PLANNING AND ROAD ASSET MANAGEMENT CENTER

PWD established Planning and Road Asset Management Centre (PRAMC), vide

Government Order No. PWD/11/EAP/2011 dated 23.08.2012, whose functions include

Policy Development and Planning, Programming, Road safety, Information Technology

support across the whole of PWD and Training support across whole of PWD.

Functions of PRAMC

1. Act as a cohesive central office for the planning, Budgeting and Programming of Public
roads in Karnataka.
2. Effectively accomplish and support KRAMS.
3. Planning and decision making, taking into account economic, social factors.
4. Procurement and effective monitoring of Right of Way
5. Preparation of Annual Works Program and Infrastructure Budgets
6. Act as a road safety Cell for PWD by coordinating road safety activities in PWD
7. Improve staff development and training in PWD to help sustain the new processes
8. Annual budgeting process for PWD
 Road Safety

ROAD HUMP
A speed breaker is a hump surface across the roadway having a rounded shape with
width greater than the wheel base of most of the vehicles using the road. When there is decrease
variation in sensory stimuli and at locations where speed controls are desired, a speed breaker
acts as a strong stimuli to arouse reaction in the brain. Since the driver reaction times are faster
in response to audible and tactile stimuli than to visual stimuli, a driver subconsciously reduces
the speed.

An ideally designed hump should satisfy the following requirements:

1. There should be no damage to vehicles nor excessive discomfort to the drivers and
passengers when passing at the preferred crossing speed.
2. The hump should not give rise to excessive noise or cause harmful vibrations to the
adjoining buildings or affect the other residents of the area.
3. Above the design speed, a driver should suffer increasing level of discomfort (but
without losing directional control and without any vehicle damage) depending on the
extent through which design speed is exceeded.
BLACK SPOTS

In road safety management, an accident blackspot or black spot is a place where road
traffic accidents have historically been concentrated. It may have occurred for a variety of
reasons, such as a sharp drop or corner in a straight road, so oncoming traffic is concealed, a
hidden junction on a fast road, poor or concealed warning signs at a cross-roads.

For some decades treatment of accident blackspots (e.g. by signage, speed restrictions,
improving sightlines, straightening bends, or speed cameras) was a mainstay of road safety
policy, but current thinking has it that the benefits of these interventions are often overstated.
Effects such as regression to the mean, risk compensation and accident migration combine to
reduce the overall benefit.

In some cases it has been claimed that the end result is an increase in overall casualties.
In one notable experiment, a number of accident blackspots were "treated" with a null
treatment—placement of a garden gnome, according to some reports. Accident rates at these
points were found to have decreased significantly in the following period,[citation needed] a
finding which is taken as clear evidence supporting the theory of regression to the mean.

Codes For Road Safety

1. IRC:53-1982Road Accident Forms A-1 and 4 (FirstRevision)

2. IRC:93-1985Guidelines on Design and Installation of Road Traffic Signals
3. IRC:SP:27-1984Report Containing Recommendations of IRC Regional Workshops
on HighwaySafety
4. IRC:SP:32-1988Road Safety for Children (5-12 Years Old)UnderRevisio5.
5. IRC:SP:44-1994Highway Safety Code
6. IRC:SP:55-2001Guidelines for Safety in Construction Zones400.0020.007.
7. MORT&HManual for Safety in Road Design600.0030.008.
8. Seminar, 1986Preliminary Publication – InternationalSeminar on “Road Safety”,
Srinagar,September 17-18, 1986
9. Seminar, 1998Technical Papers – International Seminaron ‘‘Highway Safety
Management & Devices”, New Delhi, 6-7 November 1998
10. Seminar, 1998Proceedings – International Seminar on “Highway Safety Management
& Devices”,New Delhi, 6-7 November, 1998
CAUSES OF ROAD ACCIDENTS :
1. Distracted Driving : The number one cause of car accidents is not a criminal that
drove drunk, sped or ran a red light. Distracted drivers are the top cause of car
accidents in the U.S. today. A distracted driver is a motorist that diverts his or her
attention from the road, usually to talk on a cell phone, send a text message or eat
food.
2. Speeding: You’ve seen them on the highway. Many drivers ignore the speed limit
and drive 10, 20 and sometimes 30 mph over the limit. Speed kills, and traveling
above the speed limit is an easy way to cause a car accident. The faster you drive, the
slower your reaction time will be if you need to prevent an auto accident.
3. Drunk Driving : When you drink, you lose the ability to focus and function properly
and its very dangerous when operating a vehicle. Driving under the influence of
alcohol causes car accidents every day, even when they are one the top causes that can
be avoided. Always use a designated driver if you go out and drink.
4. Reckless Driving : If you don’t drive carefully, and you may end up in a needless car
accident. That’s what often happens to reckless drivers who speed, change lanes too
quickly or tailgate before causing a car accident. Reckless drivers are often impatient
in traffic so be sure to take extra care around aggressive drivers.
5. Rain : If the weather gets bad so do the roads. Car accidents happen very often in the
rain because water creates slick and dangerous surfaces for cars, trucks, and
motorcycles and often causes automobiles to spin out of control or skid while braking.
To avoid a car accident, drive extra careful when it rains.
6. Running Red Lights : When you’re driving your car, red means stop and not doing
so usually leads to car accidents. Drivers that run red lights, run the risk of causing
wrongful death because they often cause side-impact collisions at high speeds. To
avoid a car accident, look both ways for oncoming cars as you approach a green light.
7. Running Stop Signs : Stop signs should never be ignored, but when they are, serious
car accidents are often the result. Each year, thousands of car accidents occur because
one driver ran a stop sign. Many rollover accidents and side-impact car accidents
result from drivers that run stop signs. You should always look both ways when
proceeding through a stop sign.
8. Teenage Drivers: Youth is wasted on the young, but careful driving is never wasted
on young drivers. Unfortunately, teenagers aren’t often known for their carefulness.
When teen drivers hit the roads they don’t always know what to do and that lack of
experience ends up causing car accidents.
PREVENTION OF ROAD ACCIDENTS :
1. Keep your eyes on the road: When you are driving, you should be doing just that
and nothing else. Don’t let things going on inside the car distract you from the task at
hand. The car is not the place for multi-tasking, so you should not be doing things like
brushing your hair or shaving (yes, there are people who actually do these things). If
you are not concentrating solely on your driving, you are risking an accident, because
you will not be prepared for anything that is up ahead.
2. Never use your cell phone: There is no good reason to be talking on a cell phone
while you are driving. This is extremely distracting. If you do not have a hands-free
model, you will have to look at the phone to dial numbers. Even with a hands-free,
you will be talking, which will distract you from your driving. Put the phone away,
and make sure it is turned off so you don’t have the urge to answer it if it rings. If you
do need to make a call, wait until you are parked before doing so.
3. Don’t change CD’s: It isn’t really a good idea to be listening to music while you are
driving anyway, but if you are listening to CD’s, make sure that you are not changing
them while you are driving. Again, this will cause you to look away, and even if you
just take your eyes off the road for a second, accidents can happen. Only change CD’s
while the vehicle is parked. If you must listen to music, which itself is distracting
enough, try using the radio instead, on your favourite station which is already preset
so you don’t have to fiddle with it.
4. Never, ever drink and drive: If you are caught drinking and driving in Ontario, you
will pay the price. Not only will you have a huge fine to pay, you could even end up
going to jail and having your vehicle impounded. Your license will be suspended for
at least one year. When you are drinking, you do not have the same abilities that you
do when you are sober, and that includes the ability to drive safely. Your judgement is
impaired, and your vision may not be the greatest either. So many people are
needlessly injured or killed every year in Ontario. Don’t be a statistic. If you are going
to drink, find alternate transportation. Have a designated driver. Take a taxi. Take a
bus. Just don’t take your car. Remember, this also includes driving while under the
influence of any drugs, including narcotics such as marijuana.
5. Avoid construction areas : Sometimes, you may need to change the regular routes
you take to work, school and other places every day, especially if there is construction
going on. There may be detours, which can be confusing for many people and cause
accidents. There may also be debris from the construction that you could run over,
causing tire blowouts or worse. Until construction is completed, find an alternate
route to wherever you are going to avoid the risk of having an accident.
6. Follow speed limits: When you are driving too fast, you are really risking having
accidents. For one thing, if you have to stop suddenly, chances are that you are not
going to be able to. What if a child was to run out in front of you and you were going
too fast? Would you be able to slow down enough, or even stop, so that you don’t hit
him? If you are driving within the posted speed limit, you will not have this problem,
because you will be driving a speed that makes it easy to stop quickly if necessary. It
is not just pedestrians you need to worry about either. Another driver may not be
 paying attention and run a stop sign, and you need to be going slowly enough to be
able to react on time.
7. Follow the rules of the road: Just like speed limits, there are other rules of the road
that you must follow if you want to avoid having accidents, and getting traffic tickets.
If you are approaching a stop sign or a red light, start slowing down long before you
get to it, so that you are able to come to a complete stop at the stop line. Obey all
traffic signs; they are there for a reason.
8. Ignore aggressive drivers : There are going to be some drivers who do some pretty
crazy things, like speed and cut other drivers off, and sooner or later, you are going to
be faced with one of these people. The best thing to do in a case like this is to try and
get as far out of their way as possible. If they are crawling up behind you, honking
their horn, slow down to let them pass. Don’t play games and just make them angrier.
The quicker you can get them away from you, the safer you will be.

Road Junctions

Road Junctions are designed at places where vehicular traffic can move in different directions
in a systematic way. Road Junctions decrease the probability of accidents. The traffic at Road
junctions is controlled and resumed in a systematic way to proceed further in their respective
directions with the help of traffic signals.

Road Junction in Taiwan

Design of Road Junctions is a crucial subject. Understanding the nature of traffic, the kind of
area, density of population etc is very important so as to propose a suitable road Junction design.
 Road safety criteria in junctions design
The main objective of junction design is to increase convenience, comfort and safety while at
the same time enhancing the efficient movement of all road users (motor vehicles, buses,
trucks, bicycles, and pedestrians).
Junctions are intended to operate where vehicles often must share space with other vehicles
and pedestrians.
An important safety aim is to match the speed at which drivers negotiate the junction with the
complexity of the decisions to be made. This can be done, for example, by only allowing
simple merging manoeuvres on high speed roads or by ensuring that drivers reduce speed on
the junction approach (e.g. by deflection of path through a roundabout). Sight lines should
provide drivers with sufficient information to make safe decisions, but not tempt them to try
to select short gaps in conflicting traffic flows.

Design Principles Of Junctions Include :

 Minimization of traffic conflicts locations: A junction has a set of conflict points

between vehicle paths, and a good design should aim at minimizing the severity of
potential accidents at these points.

Figure 8 Number of conflict points at junctions and roundabouts

 Sufficient sight distances: Appropriate sight distances, both while approaching the
junction area and being at the junction are of major importance for the safe operation of
the junction. The creation of junctions in vertical sag curves is considered to be
favourable. Another important parameter concerns the prompt perception and
comprehension of the junction's layout and operation by drivers, particularly those who
are not regular users of the junction, and therefore the selection of appropriate path and
travel speed, on which drivers can be assisted by improved horizontal and vertical road
marking and appropriate junction layout .
 Longitudinal section and transverse gradients design: It is important to design the
longitudinal section of the road in the junction area and access areas, in order to achieve a
 smooth transition of transverse gradients and effective drainage. Ideal location for a
junction is on a tangent. Location in curves may cause problems, as visibility is reduced,
conflict points increase and superelevation and lane widening make the situation more
complicated. Moreover, junctions should not have gradients over 3%, and never more than
6% in order to provide both improved comfort and sight distances; junctions should also
preferably not be located at or near crest vertical curves .
 Left turning movements: The locations where left turns and U-turns are allowed should
be specifically determined and appropriately configured, by means of traffic islands and/or
marked lanes. It should be noted that left turns are high risk movements on a level
junction. Research results in Great Britain have shown that these movements (right turns
in Great Britain) are responsible for around 70% of all accidents on three-arm junctions .
Minimization of weaving areas

Effect of junction type on road safety

The choice of a junction design depends upon several factors, whose relative importance
varies between cases and should be assessed. The most important ones are [70]:
1. Traffic safety
2. Road type and function
3. Number of concurring legs
4. Traffic volume and type
5. Design and operating speed
6. Priority setting
7. Terrain
8. Available room
9. Adjacent land use
10. Service to neighbouring population
11. Network considerations (design consistency)
12. Environmental concerns
13. Cost

The type of junction has to be suited to the road type, the environment and capacity, in order
to maintain good readability both of the road and of the junction, as well as a satisfactory
level of safety. According to the above, for example, junctions or roundabouts should not be
used on motorways, and signalized junctions need not to be used on rural roads, except in
very special cases
On the basis of the shape of the Road Junctions, they are named as:

1. T-Junction
2. Y-Junction
3. Acute Angle Junction
4. Staggered Junction
5. Multiple Junction

1. T-junction

A T-junction has three arms of which one arm is a main road whereas the other one is usually
a minor road connecting the main road. The roads of a T-junction meet at right angles and is
preferably used for convenience.

T-Junction

2. Y-Junction

A Y-junction has three arms of which all the three roads are of equal sizes. It is generally seen
at places of heavy traffic. It is pretty useful in the distribution of traffic.
 Y-Junction

3. Acute Angle Junction

Generally Acute Angle Junctions are not preferably used. They create lot of chaos in heavy
traffic. The turning for heavy and bigger vehicles becomes a problem. This creates chaos and
traffic.

Acute Angle Junctions can be used at places with very low density and very less space for a
Junction.

Acute Angle Junction

4. Staggered Junction

A staggered junction is a place where several roads meet a main road at a slight distance apart
thus they do not all come together at the same point.
Major single-point traffic-light controlled junctions of more than two roads are often
reconfigured into staggered junctions in order to increase traffic flow through them.

5. Multiple Junction

When multiple roads meet at a same point, the junction is termed as “Multiple Junction”.

6. Grade Separator

When two roads cross each other at separate grades, they can be separated by allowing one
passover by means of a bridge or flyover.
Round About
A roundabout (also called a traffic circle, road circle, rotary, rotunda or island) is a type of
circular intersection or junction in which road traffic is permitted to flow in one direction
around a central island, and priority is typically given to traffic already in the junction.
Modern roundabouts observe various design rules to increase safety. Compared to stop signs,
traffic signals, and earlier forms of roundabouts, modern roundabouts reduce the likelihood
and severity of collisions greatly by reducing traffic speeds and minimizing T-bone and head-
on collisions. Variations on the basic concept include integration with tram and/or train lines,
two-way flow, higher speeds and many others.