ROAD SAFETY AUDIT OF A RURAL ROAD

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1 International Journal of Civil Engineering and Technology (IJCIET) Volume 8, Issue 4, April 2017, pp , Article ID: IJCIET_08_04_087 Available online at ISSN Print: and ISSN Online: IAEME Publication Scopus Indexed ROAD SAFETY AUDIT OF A RURAL ROAD N. Naveen Assistant Professor, Aurora s Engineering College, Hyderabad, Telangana, India M. Rajesh, M. Srinivas, Md. Fasioddin B.Tech, Aurora s Engineering College, Hyderabad, Telangana, India ABSTRACT From the actual conditions of rural road accident in our country, it shows that the current rural road safety is facing the grim situation and emphasizes the need of conduct rural road safety audit. This article analyzes the factors effecting safety in rural road accidents from human, vehicle, road, external environment and the other factors, summarizes the connotation and the steps of rural road traffic safety audit. It divides the contents of rural road traffic safety audit into two parts: newly built and rebuilt rural roads & the existing rural road traffic safety audit. Finally, this project aims at these problems existing in implementation process of rural road & proposes the corresponding solutions to support the work of rural road traffic safety audit. Key words: Accident, Environment, Road Safety Audit, Rural Roads, Road Safety. Cite this Article: N. Naveen, M. Rajesh, M. Srinivas, Md. Fasioddin, Road Safety Audit of a Rural Road. International Journal of Civil Engineering and Technology, 8(4), 2017, pp INTRODUCTION India with 1,05,725 fatalities per annum (in year 2006), accounts for about 10 percent of total world s road fatalities. The share of NH and SH in the total road network is just 6 percent but these cater to 70 to 75% of total road traffic in India. However, the NH S, which constitute less than 2% of the total road network, account for 20% of total road accidents and 25% of total road traffic fatalities occurring on Indian roads. The road safety situation in India is worsening. Accidents, fatalities and casualties have been increasing dramatically over last 20 years. A road is considered safe when only a few - or, in the best case, no accident occurs. Each element, constituting many factors within, contribution (in percentage) in the occurrence of accidents is presented in Table editor@iaeme.com

2 Road Safety Audit of a Rural Road Table 1 Percentage-Wise Contribution of Various Elements in Road Accidents Elements Percentage Road User 65.0 Road & Surroundings 2.5 Vehicle 2.5 Road User, Road & Surroundings 24.0 Road User and Vehicle 4.5 Road User, Road & Surroundings and Vehicle 1.5 Road safety audit has the greatest potential for improving safety when it is applied to a road or traffic design before the project is built. Purpose of the audit is to look at the accident potential and safety performance of the proposal. It is a formal process using a defined procedure and not an informal check. To be effective, it must be conducted by persons who have appropriate expertise, experience and training and who are independent of the design team. An audit may also be conducted on an existing road, since it permits hazards to be identified and opportunity becomes available to identify preferred road engineering measures to improve safety. Table 2 The overall accident data from the sources showing the increased rate of accidents. Year Number of accidents Number of persons No of persons killed per 100 accident Fatal(Figures killed Injured Total within brackets give percentage of total) (17.6) (18.1) (18.1) (18.5) (19.0) (20.4) Existing road also can be audited to assess their accident potential. It provides a systematic way of being proactive in reducing the future likelihood of accidents. Report should highlight those problems, which are considered so urgent that they require immediate attention. Issues and problems will vary, depending on the road's environment, the topography and terrain. First Information Reports (FIR) should be collected from the concerned police stations on the identified stretches. The main aim of the road safety audit is to identify and address any road safety issues. The specific purpose of the safety audit study is: To ensure a high level of safety in road project To minimize the accident risk on the road network To promote the safety to all road users editor@iaeme.com

3 N. Naveen, M. Rajesh, M. Srinivas, Md. Fasioddin 2. DATA USED Road safety audit was conducted from place Bhongir to Chityal i.e. (Nalgonda District, India) where the road conditions are known and safety measures to be reported. Figure 1 This road is from Bhongir to Chityal(i.e. two lane road of 3.5m of each lane) which will connect the National Highway no: 9 which is of 45 km from Bhongir to Chityal and the rest of the road is on National Highway no Collection of Previous Accident Data Accident data was collected from the First information reports (FIR) of police stations on the identified stretches. Database was created for analysis of day wise, month wise, year wise, km wise distribution of accidents. This helped in identifying the locations experiencing higher accident frequency. The data acquired from FIR reports are shown below in the tables: S.NO CRIME NO. Table 3 Accident data from Valigonda Police Station, Year 2015 SECTION OF LAW INJURED DEATH PLACE OF ACCIDENT TYPE OF VEHICLE DATE IPC Valigonda main Lorry hits road motor cycle /A 0 1 Edullagudem Lorry hits motor cycle Valigonda Auto hits bike (venkateshwara colony) Edullagudem Car hits boy (pedestrian) ,304/A 1 1 Valigonda Car hits bike Govt. Jr.college /A 0 2 Mamdapuram Truck hits auto Valigonda Lorry hits car editor@iaeme.com

4 Road Safety Audit of a Rural Road S NO CRIME NO. Table 4 Accident data from Valigonda Police Station, Year 2016 SECTION OF LAW INJURED DEATH PLACE OF ACCIDENT TYPE OF VEHICLE DATE Valigonda center Car hits truck , Kammagudem Bike hits tree /A 0 1 Valigonda Auto hits bike Govt. college ,304/A 1 1 Nagaram village Bike hits lorry /A 0 1 Valigonda bus stop Bike hits bike Valigonda main Lorry hit bike centre Nagaram Bike hits auto S.NO CRIME NO. Table 5 Accident data from Ramannapet Police Station, Year 2014 SECTION OF LAW INJURED DEATH PLACE OF ACCIDENT TYPE OF VEHICLE DATE Bogaram lorry hits auto Ramannapet car hits bike /A 0 1 Ramannapet bike hits lorry centre /A 0 2 Ramannapet (ideal) Lorry hits car S.NO CRIME NO. Table 6 Accident data from, Ramannapet Police Station, Year 2015 SECTION OF LAW INJURED DEATH PLACE OF ACCIDENT TYPE OF VEHICLE DATE Ramannapet Truck hits market bike /A 0 1 Ramannapet Lorry hits pedestrian Ramannapet Bike hits bicycle /A 0 1 Ramannapet Scooty hits man /A 0 1 Ramannapet Lorry hits bike /A 0 1 Ramannapet Car hits man Bogaram Car hits bike editor@iaeme.com

5 N. Naveen, M. Rajesh, M. Srinivas, Md. Fasioddin S.NO CRIME NO. Table 7 Accident data, Ramannapet Police Station, Year 2016 SECTION OF LAW INJURED DEATH PLACE OF ACCIDENT TYPE OF VEHICLE DATE Ramannapet RTC bus hits (railway station) man Ramannapet Car hits bike centre Ramannapet Bike hits tree (petrol bunk) /A 0 1 Ramannapet Two bike hits /A 0 1 Ramannapet Bike hits lorry Bogaram Truck hits bus Ramannapet Auto hits bike /A 0 1 Ramannapet Lorry hits bike Ramannapet Bike hits lorry From all the above data, it can be clearly seen that the fatal accident occurs mainly when there is an involvement of heavy vehicles. Mainly the speed of the vehicles at sharp curves is the cause of the accidents and these are acting as a blind spot. Time Table 8 Average Traffic Volume on The Study Area Heavy truck Truck Bus 4-wheeler 3-wheeler 2-wheeler 0-10 min min min min min min min min min min min min Total No. Of Vehicles editor@iaeme.com

6 Road Safety Audit of a Rural Road Figure 2 Graphical Representation of Traffic Volume The above graph shows the number of vehicles counted during the volume count survey. It shows that the rate of 2 wheelers is high when compared to all the vehicles. Then next goes to trucks and other vehicles Identification of Blackspots The procedure for identification of hazardous locations is called as black spots. The procedure described is based on recorded accidents, data about accidents, traffic volumes and vehicle-kilometers. Some images with the specifications of the road are brought out below. These illustrate that safety is influenced by a complex interaction of elements and that the standards do not necessarily result in the safest possible design. Figure 3 Image Shows the Sharp Curve at Nagaram Village With 60 Meters Inner Curve Radius editor@iaeme.com

7 N. Naveen, M. Rajesh, M. Srinivas, Md. Fasioddin Figure 4 Image Shows the Sharp Curve at Valigonda Village With 57 Meters Inner Curve Radius. Figure 5 Image Shows the Sharp Curve at Valigonda Village with 60 Meters Inner Curve Radius and 75 meters outer curve with 6.8 meters width road Figure 6 Image Shows the Sharp Curve at Mamdapuram Village with 70 Meters Inner Curve Radius and 75 meters outer curve with 7 meters width road The sharp bending curves are the major accident causing elements. Here as the curve radius is very less for the fast-moving heavy vehicles, it causes some blind effect for the drivers and they cannot see the coming vehicles from the opposite side. In addition to these due to the centrifugal force the vehicle is thrown out the regular path and making them to use wider area at curves. The road side hazards like tress also the cause for the accidents in these areas editor@iaeme.com

8 Road Safety Audit of a Rural Road 3. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Speed survey of the vehicles is done at these areas to know the spot speed of the vehicles. For this speed of the vehicles during 100-meter area is observed. The following are the observed survey speed of the vehicles: Table 9 Spot speed of vehicles Vehicle type Speed(Km/Hr) Heavy vehicles 45 Trucks 50 Bus/6 wheeler 45 Four-wheeler 68 Three-wheeler 36 Two-wheeler Checklist of This Project for Finding out the Faults and Recommendations The feasibility study has been carried out on existing rural road from Bhongir to Nalgonda which is of 45km.The road is intended to carry high speed traffic. The road consists of mixed traffic which includes bicycles and significant pedestrian traffic. Appropriate design standards have not been used having regards to the scope of the project, and its function in relation to the mixed traffic. Design parameters are not followed correctly. Design for the design volume and traffic characteristic are not suitable. Turning volumes are not safe at available location, in relation to the expected turning volume Cross-Sections The cross-falls are appropriate because the drainage is very good. There a suitable gutter gradient or is the carriageway laid at a suitable height above the shoulder. The requirements on safe distances to carriageway and cycle path been observed and the cycle paths are not present. Breakaway safety devices have been proposed in a proper manner where the accidents are prevented Signs and Markings and Lighting A marking does not consistent along the entire road section in this road. The information is not clear where the signs are present the road markings too. There are no enough signs present in the road due to insufficient of the road signs the accident are occurring. Illumination is very bad in this area, causing the less visibility during night times. This causing the accidents to cattle and pedestrians during night road crossings All traffic signs are not clearly visible and are prominently did not displayed for the intended road users. There are situations where traffic signs themselves are obstructing essential 'Line of Sight' for drivers and pedestrians. All-important junctions are not provided with advance direction sign, distance information sign and intersection sign etc editor@iaeme.com

9 N. Naveen, M. Rajesh, M. Srinivas, Md. Fasioddin Adequacy and visibility of road markings, during day/night time and in wet/ dry weather conditions suitable. The directional arrows are not at all marked on the pavement guiding the driver or creating confusion to the driver Junctions, Interchanges The road users coming from all directions (including side roads) will not be able to see that they are approaching a conflict area. The routes of road users through the junction seem to not clear for all directions and manoeuvres. There is no sufficient space for all types of vehicles to undertake all manoeuvres and the overtaking of the vehicle. The crossing facilities for pedestrians and non-motorised traffic are not adequate and safe. The surface and carriageway markings are not in the good condition for the road users. There are no signs that road users drive over islands or kerbs or that the routes taken by motorists through junctions and bends are less than ideal. The specified distances to rigid obstacles are not maintained for all groups of road Users. Overtaking opportunities are not available for heavy vehicles where volumes are high Roadside Hazards There is a degree of hazard associated with large trees, boulders, etc. and whether these can be treated to improve roadside safety. The trees and other vegetation s obstruct driver and pedestrian sight lines, which are essential for safe traffic operation. Figure 7 Tress Obstructing the View There are thorny bushes by the roadside, whose branches are likely to hurt the passengers occupying the window seat of a vehicle. There is thick growth of vegetation by the roadside enough far back from the edge of the pavement to enable a driver to take protective steps in time if any human or animal should run across the road from behind or within the vegetation. There are village name boards or direction boards by the roadside with pointed ends to hurt a passenger in a bus on window seat. The roadside trees close to edge of berms, which cannot be removed for want of permission of tree authority, been made visible at night and day by white washing/pasting reflective tape on them editor@iaeme.com

10 Road Safety Audit of a Rural Road 4. CONCLUSION Accident causation is very complex and must be understood adequately to improve accident prevention. This paper had given suggestions for a safe road. It showed the road hazards like sharp curves, less widths, inefficient road markings and sign boards. This document has highlighted the problem of road traffic injuries among the general population, apply equal to the policy maker working to cut the volume of road traffic injuries. We would like to say that road safety is not a topic to be taken lightly. The important thing is to stay alert at all the times while using the roads we must know that what is happening around us in what way we can take necessary action to avoid danger. High priority must be given in identification and rectification of black spots. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The authors to thank all the people who helped us in completing this study, especially we like to thank the Telangana police department who had given the information about the recent accidents in the study area. REFERENCES [1] Manual on Road Safety Audit, Indian Road Congress 2010, IRC: SP: [2] Highway Engineering by SK.Khanna, C.E.G. Just O, A. Veeraragavan. Revised 10th Edition Nem Chand & Bros., Roorkee, India. [3] Highway Engineeing by Kadiyali, Khanna Publicaction, New Delhi. [4] International Course on Transportation Planning and Road Safety Audit, IIT Delhi, India [5] Department of Civil Engineering & Transportation Research and Injury Prevention Program (TRIPP) Indian Institute of Technology Delhi New Delhi, India. [6] Road Safety Audit of BRTS Corridor at Pune, Transportation Systems Engineering, Group, Department of Civil Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Powai, Mumbai editor@iaeme.com