
These crashes very likely contribute to under-reporting. One wonders, for example, how many incidents occur in mall parking lots, schools and subdivisions. Recall the incident in Ateneo years ago when a child got ran over and killed as students were being dropped off in the morning. Surely there are other incidents though not involving deaths, and these need to be recorded among traffic incidents. The deaths need to be included in the reports. These are important information to complete the picture of road traffic safety in any country including the Philippines.
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A risky mode choice – recumbent bike
I spotted this cyclist along Ortigas Avenue Extension. He would be hard to notice considering how low the vehicle is and his position astride the bicycle.
Man on a recumbent bike probably on his daily commute. Note the bike and its rider as compared with the small truck.
The problem is concerning his visibility to regular or typical road users. He might not be visible for the larger vehicles like trucks and buses, even jeepneys and vans whose drivers may be distracted by other vehicles in the traffic mix.
Comparison with a typical cyclist, who is quite visible as shown in the photo
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On kamote riders
Much has been written and reported about the so-called ‘kamote’ riders. These are motorcyclists who have the propensity for risky behavior including reckless maneuvers on the road. Such often places them in harm’s way whether they are conscious about the actions or not. I see them everyday during my commutes including but not limited to those who counterflow, speed, race, zig-zag through moving traffic, and use the bicycle lanes or pedestrian sidewalks.
The not so obvious kamote rider positioning himself at the downspout of a concrete mixer.
Not all motorcycle riders are kamote. However, there is a significant number of them out there that put other road users in risky situations. They also contribute to a lot of damage to property as evidenced by a lot of vehicles, especially cars, that have the signature scratches, dinks and dents after being sideswiped or bumped by motorcycles. Such behavior can actually be corrected if the Land Transportation Office (LTO) would be stricter with licensing – requiring more in terms of rider training and certification as well as testing. Traffic law enforcement is also critical here because behavior change can only be done and effective if enforcers are firm. A friend made the observation that law enforcers themselves are the first to violate rules and regulations or bend them in their favor. That sends a wrong signal and would only encourage more ‘pasaway’ and ‘kamote’ riders.
Of course, there are also kamote drivers and cyclists. But those are the topics for future posts.
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Lower speed limits may not slow drivers, a before-and-after study shows
I am sharing this article on drivers not reducing their speeds after speed limits have been lowered along certain roads. My first reaction after reading the article is that it is that perhaps in the US case, the after study was conducted quite early and before people have become aware, understood and adjusted to the lower speed limits. The responses or reactions to lower speed limits (particularly those posted or on signs) may vary among cities and countries. In the Philippines, where drivers and riders appear to be oblivious to speed limits, other interventions may be required including some types of traffic calming devices. This is very much a concern particularly in school zones where children are exposed to the risks of being run over by motor vehicles speeding along the roads and not minding the speed limits in the area.
Here is the Research report:
Source: Lower speed limits may not slow drivers, a before-and-after study shows
Article share: on using optical narrowing to make streets safer
I’m sharing this interesting article on the concept and application of optical narrowing to improve road safety:
Erfurt, E. (September 15, 2023) “How to Use Optical Narrowing to Make a Street Safer,” Strong Towns, https://www.strongtowns.org/journal/2023/9/15/how-to-use-optical-narrowing-to-make-a-street-safer?fbclid=IwAR147sLmkMBwStj51FR1ehNcVsi1YpN70etrpGOwv9DHL4ZhJIDLzP8cb1s [Last accessed: 3/14/2024]
To quote from the article:
“We all perceive the world around us through visual reference points. As we look around, we are next to the wall, or across the street from the bank—in other words, we position ourselves relative to what we see. This is even more apparent when we are driving: you may perceive yourself as behind another car, or between the lines on the road.
Drivers make decisions based on these visual cues. If things are further away, we are more inclined to speed up. The auto industry has marketed this as the “freedom of the open road,” and the visual of a wide open road is paired with the acceleration of the car. If no one is near and all the fixed objects, such as curbs and buildings, are far away, then the perception is that we have less risk and we throw caution to the wind.
If things are closer, we are more inclined to slow down. Our natural inclination is caution and possibly a little bit a fear that we may hit something. When you drive on a street where the lanes are a little narrower, or the buildings are at the back of the sidewalk, our reference points become closer. We have to focus, and in an abundance of caution we drive slower. The perspective is that we have more risk, and we pay more attention to counter that risk.”
This would be a good quick reference to planners and engineers who are involved in road safety, particularly in applying complete streets concepts to reduce the risk of crashes along streets.
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Speed limits and danger zones for trucks
Saw these signs at the back of a long truck as we were stopped before an intersection. One states the speed limits for these vehicles along different roads while the other is a warning sign for other road users especially those who might be less visible when the truck maneuvers (e.g., motorcycle riders, cyclists).
These are important information and fair warning to other road users. However, I think the signs should be bigger to be more visible or conspicuous. You have to be close to the truck for one to read and understand what the signs were. It might be too late by the time one figures out what the warning was about. I’ve read somewhere about people trying to debunk or play down these danger zones for trucks. That is bad opinion and puts drivers and riders heeding it in harm’s way. I think we should always go for what is on the safe side rather than risk being hit by these trucks.
Such information should be part of driver and rider education and perhaps education in general. While these large vehicles pose risks to other road users, they also play an important role particularly for logistics.
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Caught (up) in traffic 