01156943

Component

The efficacy of safety countermeasures left in place over prolonged periods especially without adequate maintenance can diminish. The question addressed in this paper is does the effectiveness of a flexible rubber and plastic median barrier installed at a highway-railroad grade crossing to curb motorists’ unsafe maneuvers change over time? This research utilizes data collected in 2006 and then again in 2008 at a highway-railroad grade crossing where a median barrier was installed and left in place with no maintenance for more than two years. Analysis results show that the barrier effectiveness changed over time; specifically the aggregate unsafe driver maneuvers at the studied crossing decreased in 2008 compared to 2006. However, the frequency of drivers passing around dual-quadrant gates with an oncoming train was found to have increased in 2008, likely due to a combination of the dilapidated barrier condition and drivers’ finding new and/or more risky ways of circumventing the barrier. The paper underscores the obvious merit in maintaining median barriers at highway-railroad grade crossings (HRGCs) in working conditions. As well, it demonstrates the need to separately assess the impacts of deteriorating barrier condition and changes in drivers’ behavior over time on the frequency of passing around closed HRGC gates.

01147878

10-3893

English

13p

2010

Transportation Research Board 89th Annual Meeting

DVD

Photos (2) ; References (13) ; Tables (5)

Behavior; Grade crossing protection systems; High risk drivers; Median barriers; Railroad grade crossings; Railroad safety; Railroad transportation; Risk analysis; Traffic data; Traffic safety

Highways; Railroads; Safety and Human Factors; I85: Safety Devices used in Transport Infrastructure

Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting 2010 Paper #10-3893

TRIS, TRB

Jan 25 2010 11:59AM