WP2 - Review of Speed Management Methods (UNIFI)

The objective of the WP is to produce a state of the art report identifying the different criteria adopted worldwide for setting and controlling speed in work zones. This objective will be achieved by means of an extensive literature review that will cover the following issues:

• Guidelines and criteria adopted in the different European countries and in countries outside Europe (e.g. USA, Canada, Australia etc.) for setting the most appropriate speed in work zones depending on the design scheme;
• methods used to manage and control the speed of vehicles in road works zones in the different European countries and whether they are effective or not.
• Enforcement strategies like “graduated fixed penalties” at road works zones with more severe penalties for exceeding the speed limit through road works compared to the same speed limit at a non-road works location.

For each issue the experience in the different European countries, in the USA, in Canada and other relevant experiences will be reviewed and synthesized to identify potential advantages and disadvantages related to each speed control method identified. For each method a specific part of the activity will be devoted to identifying the effectiveness/possible drawbacks in terms of:

• If the design scheme or speed control system is effective in reducing driving speed through the work zone;
• If the speed control method is effective or not at minimizing the number of road worker and road user personal injury accidents at road works;
• If the speed control method can lead to increased risks to road workers.
• The result of WP2 will allow for the identification of the most promising speed control methods that will then be studied in detail in WP3.

European Guideline Identified:

The figure shows the European countries where standards and guidelines have been retrieved (green) or are in the process (yellow). Additional information has been retrieved from the USA, Australia, and Canada.