Impacts of small rural towns on road safety and traffic operation

This study investigated the effects on safety and through-traffic operation of isolated towns, located on or adjacent to two-way, two-lane, primary rural roads. Sixty-eight towns in Jordan were selected for the study. Mathematical relationships were developed between road accidents within the frontage distance of the town, and town planning, traffic, and road geometry variables. The results indicated that town population, distance from the town to the road, distribution of the town around the road, and school location had significant effects on the pedestrian accident density. The number of horizontal and vertical curves, the speed of through-traffic, the number of paved accesses, the shoulder-to-pavement ratio of the primary road, and the employment level in the town were found to have significant effects on the traffic accident rate. A further model was developed for the reduction in speed of through-traffic. This model indicated that the length of town frontage, the distribution of town around the road, the town's population, and the distance from the town to the primary road significantly influenced the speed of through-traffic. Three nomograms for estimating the number of pedestrian accidents, and traffic accidents, and the reduction in the speed of through-traffic were created for use by town planners and road authorities in the field, the aim being to enhance safety and traffic operation along rural roads. The nomograms can be used to plan new towns or develop safety measures in existing ones.