Consequences of mandatory stops at railroad-highway crossings.
Title:
Consequences of mandatory stops at railroad-highway crossings.
Author:
United States. Federal Highway Administration.
Publication Information:
McLean, Va. : U.S. Dept. of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration ; Springfield, Va. : National Technical Information Service [distributor, 1985]
Physical Description:
x, 163 p. : ill., 1 form ; 28 cm.
General Note:
Cover title.
"Performing organization: Goodell-Grivas, Inc."--Tech. rept. doc. p.
Distributed to depository libraries in microfiche.
"December 1985."
Contents:
Executive summary -- Introduction -- Analysis of accident data -- Collection and analysis of operational data -- Determination of delay, fuel consumption, and pollution consequesnces -- Accidents attributable to signal nonoperation -- Minimum warning time needs -- Estimates of pullout-lane construction and maintenance costs -- Economic consequences of the mandatory stop rule -- Conclusions -- References.
Abstract:
The purpose of this study was to determine the safety, economc, operational, and environmental consequences of requiring certain types of vehicles to stop at railroad crossings with active warning devices when the devices are not activated. The study included an assessment of the positive and negative impacts on train and nontrain-involved accidents, traffic operations, fuel consumption, delay, pullout-lane construction/maintenance costs, and environmental degradation. Results of the study indicate that not mandating stops at railroad crossings with active devices when the devices are not activated would result in an annual reduction of both train and nontrain accidents for hazardous material transporters, school buses, and passenger buses. Not requiring stops would result in a net annual decrease in train-involved accidents for hazardous material transporters, school buses, and passenger buses of 2.6, 10.8, and 17.4 percent, respectively.