Road Safety Engineering

Studies

Studies are an integral and vital part of road safety engineering. A variety of studies are carried out by PAF to enable our engineers and client to fully understand the problems and issues relating to the particular location, route or area. Such studies include:

Scheme Identification Studies: This type of study identifies individual locations, routes or areas where there is potential to improve the highway and associated features to benefit road safety, congestion or crime and disorder issues for all road users. A Scheme Identification Study is a detailed document which will involve gathering and analysing considerable information such as collision data, police collision reports, traffic and turning counts, speed surveys, vulnerable road users requirements, site observations, assessment of existing highway geometry and infrastructure, proposed development, initial cost benefit analysis, possible environmental assessment and consultation with stakeholders and residents.

PAF have considerable experience in the production of Scheme Identification Studies and have conducted studies for Lancashire County Council and The Highways Agency of which most have resulted in a range of low cost remedial measures to extensive civil engineering schemes being designed and implemented, some of which include:

Conflict Studies: Along with the collision records these studies are a good tool to help our engineers begin to identify and understand the issues at a site. They also help to choose the most appropriate form of remedial measure.

Depending on the size of the junction the study will involve different surveillance methods, over different time periods and may be recorded by video. Trained observers will identify conflicts or near miss situations where road users are put at risk. The number of conflicts are recorded and graded according to the scale of severity.