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Shoulder Rumble Strips and Bicyclists

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FHWA-NJ-2002-020 SHOULDER RUMBLE STRIPS AND BICYCLISTS FINAL REPORT JUNE, 2007 Submitted by Dr. Janice Daniel National Center for Transportation and Industrial Productivity New Jersey Institute of Technology NJDOT Research Project Manager Karl Brodtman In cooperation with New Jersey Department of Transportation Bureau of Research and U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration DISCLAIMER STATEMENT The contents of this report reflects the views of the authors who are responsible for the facts and the accuracy of the data presented herein. The contents do not necessarily reflect the official views or policies of the New Jersey Department of Transportation or the Federal Highway Administration. This report does not constitute a standard, specification, or regulation. 1. Report No. 2. Government Accession No. 3. Recipient’s Catalog No. FHWA–NJ–2002–020 4. Title and Subtitle 5. Report Date Shoulder Rumble Strips and Bicyclists June, 2007 6. Performing Organization Code NCTIP 7. Author(s) 8. Performing Organization Report No. Janice Daniel, Ph.D. 9. Performing Organization Name and Address 10. Work Unit No. National Center for Transportation and Industrial Productivity New Jersey Institute of Technology 11. Contract or Grant No. University Heights Newark, NJ 07102-1982 NCTIP – 38 12. Sponsoring Agency Name and Address 13. Type of Report and Period Covered N.J. Department of Transportation U.S. Department of Transportation Final Report 1035 Parkway Avenue Federal Highway Administration 14. Sponsoring Agency Code P.O. Box 600 Washington, DC Trenton, NJ 08625-0600 15. Supplementary Notes 16. Abstract This report provides a comprehensive review of existing research on the safety impacts of rumble strips to bicycles. Introduced in the early 1950s, shoulder rumble strips (SRS) have been extensively used as a countermeasure to single-vehicle run-off-the-road (ROR) accidents on freeways caused by driver inattention. Placed in the shoulder of a roadway, SRS provide motorists with both audible and tactile warning that the vehicle has left the roadway. Shoulder rumble strips have primarily been used on limited access roadways. The effectiveness of this treatment, however, has led to the consideration of using shoulder rumble strips for implementation on non-freeway roadways. There are concerns, however, that shoulder rumble strips may pose safety concerns to bicyclists using the shoulder as a bicycle path. Of concern is the potential for loss of control if the bicyclist strikes a rumble strip. Existing research on shoulder rumble strip design and placement may provide some guidelines for New Jersey in its design and placement of shoulder rumble strips. 17. Key Words 18. Distribution Statement Shoulder, Bicycle, Safety . 19. Security Classification (of this report) 20. Security Classification (of this page) 21. No of Pages 22. Price Unclassified Unclassified 77 Acknowledgements The research presented in this report was performed with the assistance of several graduate students including: Renu Chhonkar and Susan Herman. ii Table of Contents EXECUTIVE SUMMARY.................................................................................................vi INTRODUCTION............................................................................................................. 1 Background ................................................................................................................. 1 Problem Statement...................................................................................................... 1 Objectives.................................................................................................................... 2 Organization ................................................................................................................ 2 DESIGN AND PLACEMENT OF F SHOULDER RUMBLE STRIPS ............................... 4 Types of Rumble Strips ............................................................................................... 4 Milled Rumble Strips ................................................................................................ 5 Rolled Rumble Strips ............................................................................................... 6 Formed or Corrugated Rumble Strips ...................................................................... 6 Raised Rumble Strips .............................................................................................. 6 Noise Levels ................................................................................................................ 7 Continuous Shoulder Rumble Strips............................................................................ 8 Intermittent Shoulder Rumble Strips............................................................................ 9 Travelway Offset........................................................................................................ 10 Placement Considerations......................................................................................... 12 Area Type .............................................................................................................. 12 Pavement Condition............................................................................................... 12 Bicycle Volumes..................................................................................................... 14 Roadway Volume................................................................................................... 15 CRASH ANALYSIS STUDIES....................................................................................... 16 Overview of Crash Analysis Studies.......................................................................... 16 Driver Fatigue ............................................................................................................ 16 New Jersey Run-Off-Road Accident Study................................................................ 17 Light Conditions ..................................................................................................... 18 Weather Conditions................................................................................................ 18 Road Character...................................................................................................... 19 BICYCLE SAFETY ISSUES.......................................................................................... 20 Introduction................................................................................................................ 20 Bicycle/Rumble Strip Impacts .................................................................................... 20 Bicycle Friendly Rumble Strip Designs ...................................................................... 21 Penn State Study ................................................................................................... 21 Colorado Study ...................................................................................................... 23 State Bicycle Policies................................................................................................. 24 STATE RUMBLE STRIP SURVEY AND DESIGN ........................................................ 26 Introduction................................................................................................................ 26 Rumble Strip Surveys ................................................................................................ 26 Project Survey ........................................................................................................... 26 iii Other Surveys ........................................................................................................ 27 Minnesota Department of Transportation Survey................................................... 27 FHWA Surveys....................................................................................................... 27 Ohio Department of Transportation Survey............................................................ 27 NCHRP Survey ...................................................................................................... 28 CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS ............................................................. 29 Introduction................................................................................................................ 29 Design and Placement Recommendations................................................................ 29 FHWA Installation Warrants ...................................................................................... 29 Shoulder Width....................................................................................................... 30 Crash Experience................................................................................................... 30 Length of Roadway ................................................................................................ 30 Bicycle Volumes..................................................................................................... 30 Speed Limit ............................................................................................................ 30 Roadway Access.................................................................................................... 31 Roadway Location.................................................................................................. 31 Bicycle Considerations .............................................................................................
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