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A Monitoring Strategy for Active Transportation Pilot Projects

Abstract

Transportation agencies recognize the growing interest in Active Transportation (AT) and implement design features to integrate AT within roadway network. There are some instances where many design features include innovative markings, lane configurations, signage and road geometry that vary from standard design approaches. Often these features are implemented on a trial basis to determine the effectiveness of the approach or design. The question remains, what are acceptable or unacceptable operations for these trial designs? The Ontario Ministry of Transportation is increasingly addressing a range of active transportation features on and across provincial highways. In some cases the Ministry has accepted and defined deviations from standard practice as ‘pilot projects’ initially as a trial feature at specific locations, conditional on monitoring these design options to evaluate the safety, operational efficiency and cost effectiveness. Monitoring methodologies have been identified as a basis for assessing pilot projects. These methods focus on addressing the following questions: • Do the operations meet the objectives of the transportation solution? • Are there net benefits comparing ‘Before’ and ‘After’ operational conditions? • Is there positive public perception of the solution? Changes and/or deviations from standard practice would trigger conditions for monitoring for a period of time of at least 3 years to evaluate safety, operational conditions and cost effectiveness. The methodology for monitoring involves highway engineering, traffic operations and AT needs at each pilot project site, while recognizing overarching provincial policy objectives. The Ontario Ministry of Transportation has documented a wide range of progressive active transportation design measures and defined triggers that would necessitate the need for monitoring: • Engineering design options to integrate AT that deviate from existing design standards • New types of AT features or facilities are introduced • Where specific operational concerns have been identified. • AT features with operational costs that may outweigh user benefits The result of the Ontario Ministry of Transportation’s efforts is a monitoring plan framework for consistent and technically sound evaluation of effectiveness of pedestrian and cycling facilities. It balances operational conditions for all road users. The process is inclusive of all operating departments through Value Engineering style workshops.

Conference Paper Details

Session title:
ROAD SAFETY TOOLBOX
Author(s):
Amy Ibrahim
Ray Bacquie
Topics:
Road safety
Year:
2013