The Hurdles of Introducing Innovative Road Safety Infrastructure Solutions – A Case Study on Raised Platforms

It will be very difficult to achieve a perfectly Safe System on our road network (i.e. zero fatalities or serious injuries) without the introduction of new and innovative road infrastructure treatments. There are treatments that exist overseas and have proven effectiveness; however the uptake of these solutions in Australia has been limited in many cases. This is due to a number of issues, including lack of knowledge on their use and effectiveness, lack of experience with design and implementation, and risk aversion._x000D_
_x000D_This paper will discuss issues relating to the future uptake of innovative infrastructure solutions through the case study of raised Safety Platforms at signalised intersections on arterial routes – a new road infrastructure treatment that VicRoads has been in the process of researching, trialling and implementing on Victorian roads. The aim of this treatment is to achieve Safe System vehicle speeds through intersections (50 km/h). Although this infrastructure is used extensively overseas (e.g. in the Netherlands), it has yet to be introduced on arterial roads in Australia. ARRB undertook a comprehensive literature review on the likely benefits of these treatments, performed trials to establish vertical accelerations and driver comfort levels in a variety of vehicle types and performed modelling to assess the effects of road slope on effectiveness. VicRoads is currently in the process of installing the raised safety platforms at an intersection near Geelong, Victoria, and is due for completion in July 2015.E130