Introduction

This research will review and document existing knowledge/data on speed management safety strategies near Federal Land Management Agency (FLMA) unit entrances. That review will be followed by field investigations to identify context-sensitive safety strategies with the potential to reduce fatalities and serious injuries without impairing natural and cultural resources. Key deliverables include a literature review of speed management safety strategies as well as a matrix of strategies for the potential field investigation locations. A final report and presentation will include analysis and documented findings from the field investigation.

Deliverable

Field Investigation, Analysis, and Document Findings: pending

Goals

This project will evaluate the effectiveness of speed-management strategies already in place at selected entrances to parks throughout the country, where drivers transition from higher-speed roads outside parks to slower-speed, multi-use roads within parks. The findings and safety strategies shown to be effective in this project could be used to improve safety in national parks and public lands. The results of this research would be applicable to several Federal agencies that manage transportation systems at their boundaries with higher speed facilities.

Context sensitive safety strategies have the potential to reduce fatalities and serious injuries without impairing natural and cultural resources. In support of the USDOT National Roadway Safety Strategy (NRSS) Safe Speeds objective, this project will identify speed management safety strategies appropriate for the context of the FLMA environments critical for achieving context-appropriate operating speeds and reducing fatalities and serious injuries in FLMA units. This research has applicability at entrances to FLMA units nationwide.  Using safety strategies to set context appropriate speed expectations at a gateway location has the potential to contribute to the "self enforcing" nature of roads throughout an FLMA unit, reducing staff time associated with crash reporting and enforcement operations.

Scope

The project includes the following tasks:

• Project Management and Workplan 
• Literature Review 
• Field Investigation 
• Analysis and Document Findings 

Engagement

A technical advisory committee of 10-20 people will be formed of staff from FHWA and FLMAs with safety and cultural resource expertise to provide guidance to the principal investigator as outlined in tasks 2-4. Specifically the TAC will: 

• Identify collaboratively which context sensitive speed management strategies will proceed to literature review; 

• Identify potential locations for field investigation, based on experience and familiarity with entrances to FLMA units and associated safety strategies; and 
• Provide the most appropriate method of the outreach and points of contact for FLMA units where TAC member and unit are a part of the same FLMA 

Project Details

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
https://doi.org/10.21949/1521412

ORCID for the principal investigator)
Currently unavailable