Designing Highways for Motorcyclists

Transcription

1 Designing Highways for Motorcyclists London s Urban Motorcycle Design Handbook Andy Mayo

2 How can traffic engineers, highway design and maintenance professionals contribute to motorcycle safety in the urban environment?

3 ACEM Guidelines for PTW Safer Roads Design in Europe FEMA Riderscan European Scanning Tour for Motorcycle Safety Safer Urban Motorcycling (esum) Good Practice Guide What guidance is available?

4 What guidance is available? IHE Guidelines for Motorcycling (

5 Why a London Handbook? TfL s Safe Streets for London and Motorcycle Safety Action Plan (2014) TfL Motorcycle Safety Working Group Met Police, MAG, BMF, MCIA, TfL officers No London-specific guidance on designing for motorcycles

6 Set in the context of the motorcycle collision situation Source: London Assembly Transport Committee Improving motorcycle safety on London Roads March 2016

7 Motorcycle Collisions in London 6 Transport for London, Casualties in Greater London during 2014

8 Motorcycle Collisions in London 7 Transport for London, Casualties in Greater London during 2014

9 Why a Handbook? Mode share and collision involvement Motorcycle mode share and casualty rates (2014 data) 1% mode share 21% of fatalities 24% of serious injuries 17% of all casualties Cycling mode share and casualty rates (2014 data) 2% mode share 10% of fatalities 21% of serious injuries 17% of all casualties

10 Why a Handbook? Limited previous consideration (e.g. Streetscape Design) To explain the main characteristics of motorcycles (and motorcyclists) to those who are not aware. Source: Motorcycle Roadcraft The Police Rider s Handbook

11 Why a Handbook? Outline how motorcyclists use of the road differs from other groups Look at their unique requirements & vulnerabilities To explain how motorcyclists requirements can be better accommodated in highway design and maintenance work. TO MAKE SURE THAT TRANSPORT PROFESSIONALS AT LEAST CONSIDER MOTORCYCLISTS AS PART OF THEIR WORK.

12 Urban Motorcycle Design Handbook Important to remember: The motorcycle road safety problem will not be solved just by better traffic engineering Other considerations include: Road user behaviour (all) Use of PPE Bike/rider visibility Education, enforcement Rider training Motorcycle development, ABS/electronics.

13 Unique characteristics of motorcyclists Key factors influencing motorcyclists: Only two small contact points Most braking and steering through front tyre Riders try to avoid skidding at all costs Much easier to lose control than a car Follow different path in bends

14 Unique characteristics of motorcyclists Key factors influencing motorcyclists: Very manoeuvrable, overtaking and filtering Appear where they are not expected Rapid acceleration Many similarities with cyclists All shapes and sizes.

15 Unique characteristics of motorcyclists

16 What is different about London? Journey purpose Distance Couriers / delivery (use of smaller machines) Congested (often narrow) streets.

17 What is different about London? Competition for space Level of filtering Driver reactions.

18 What is different about London?

19 How are London motorcyclists being injured?

20 How are London motorcyclists being injured?

21 How are London motorcyclists being injured? Gender: 9/10 male (but changing) Young bias Overtaking and filtering Speed.

22 Key challenges faced by motorcyclists The 5 Key Challenges: Factors affecting grip Visibility Road-side features Mainly safety Traffic calming Filtering Mainly convenience

23 The Design Handbook What s not covered? Motorcycle parking Illegal user behaviour Armco barriers Rural issues Rider training Bus lanes Semi-segregated cycle lanes.

24 Design Issues The 5 Key Challenges: 1) Factors affecting grip 2) Issues around visibility 3) Road-side features 4) Traffic calming 5) Filtering

25 1) Factors affecting grip Loss of control features prominently in collisions involving motorcycles in London There are numerous road surface design issues that can influence grip, both positively and negatively.

26 1) Factors affecting grip

27 1) Factors affecting grip

28 1) Factors affecting grip Storey s Gate (Westminster)

29 1) Factors affecting grip

30 1) Grip - Key Design Considerations Locate changes to surface types away from motorcycle steering, braking & accelerating zones. Avoid using multi-layers of marking material to form overrun areas. Minimise the number of surface types used Can asphalt with higher skidding resistance be used instead of HFS? Maintain it appropriately, only install on a structurally sound surface Can service covers be moved/located away from areas where motorcyclists may be expected to be travelling, particularly in the vicinity of bends & junctions? Use covers which have a similar skid resistance to the surrounding road environment.

31 2) Visibility Failed to see or other vehicle turns into path of motorcycle are a key causation factors in many collisions involving motorcyclists.

32 2) Visibility key design considerations Sideways visibility: Ensure that appropriate visibility splays are provided and that they are unobstructed by street furniture: - CCTV installations - Traffic signal equipment - Traffic signs - Bus shelters - Bins - Seating areas - Car parking - Vegetation. Forward visibility: Ensure that the minimum forward visibility is equal to the minimum Stopping Sight Distance (SSD) Take into account different road positions that motorcyclists occupy Consider future maintenance regimes, especially for vegetation in the Spring and Summer months.

33 3) Road-side features Features that can form a collision hazard to motorcyclists within the carriageway Features that can form a collision hazard for a rider if they lose control and leave the carriageway Little more than a minor inconvenience to car drivers, these features can be a source of major injury or death to a motorcyclist.

34 3) Roadside features

35 3) Roadside features

36 3) Road-side features key design considerations Are the features within the carriageway actually required? If required ensure that they are clearly visible for all road users reflective, vertical bollards, illumination requirements, continue road markings around them? If required, can the road side environment be softened? - Remove / minimise guard railing - De-cluttering (streetscape benefits) - Mounting signs on existing columns - Frangible post options - Flexible bollards.

37 Light segregation cycle facilities

38 Light segregation cycle facilities Tavistock Place CS2 Greenwich

39 Light segregation cycle facilities

40 Light segregation key design considerations Higher separators ( wands ) preferred - flexible posts If low separators are used then you must have a taller more visible object at the start of the run Good visibility (including at night reflectiveness requirements) Ensure general traffic lanes are of an appropriate width Suitable gaps in between objects at junctions required to meet turning requirements Remember that over-runnable light segregation can become detached from road surface More research is needed.

41 4) Traffic calming Although traffic calming can help reduce road safety risk for all road users, poorly designed traffic calming can be a source of danger to the motorcyclist. Better design of new traffic calming and revision of existing features can help address these issues.

42 4) Traffic calming

43 4) Traffic calming key design considerations Consider spacings between cushions and between outer most cushion and the kerbs (ideally at least 1.5m gap) Consider whether 2 cushion or 3 cushion layouts are most suitable. Do sinusoidal road humps represent a viable alternative? Locate vertical traffic calming away from turning / braking areas, including bends Are side-road entry treatments required, or can other methods, such as tight corner radii be used to reduce vehicle speeds? Can a surface material which has a similar skid resistance to the surrounding road environment be used? Regular inspection, maintenance and repair regime needed if granite setts / block paving are used.

44 5) Filtering Motorcyclists can experience various barriers to safe filtering, some of which are infrastructural such as wide refuge islands or constrained traffic lane widths, and some behavioural in nature. Good design can facilitate safer filtering or at least not make conditions worse for motorcyclists.

45 5) Filtering key design considerations Need to observe road user behaviour Is there likely to be a legitimate demand for offside filtering? Would it be appropriate to provide wider traffic lanes which allow motorcyclists to filter in lane to the offside Consider whether there is potential to improve network resilience to reduce queuing and the need for motorcyclists (and cyclists) to filter Are there options to better (and safely) accommodate the more readily expected offside filtering?

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47 TfL Urban Motorcycle Design Handbook Any questions? Andy Mayo (Director) Local Transport Projects Ltd. tel