NCJ Number
140647
Date Published
1992
Length
31 pages
Annotation
This report investigates the effect on accidents of the opening of the South Eastern Arterial link, a 4-lane divided limited access arterial road in Melbourne (Australia), using a before and after study.
Abstract
The link made complete a continuous radial freeway/limited access arterial from near the city center to the outskirts of Melbourne. Four, at-grade intersections are included in the link. Accident data were collected for 2 years before and after the opening of the arterial. Traffic data before and after were also collected. Accidents on the arterials and local traffic areas were analyzed. Relative to a control group of similar road network profile, there was a 7.3-percent decrease in casualty accidents, a 10.5-percent decrease in injuries, a 16.6-percent decrease in serious injuries, an 8.1-percent increase in travel in the area, and a 14.2-percent decrease in accident rate per vehicle kilometer traveled. Accident cost savings are estimated at $3-4 million per year. A secondary effect area "upstream" and "downstream" of the study area was also examined; although there was some evidence of accident reduction, this was not statistically significant. There is evidence of safety reduction due to the at-grade intersections on the link with two intersections ranking as second and fourteenth worst in the State in terms of accident number, with similar high rankings when compared to Melbourne's high-volume freeway interchanges in terms of casualty accident rate per entering vehicle. 4 references and 9 tables