Abstract:

Most passenger and goods traffic goes by road. Of all the systems with which people have to deal every day, road traffic systems are the most complex and the most dangerous. One of the main concerns to tackle unsafe roads and decrease casualties, is controlling the driving speed.
Traffic calming refers to a combination of engineering measures and urban planning to enhance road safety as well as other aspects of livability for residents. This academic research project, instituted by University College Ghent (Belgium) in association with Ghent University (B), explores the infrastructural measures that enforce or support an appropriate speed for the local environment and road users in urban areas.
Because of the relatively fast and simple implementation, speed control humps are frequently used as a short-term solution for areas with dangerous road situations. Only traffic calming methods are more than just implanting speed control humps. Are they so effective and acceptable as for a long-term result? Only a profound evaluation of speed platforms, on traffic related as well as environmental field, can initiate new developments and improved regulations in speed control impact. Various aspects of the speed control hump concerning the geometric structure, the speed reduction, vibration effect, noise production, etc. will be investigated to lead this broadly-based PhD study to favorable conclusions.