In fact, a study conducted by the Department of Transportation in 2000 found that simple traffic management measures such as slowing down to 30 mph in congested areas can lower the number of people critically injured or killed in traffic accidents on village roads by 50%. The same speed reduction (to 30mph) leads to a 40% reduction in collisions involving children and a 51% reduction in collisions involving an automobile and a child cyclist.
Villages and owners of private roads and residential projects have installed traffic management systems ranging from posted signs to speed humps as a result of this study and others like it. Despite this, only about one out of every five local governments Traffic Management Company has undertaken or plans to implement speed-reduction measures.
Traffic calming (the use of road improvements to naturally slow traffic), markers and signals, and physical patrolling are all examples of traffic management. Signs, markers, and signals all have different influences on traffic speed. The most successful of them are traffic signals, which govern traffic directly.
Traffic speed is influenced by signage and roadway markings, though this effect fades over time. Automobile speeds are permanently decreased when traffic calming methods such as speed bumps, closures, and traffic roundabouts are implemented. Vertical deflections, horizontal shifts, lane constrictions, and closures are all examples of traffic calming techniques. Each has advantages and downsides in terms of how it influences traffic.
The public dislikes vertical deflections the most. Speed humps raised intersections, rumble strips, and speed tables are examples of road construction that raises the road surface. Many new speed humps have been developed, including an "intelligent" hump that detects the oncoming vehicle's speed and deflates itself if the speed is low enough to pass over it without jolting.
Traffic circles and chicanes, which provide s-shaped routes between curbs and barriers, are examples of horizontal shifts. Roadway narrowing directs traffic from one lane to another or creates a smaller channel for Traffic controlling to pass through. Widening walk routes and adding cycling lanes to existing roadways are two of the approaches used.
Traffic cannot cut around intersections due to closures. Closures are often implemented only after all other techniques of slowing traffic in an area have failed. Mini offerings, which act similarly to traditional roundabouts, can help with traffic and congestion management. They don't often require the landscaping and reorganization that their larger siblings do, but they still provide the majority of the intended safety benefits.
