Author(s)

Shauna Hallmark, Neal Hawkins, Skylar Knickerbocker

Institute for Transportation at Iowa State University, Ames, USA.

Small rural communities located along major state or county roadways typically find most of the traffic along their main thoroughfares is pass-through rather than local traffic. Unfortunately, drivers passing through these communities often enter at high rates of speeds, which are often significantly higher than the speed limit of the local segment. Speed management in rural areas requires different considerations compared to urban areas and, within the US, rural speed management is not as advanced with little experience or guidance for agencies to draw on. This paper summarizes the results of a study that evaluated, in part, several different types of transverse pavement markings within the speed transition zones in small rural communities. Three different countermeasures were evaluated: converging chevrons, transverse lane markings, and optical speed bars.

Community Entrance, Converging Chevrons, Optical Speed Bars, Pedestrian Safety, Speed Transitions, Traffic Calming, Traffic Safety, Speed Management

Hallmark, S. , Hawkins, N. and Knickerbocker, S. (2021) Evaluation of Transverse Markings as a Speed Transition Zone Countermeasures in Small, Rural Communities. Journal of Transportation Technologies, 11, 61-77. doi: 10.4236/jtts.2021.111004.