Built environment characteristics and driving speed in 30 km/h zones: a Dutch national analysis
Road authorities are systematically expanding 30 km/h zones to enhance safety. This requires understanding how built environment characteristics are associated with driving speeds, but only a few studies, typically based on small samples, focus on 30 km/h streets. Using a spatial error model, this...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Technology and Society, Faculty of Engineering, LTH, Lund University
2025-03-01
|
| Series: | Traffic Safety Research |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://tsr.international/TSR/article/view/27384 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1849393460677705728 |
|---|---|
| author | Paul Schepers Werner van Loo Wouter Mieras Hans Drolenga Dick de Waard Marco Helbich |
| author_facet | Paul Schepers Werner van Loo Wouter Mieras Hans Drolenga Dick de Waard Marco Helbich |
| author_sort | Paul Schepers |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description |
Road authorities are systematically expanding 30 km/h zones to enhance safety. This requires understanding how built environment characteristics are associated with driving speeds, but only a few studies, typically based on small samples, focus on 30 km/h streets. Using a spatial error model, this study examines the relationship between built environment factors and 85th percentile speeds on 47,000 km of Dutch 30 km/h streets (N=159.000). Driving speed and traffic volume data were estimated using floating car data, while built environment characteristics were collected from public sources.
The results show that higher driving speeds are associated with greater traffic volumes, longer street lengths, closed pavement, separated bicycle tracks, visually marked bicycle lanes, and longer road sections. Features linked to lower driving speeds include curves, speed humps, raised intersections, exit constructions at zone entrances, narrower carriageways, roadside parking, nearby premises, and higher address densities.
Furthermore, the identified interaction effects show that measures like speed humps and raised intersections have greater impacts in high-speed environments (i.e. long and busy streets with closed pavement) but limited effects in low-speed settings. These findings emphasize the need to consider combinations of road design elements and their context-dependent effects to understand driving speed on 30 km/h streets. Out study provides valuable insights into the effectiveness of speed-reduction measures, offering guidance for interventions targeting streets with excessive speeds.
|
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-3764b697c4664ec087347514f18b044e |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2004-3082 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-03-01 |
| publisher | Technology and Society, Faculty of Engineering, LTH, Lund University |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Traffic Safety Research |
| spelling | doaj-art-3764b697c4664ec087347514f18b044e2025-08-20T03:40:25ZengTechnology and Society, Faculty of Engineering, LTH, Lund UniversityTraffic Safety Research2004-30822025-03-01910.55329/dlam1892Built environment characteristics and driving speed in 30 km/h zones: a Dutch national analysisPaul Schepers0Werner van Loo1https://orcid.org/0009-0006-7063-2603Wouter Mieras2Hans Drolenga3https://orcid.org/0009-0000-7923-9249Dick de Waard4https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0262-4573Marco Helbich5https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0392-8915Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management, the NetherlandsNational Road Traffic Data Portal, the NetherlandsSweco, the NetherlandsSweco, the NetherlandsUniversity of Groningen, the Netherlands Utrecht University, the Netherlands Road authorities are systematically expanding 30 km/h zones to enhance safety. This requires understanding how built environment characteristics are associated with driving speeds, but only a few studies, typically based on small samples, focus on 30 km/h streets. Using a spatial error model, this study examines the relationship between built environment factors and 85th percentile speeds on 47,000 km of Dutch 30 km/h streets (N=159.000). Driving speed and traffic volume data were estimated using floating car data, while built environment characteristics were collected from public sources. The results show that higher driving speeds are associated with greater traffic volumes, longer street lengths, closed pavement, separated bicycle tracks, visually marked bicycle lanes, and longer road sections. Features linked to lower driving speeds include curves, speed humps, raised intersections, exit constructions at zone entrances, narrower carriageways, roadside parking, nearby premises, and higher address densities. Furthermore, the identified interaction effects show that measures like speed humps and raised intersections have greater impacts in high-speed environments (i.e. long and busy streets with closed pavement) but limited effects in low-speed settings. These findings emphasize the need to consider combinations of road design elements and their context-dependent effects to understand driving speed on 30 km/h streets. Out study provides valuable insights into the effectiveness of speed-reduction measures, offering guidance for interventions targeting streets with excessive speeds. https://tsr.international/TSR/article/view/2738430 km/h zonedriving speedroad safetySafety Performance Indicatorstraffic calming |
| spellingShingle | Paul Schepers Werner van Loo Wouter Mieras Hans Drolenga Dick de Waard Marco Helbich Built environment characteristics and driving speed in 30 km/h zones: a Dutch national analysis Traffic Safety Research 30 km/h zone driving speed road safety Safety Performance Indicators traffic calming |
| title | Built environment characteristics and driving speed in 30 km/h zones: a Dutch national analysis |
| title_full | Built environment characteristics and driving speed in 30 km/h zones: a Dutch national analysis |
| title_fullStr | Built environment characteristics and driving speed in 30 km/h zones: a Dutch national analysis |
| title_full_unstemmed | Built environment characteristics and driving speed in 30 km/h zones: a Dutch national analysis |
| title_short | Built environment characteristics and driving speed in 30 km/h zones: a Dutch national analysis |
| title_sort | built environment characteristics and driving speed in 30 km h zones a dutch national analysis |
| topic | 30 km/h zone driving speed road safety Safety Performance Indicators traffic calming |
| url | https://tsr.international/TSR/article/view/27384 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT paulschepers builtenvironmentcharacteristicsanddrivingspeedin30kmhzonesadutchnationalanalysis AT wernervanloo builtenvironmentcharacteristicsanddrivingspeedin30kmhzonesadutchnationalanalysis AT woutermieras builtenvironmentcharacteristicsanddrivingspeedin30kmhzonesadutchnationalanalysis AT hansdrolenga builtenvironmentcharacteristicsanddrivingspeedin30kmhzonesadutchnationalanalysis AT dickdewaard builtenvironmentcharacteristicsanddrivingspeedin30kmhzonesadutchnationalanalysis AT marcohelbich builtenvironmentcharacteristicsanddrivingspeedin30kmhzonesadutchnationalanalysis |