Resources

This research investigated the relative merits of various simulation packages (in particular TRARR, TWOPAS and PARAMICS) for modelling vehicle interactions on rural highways. It assessed their suitability for use as tools for evaluating crash risk and travel efficiency, particularly in the prediction of vehicle speeds and bunching in typical highway situations.  All were found to have some strengths over the others for particular project applications. A review was also made of recent or developing models of rural crash risks (including IHSDM) and their potential application in New Zealand considered. Although the underlying methodologies appear promising, most would requre further adaptation for the New Zealand environment. Keywords: rural highways, two-lane, simulation, safety, TRARR, TWOPAS, PARAMICS, IHSDM, New Zealand

An investigation into the feasibility of increasing the legal loads for heavy vehicles on New Zealand roads was begun in 1993. Roads carrying major flows of heavy vehicles in both the North and South Islands were identified, and those that have potential to be used as heavy transport routes were selected. These are routes that carry significant flows of heavy vehicles, and that have a clear purpose (eg mill to port). To evaluate the potential for increasing the legal gross weight of heavy vehicles that could be carried on these heavy tranport routes, the route between the wood-pulp mill at Kinleith, near Tokoroa in the centre of the North Island, and the Port of Tauranga on the Bay of Plenty, was taken as a pilot. The main concern was to evaluate the road geometry and vehicle weight constraints of the pavements and bridges along the pilot route.

This report is of market research into the perceptions and views of road users about the state highway system in New Zealand. The research involved group discussions, a household survey and a survey of commercial road users. It investigated users' rating of the importance of 24 attributes of the state highway system and their assessment of the performance of the existing system against each attribute. It covered perceptions both of the state highway system as a whole and of particular routes. The report highlights those road attributes which users rate as important but for which, they consider, the present system performance is inferior. These are the attributes that warrant high priority for attention by Transit New Zealand.

This literature review was undertaken in 1995 with two main objectives:

to develop a means of assessing the need for increased passing opportunity in the preliminary stages of a scheme evaluation
to evaluate the tools available to predict the effects of increased passing opportunities on highway operations. The report details the performance factors that should be considered in any assessment, summarises warrants used in other countries, and describes some tools used ot evaluate passing facilities. The report concludes that there is a need to research some performance measures for New Zealand that are related to driver perception of the highway, and that a computer-based simulation model such as TRARR or TWOPAS would be most appropriate for determining the benefits of passing opportunities. Keywords: Passing, overtaking, literature review

A research project was undertaken to appraise international evidence on the effects of changes in urban public transport systems and services on the extent of switching to/from car travel and on total road traffic volumes, and to develop guidelines for use in the evaluation of urban transport projects in New Zealand. The major part of the project involved collection and appraisal of international evidence, for situations where changes have been made to the urban public transport system, on the proportion of additional public transport trips that would otherwise be car driver trips, and on the effects of the mode switching on overall road traffic volumes. Evidence was collected mainly from Europe, USA and Australia and appraised by type of public transport change, ie. major new corridor projects, service enhancements, fare changes and on-road priority projects.

International literature on unsealed road condition rating systems was reviewed in 1993-94, with the objective of recommending to Transit New Zealand a system suitable for use on unsealed roads in New Zealand. The present rating system used in New Zealand is the RAMM Standards and Guidelines Part II: Unsealed Road Condition Rating Standards:, Issue 1, May 1994. This system, with some modifications, is recommended as still being appropriate for unsealed roads in New Zealand. Keywords: Literature, New Zealand, RAMM, rating systems, review, roads, unsealed roads

The report presents a background to the design traffic data included in the New Zealand Supplement to the AUSTROADS Guide. Data collected by Transit New Zealand's Weigh-in-motion Stations has been analysed and manipulated to provide New Zealand-based data suitable for inclusion alongside the Australian equivalent provided in Tables E4 and E5 of the guide. Keywords: Design traffic, AUSTROADS pavement design, axle loads, axle configuration, New Zealand supplement

A research project was undertaken in 2001–2003 to investigate the application of employer travel plans in New Zealand. The project's focus was the identification of the most appropriate travel plan method that could be used by New Zealand organisations, and its likely impact on travel modes for the journey to work. Case study employer travel plans were facilitated at two New Zealand organisations as part of this project. The research project involved three main components:

a review of international practice and experience with employer travel plans
facilitation of case study employer travel plans at the Auckland Central branch of the New Zealand Police, and the Civic Offices of the Christchurch City Council
assessment of the results of the employer travel plan case studies. The case studies demonstrated that the standard employer travel plan process can be applied in the New Zealand context.

This report is an annex to Transit New Zealand Research Report No. 32, Site design for heavy vehicle facilities. This annex summarises the seven individual research studies (unpublished) that were undertaken between 1985 and 1990 and from which Transit New Zealand Research Report No. 32 was prepared. Keywords: A-train, access, B-train, bus, clearance, coach facilities, forklift, heavy vehicles, manoeuvring, rigid truck, semi-trailer, site design, tracking curves, truck

The aim of this study, carried out in 2003, is to provide information to improve the design of pedestrian-vehicle spaces used on New Zealand roads, so that pedestrian-vehicle conflicts are reduced. It examines the cues to priority given to both drivers and pedestrians using nine design features that are commonly used in pedestrian-vehicle spaces. Seventy-five participants were split into two groups to form a driver perspective group and a pedestrian perspective group. The groups received a series of randomly ordered photographs, taken from driver and pedestrian perspectives, where the nine features were graphically removed or added. Results provide some evidence that tactile features send conflicting visual messages to pedestrians and drivers, whereas pedestrian lines send clear visual signals. Feature in isolation enhance pedestrians' sense of priority but do not impact on drivers' perceptions.