Abstract:
WITH THE TREND IN NEW CONSTRUCTION TOWARD MULTIPLE LANES AND WIDER PAVEMENTS, AND WITH EXTENSIVE PROGRAMS OF PAVEMENT WIDENING ALREADY UNDERWAY, ADDITIONAL INFORMATION IS NEEDED ON THE LATERAL PLACEMENT AND SPEED OF CARS. WIDENING EXISTING PAVEMENTS INCREASES THE HAZARDS CAUSED BY EXISTING NARROW BRIDGES. DATA, INCLUDING THE RATE OF DECELERATION AND MULTIPLE LATERAL PLACEMENT READINGS TO SHOW THE PATH OF APPROACHING VEHICLES, SHOULD BE OBTAINED, IN ORDER THAT PROPER USE CAN BE MADE OF SIGNS AND OTHER SAFETY DEVICES. BY THE USE OF AN ELECTRICALLY-OPERATED MOTION-PICTURE CAMERA MOUNTED ON THE BRIDGE, THESE DATA CAN BE RECORDED SIMULTANEOUSLY. TO OBTAIN LATERAL PLACEMENT DATA AT LOCATIONS OTHER THAN BRIDGES, THE CAMERA, MOUNTED ON AND CONCEALED BACK OF AN EXISTING ROAD SIGN, RECORDS THE MEASUREMENT AT A SINGLE LOCATION ALONG THE PAVEMENT. CAR AND TRUCK CLASSIFICATION, NUMBER OF AXLES ON TRUCKS, AND OTHER PERTINENT INFORMATION IS INCLUDED WITH THIS RECORD. THE USE OF THIS NEW METHOD HAS THREE DISTINCT ADVANTAGES: ACCURACY, EASE OF CHANGING LOCATION, AND THE ABSENCE OF VISIBLE EQUIPMENT TO DISTORT NORMAL DRIVER REACTION. WITH SLIGHT MODIFICATION OF THE PROCEDURE, NIGHT READINGS CAN ALSO BE TAKEN WITH THE SAME EQUIPMENT, BOTH FOR THE MULTIPLE READINGS AT NARROW BRIDGES, AND THE SINGLE READINGS ON OPEN HIGHWAYS. /AUTHOR/
Supplemental Notes:
Vol 26, pp 397-404, 11 FIG. Distribution, posting, or copying of this PDF is strictly prohibited without written permission of the Transportation Research Board of the National Academy of Sciences. Unless otherwise indicated, all materials in this PDF are copyrighted by the National Academy of Sciences. Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
