ESTIMATION OF THE EFFECTIVENESS OF SPIRAL MARKINGS AT RING ROAD INTERSECTIONS
V. I. Rassokha
Orenburg State University, Orenburg, Russia
e-mail: cabin2012@yandex.ru
N. A. Nikitin
Immanuel Kant Baltic Federal University, Kaliningrad, Russia
e-mail: NiNikitin@kantiana.ru
Abstract. The results of a number of foreign studies recommend the application of spiral markings to ensure a higher level of safety at roundabouts of medium and large diameter highways. In a number of cities of the Russian Federation, these recommendations were implemented with the introduction of new traffic management schemes using spiral marking of traffic lanes. However, there is no objective data confirming the effectiveness of these measures in Russia. The aim of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness of spiral markings according to two criteria – the number of road accidents and traffic violations at roundabouts before and after the reorganization of traffic. The information was obtained from the traffic police and from video surveillance of individual sections of roundabouts. As a result of the study: 1) the hypothesis of a decrease in the number of accidents and the assertion that new traffic management schemes (spiral markings) by themselves provide greater traffic safety at roundabouts are refuted; 2) it is revealed that drivers tend to violate the requirements of spiral markings, which increases the likelihood of accidents; 3) it is concluded that new traffic management schemes can have a positive impact on road safety only when engineering measures are implemented to physically separate traffic flows on the ring roadway and reduce the speed of vehicles at the entrances and exits of roundabouts. The results of the work revealed promising areas for further research: to study the relationship between the trajectory of vehicles, their location from the point of view of certain intersection sites, spiral markings, characteristics of traffic flow (speed, density, congestion, flow composition), as well as weather condi¬tions. The identification of such links will allow us to evaluate the effectiveness of spiral marking and draw conclusions about the expediency of its further use at roundabouts in the territory of the Russian Federation.
Key words: highway, roundabout, spiral marking, traffic accident.
Cite as: Rassokha, V. I., Nikitin, N. A. (2023) [Estimation of the effectiveness of spiral markings at ring road intersections]. Intellekt. Innovacii. Investicii [Intellect. Innovations. Investments]. Vol. 2, pp. 130–141, https://doi.org/10.25198/2077-7175-2023-2-130.
