Working near traffic: Work zone end of queue study
This project aims to reduce the frequency and/or occurrence/severity of injuries to people involved in end of queue crashes at road worksites and increase overall safety for staff and public within these worksites through the testing of different traffic control measures.
Specifically, the project will develop an evidence base to understand which traffic control measures are most effective in reducing the frequency/occurrence/severity of injuries at end of queue road worksites. Findings of this project will provide valuable insights for making roadwork sites safer for motorists and road workers.
Participants
Project background
Roadworks pose significant risks to roadworkers and motorists alike. While the risks are recognised by agencies involved in road construction and maintenance activities, significant work is needed to develop strategies to mitigate these risks at Australian roadwork sites.
Existing research from Australia and international jurisdictions show that rear end crashes at advance warning areas, particularly at end of queue situations, are one of the major types of crashes at roadwork sites.
As the end of queue locations can vary depending on traffic volumes and number of vehicles stopped in a queue, researchers and practitioners have developed, tested, and evaluated a range of treatment options.
While the findings obtained from the literature will provide useful information on the controls and treatment options to mitigate the risks at end of queue situations, it is important to examine the effectiveness of the controls and treatments by considering local conditions, road user behaviour, and practices around roadwork traffic control setups.
Such context-specific understanding and field trials will help to identify the most appropriate controls to reduce the end of queue crashes and their severity outcomes. As opposed to using anecdotal information about the effectiveness of controls and treatments, field trials done on NSW roads will also provide an evidence base to develop policies and practices for safer design and management of roadwork sites in NSW.
Project objectives
The main objective of the project is to reduce the frequency and/or occurrence/severity of injuries to people involved in end of queue crashes at road worksites and increase overall safety for staff and public within these worksites through the testing of different traffic control measures.
Specifically, the project will address a research question, “Which traffic control measures are most effective in reducing the frequency/occurrence/severity of injuries at end of queue road work sites?”
Please note …
This page will be a living record of this project. As it matures, hits milestones, etc., we’ll continue to add information, links, images, interviews and more. Watch this space!
