‘construction crew was working along the side of highway where they had 10 clase one lane of tra fic. They set up signs and delineators according to the Manual of Uniform Traffic Contral Devices (MUTCD), but drivers were not slowing down when passing throught the work zone. The project manager who told me this story contacted the te troopers. They started regularly stationing a patrol carat the jobsite, which helped to slow down traffic. One day out of nowhere, a ear went speeding through the jobsite. The speed- ing vehicle raveled within 2 10 3 ft of workers. The trooper gave chase, clocking the vehicle at 126 mph using radar and finally stopped it 8 miles down the road. Later that day, the trooper returned to the jobsite and told the project manager thae the Indy driving the vehicle was arrested and her only ‘escuse was she was late for an appointment This is a perfect example of how some drivers dont care about work zones. To many drivers, work zones are only an- rnoyance that get im the way and slow them down, Managing traffic during construction is the contractors responsibility and necessary to mimimize traffic delays and maintain motorist and worker safety. In 2009, 667 people died in moor vehicle crashes in work zones; 115 of them \were construction workers. On average in 2009, someone in the United States was killed in a work zone every 13 hours. A Speeding Through Work Zones A lot has been written and done in the last 10 yeats to prevent work zone accidents, but drivers have not slowed down and too many incidents are still oceurring. It would be simple to blame the speeding drivers for everything, but there is more to it than that. So lets start by asking: Why do drivers disregard speed limit signs in work zones? Studies show that most motarists da reduce driving speeds 1m work zones — even in work zones with no limit posted — ut not to posted speed. As 2 source of traffic delays, work zones can cause driver frustration, eausing them 10 cavel theough the work zone with lisle to no consideration for fry In addition, sometimes the signs posted an wark zones 32 _Utlity Contractor | October 2010 Drivers Often Disregard Work Zone Safety By George Kennedy do not accurately reflect dhe current driving conditions, and drivers learn to disregard them. Even the signs that say, “Fines will double in work zones" don't help because dnvers know that most of the time a trooper will nat be there to pursue them if they are observed speeding. ‘The most enitical factor that contributes to the lack of credibility for speed! limit signing is that, the appropriate speed changes throughout the day because of changes in volume, lighting, work activity, weather and other condi- tions. This is particularly true in highway work zones. For example, a reduced speed limit when there is no roadwork. activity encourages drivers to disregard the speed restriction when workers are present. Ifthe speed signs are not current, they are not credible an will be ignored Slowing Down There ino one solution that is going to solve all the work. zone problems short of closing the road and we all know that rarely happens. Managing traffic for a small or large jobsite, short- or fong-term, all starts with planning, Start by identifying project constraints, determining the work time frames, the phases of the work to be done, wpe of work zone, how will the work interfere with traffic and how it will impact the flow of traffic at various times of the day. Special consideration for emergency vehicles, bicycles and pedestri- ans may also be necessary: Prepare a plan that will have as, litle affect on traffic low as possible Preventing accidents and controlling the speed of traffic through the work zone begins with obtaining a copy and re- fering ta the MUTCD Part Vi— Standards and Guides for Tra fic Contras for Street and Highway Construction, Maintenance Unley andl Incident Management Operations. You can find a copy of the MUTCD Part Vt and updates at mutcd,fhwa.dot. gow/HEM/2003ipart6/part6-tochim. You can also purchase copies Irom che Department of Transportation. The MUTCD provides the user with information about ef fective temporary traffic control (TTC). Effective TTC en- hhances tralfic salety and efficiency, regardless of whether street constnuction, maintenance, utility work or roadwayincidents are taking place in the work space. Effective tem- porary traffic control must provide for the safety of work- ers, road users and pedestrians. At the same time, it must provide for the efficient completion of whatever activity suspended normal use of the roadway, Signage is important but no one set of signs or other traffic control devices can typically satisfy all conditions for a given project. Part VI displays several diagrams that depict common applications of standard temporary traffic control devices. The traffic control selected for each situ- ation should be based on the type of highway, traffic con- ditions, duration of the operations, physical constraints and the nearness of the work space to traffic, Traffic con- trol signs and devices should be placed and spaced as required by the MUTCD. Be sure to check state and lo- cal requirements to determine if there are any deviations from the MUTCD. Work Zone Speed Displays Drivers should pay attention to speed limi signs, but most drivers don’. Having a police officer and patrol car at the approach tothe work zone las proven to be helpful, but there ate not enough officers and patrol cars 10 cover the thousands of work zones that are in operation each day Work zone speed display technologies are proving to be of help in managing safe speeds. Speed displays are intel- Iigent transporation system technologies that give driv- cers current and accurate information about safe driving specds, There are a couple of diffctent types of speed dis- plays in use today + Variable Speed Limit (VSL) — The VSL system provides real-time information on the appropriate speeds for cur rent conditions that warn drivers of coming road condi- LUons, These systems consist of multiple roadside moni- toring and display trailers, each independently powered and controlled. Each speed trailer uses detectors to mea sure trafic speed and roadway conditions. A microcon- troller processes this information along with other inputs, such as nature and duration of roadwork activity, to the appropriate speed limit, which is displayed on a trailer mounted variable speed limit sign. The posted speeds can vary throughout the work zone and day ot night. Speed Feedback — A second type of work zone speed display is the speed feedback display, which informs the approaching drivers of theit curtent speed and encour ages them (0 slow down if they are uaveling above the speed limit. This is a portable display that can be moved to areas where speed is 2 problem. According to the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), these display technologies help to reduce speeding 7 Ngee MANAGEMENT in work zones by posting credible speed limits with timety advance warnings, which are considered essential for im- proving mobility and safety through work zones. VSL sys- tems overcome many of the problems of static speed limit signs. Because these systems provide real-time information on appropriate speeds for current roadwork condition drivers will rust and use VSI information. The speed feed- back display is effective because it gives drivers immediate feedback and their individual driving speeds. This feedback alerts drivers to specific driving behaviors The speed displays have proven successful in studies in several states It as been demonstrated that they are helpful in reducing speed and the number of crashes. Travel time was reduced through work zones because higher speeds, ‘were posted when appropriate, With the VSL in operation, driving speeds tend to be slower through work zones and crossovers than when static speed linnt signs are displayed. Studies show that most motorists da reduce driving speeds in work zones ~ even in wark zones with no limit Posted —utnot to posted speed. Part of the work zane plan should be to do all you can to keep the traffic mov- ing through work zones at reasonable safa speeds. Do All You Can ‘When the normal function of the roadway is suspend- ed, temporary trafic control planning provides for conti nuity of the movement of motor vehicle, bicycle and pe- destrian traffic, transit operations and access to property and utilities. During the course of these activities, con tractors must plan for and ereate safe work zones, for the protection of the motoring public and their work crews. Therefore, part of the work zone plan should be to do all they can to keep the traffic moving through work zones a reasonable safe speeds, For more information about intelligent work zone dis- plays and traffic management visit the Federal Highway Administration webstie uwwops,fhwa.dot.gov/wftsfin- dex.hem Gorge Kennedy is NUCA Vice Frosicont of Safety. 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