Operational and Safety Effects of Driving on Paved Shoulders in Texas: Executive Summary

Details

• Creators:
  Fambro, Daniel B.
• Corporate Creators:
  Texas Transportation Institute. Texas A&M University
• Corporate Contributors:
  Texas State Department of Highways and Public Transportation ; United States. Department of Transportation. Federal Highway Administration
• Subject/TRT Terms:
  Highway Operations Interviewing Paved Shoulders Questionnaires Road Shoulders Traffic Lanes Traffic Safety
• Publication/ Report Number:
  FHWA/TX-83/11+265-1
• Resource Type:
  Tech Report
• Geographical Coverage:
  Texas ; United States
• Edition:
  Executive Summary
• Corporate Publisher:
  Texas Transportation Institute. Texas A&M University
• Abstract:
  In Texas, paved shoulders are used by many drivers for a large variety of traffic maneuvers and for satisfying numerous driving task demands. Unfortunately, there is little information as to the types and frequency of this usage and the impacts and conditions under which they occur. The objective of this report is to provide answers to some of these questions. State Department of Highways and Public Transportation respondents to a combination questionnaire and personal interview indicated that shoulder usage provided operational and safety benefits only under certain conditions. A laboratory study assessed motorist understanding of the legal issues involved with driving on paved shoulders. Results indicate confusion in certain situations; therefore, several potential changes to the Texas Motor Vehicle Laws are recommended. In order to quantify the benefits and/or disbenefits of paved shoulder usage, both operational and safety studies were made on three types of Texas highways-two-lane highways without paved shoulders, two-lane highways with paved shoulders and undivided four-lane highways without paved shoulders. As a result of this investigation, it was recommended that priority for adding shoulders to two-lane highways without them should be given to those highways carrying one-way traffic volumes in excess of 200 vehicles per hour. In addition, a paved shoulder probably should not be considered for conversion to an additional travel lane unless the volume on the highway exceeds 2000 vehicles per day.
• Format:
  PDF
• Funding:
  2-18-79-265
• Collection(s):
  US Transportation Collection
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:887cc91cda60a8526eda99f15c19a7a3a8361472073261a63ba0663818917e8c39e7c72d18d29fa5d2437b5389d55f708d2179182554c43fc30a3c89bab7c659
• Download URL:
  https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/85724/dot_85724_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 312.24 KB ]