Traffic Law Enforcement in Work Zones: Phase II Research (2013) / Chapter Skim
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Pages 5-15
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From page 5... ...
4 CHAPTER 1 BACKGROUND INTRODUCTION Having traffic law enforcement at a highway work zone is viewed by many as one of the most effective means available for reducing speeding and other undesirable driving behaviors that compromise safety. Studies conducted over the past 30 years repeatedly verify the speedreducing effects of enforcement presence in work zones (1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11 Several studies have cited "excessive speeds" as a contributing factor to a high percentage of work zone crashes ( )
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5 Whereas the regulations require SHAs to address these topics, they do not prescribe how the states are to address them. Rather, it is left up to the agencies themselves to determine how best to formulate their policies and procedures so as to fulfill the intent of the regulation.
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6 lidar are activated, etc.)
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7 nature, periodic changes in temporary geometrics and other roadway features within the work zone can influence crash likelihood and confound with the effects that enforcement presence may or may not have, and so make any estimates of enforcement effectiveness somewhat suspect (21,22)
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8 • rumble strips, • reduced spacing of channelizing devices, • transverse pavement markings, and • narrowed lanes with channelizing devices. A summary of the various studies that have been performed on these devices is shown in Table 2.
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9 suggests that radar drones affect the fastest portion of the vehicle stream, the portion of the driving stream of most concern in work zones. These devices are small and can easily be placed inside a work vehicle or on a traffic control device.
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10 departed the site. This failure to turn off the sign when appropriate has degraded public credibility and trust, and has made it more difficult for officers to use the sign as an absolute indication of worker presence during enforcement actions.
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11 Table 3. Summary of MOU/Operating Agreement Contents for Work Zone Enforcement Component FLa LA MD MI NC ND NJ NY ORa PA WA WI Estimated amount of support to be provided under the agreement Required law enforcement participation in pre-construction meetings Minimum notification time to schedule a shift Minimum notification time to cancel a shift Types of costs to be charged Law enforcement agency right of first refusal for the enforcement activity Billing information requirements Payment schedule Specific officer responsibilities during shift Right to terminate agreement a Information reviewed concerning the agreement was not complete: additional information may be contained in the actual agreement A project-by-project work zone enforcement funding approach tends to be simpler in nature.
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From page 13... ...
12 there is a perceived benefit to the agency to establish speed limits that increase the number of speeding citations issued and thus the amount of increased work zone enforcement funding generated. Different methods of paying for the work zone enforcement activities that occur are also available.
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13 KNOWLEDGE GAPS PERTAINING TO WORK ZONE TRAFFIC ENFORCEMENT A review of literature, the conduct of numerous telephone surveys, and performance of several on-site interviews of highway contractors, highway agencies, and enforcement agencies in various states revealed a number of knowledge gaps relating to the provision of traffic law enforcement in work zones. Studies were consequently performed under this research project to address some of the more critical ones that were within the funding and scope of the project.
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From page 15... ...
14 Finally, considerable expense is involved in the provision of law enforcement resources at work zones. The results of the interviews and literature review indicate that the demand and desire to utilize enforcement in work zones typically exceeds the funds and manpower resources available to meet that demand.
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