Speed Management ePrimer for Rural Transition Zones and Town Centers

This Speed Management ePrimer for Rural Transition Zones and Town Centers is a free, online resource openly available for public use. The ePrimer presents a review of speeding-related safety issues facing rural communities, along with the basic elements required for data collection, information processing, and countermeasure selection by rural transportation professionals and community decision-makers. The ePrimer is presented in six distinct modules developed to allow the reader to move between each to find the desired information, without a cover-to-cover reading. The ePrimer presents:

• a definition of speeding and speed management, its importance, and its relationship to the goals and challenges (e.g., resource constraints) faced by many rural communities;
• Illustrations and photographs of 14 types of speed management countermeasures, particularly suited for rural transition zones and town centers;
• considerations for their appropriate application, including effects and design and installation specifics;
• research on the mobility and safety effects of speed management countermeasures for passenger cars and commercial trucks, pedestrians and bicyclists, and agricultural vehicles which frequent roadways in and around many rural communities;
• case studies that cover effective processes used to plan and define a rural community speed management program or project, and assessments of the effects of individual and series of speed management countermeasures.

Speed Management ePrimer for Rural Transition Zones and Town Centers Table of Contents: to view a module, click its plus button .

 

Click to expand and view modules

Module 1

Introduction
 

• 1. Introduction
• 1.1 Importance of Speed Management in Rural Transition Zones and Town Centers
• 1.2 Speed Management ePrimer Objectives and Target Audience
• 1.3 What Is Contained In This ePrimer?
• 1.4 How Does This Speed Management ePrimer Relate to the FHWA Traffic Calming ePrimer?
• 1.5 Terminology

Module 2

Speed Management Planning
 

• 2. Speed Management Planning
• 2.1 Understanding the Problem: Identification and Characterization of Extent
• 2.2 Developing a Multidisciplinary Team
• 2.3 Developing a Communication Plan
• 2.4 Considering Alternatives and Select Countermeasure(s)
• 2.5 Define Measures of Effectiveness
• 2.6 Securing Appropriate Approvals and Implement
• 2.7 Evaluating Countermeasures
• 2.8 Resources
• 2.9 References

Module 3

Collecting/Analyzing Speed and Crash Data
 

• 3. Collecting/Analyzing Speed and Crash Data
• 3.1 Speed Studies
• 3.2 Crashes
• 3.3 Roadway Users and Context Sensitivity
• 3.4 Lateral Shift
• 3.5 References

Module 4

Setting Transition Zones
 

• 4. Setting Transition Zones
• 4.1 Purpose for Transition Zones
• 4.2 Transition Zone Layout
• 4.3 Selecting and Setting Appropriate Transition Zone Length and Speed
• 4.4 Communicating the Need to Reduce Speeds
• 4.5 Additional Resources
• 4.6 References

Module 5

Countermeasures
 

• 5. Countermeasures
• 5.1 Speed Management in Rural Areas
• 5.2 Speed Related Countermeasures
• 5.3 Considerations for the Rural Community Setting
• 5.4 Temporary, Seasonal, and Permanent Installation
• 5.5 Treatments
• 5.6 References
• 5.7 Resources

Module 6

Selected Speed Management Case Studies
 

• 6. Selected Speed Management Case Studies
• 6.1 Village of Palmetto Bay, Florida
• 6.2 Kitsap County, Washington
• 6.3 Mercer County, New Jersey
• 6.4 Rural Iowa Communities