Wojciech Kustra

Selected Problems of Transport in Port Towns – Tri-City as an Example

Abstract Port towns are strategic places from the point of view of transport systems. They form integration junctions for various transport branches , apart from the traditional - road and railway ones , also for water( sea) transport which is active there. Moreover, air transport comes also into consideration , whose efficient functioning must be connected with good accessibility, that concerns sea transport as well. Efficient and safe servicing the ports is crucial for their functioning. Problems associated with the overloading of lorries, which leads to degradation of road surface structure , observed in Gdynia, are discussed as an example in this paper. Problems of road traffic safety (RTS) are presented in this paper on the example of Gdańsk. The two issues: the road traffic safety and road surface degradation constitute only some transport problems of port towns , but they are very important, from the point of view of their specificity, for integration junctions of all the transport branches for people and goods. However, in discussing selected aspects of transport in port towns it is necessary to refer to the managing of integrated transport system with taking into account its traffic safety aspects.

Analysis of Factors Influencing the Density of Fatalities on National Roads in Poland

Analysis of Factors Influencing the Density of Fatalities on National Roads in Poland In Poland 20% of the total number of accidents occur on the national roads, which constitute 7% of the length of all roads. In the case of fatalities this share is significantly higher as it constitutes up to 36% of the total casualties. In accordance with the EU Directive (Journal of Laws EU L. 319/59) the level of road traffic safety should be raised by targeting investment on the most dangerous road sections. Finding the dependence between road and traffic factors and the number of accidents and casualties of road accidents may be helpful in predicting safety levels and selecting road traffic safety improvement measures. The paper presents the experience of other countries and preliminary tests results of the impact of the selected factors on the density and the number of road accident fatalities on the national roads in Poland. Analiza czynników wpływających na gęstość ofiar śmiertelnych na drogach krajowych w Polsce W Polsce na drogach krajowych, które stanowią 7 % długości wszystkich dróg dochodzi do ponad 20% ogółu wypadków. W przypadku ofiar śmiertelnych udział ten jest znacznie wyższy, bo stanowi aż 36% ogółu ofiar. Zgodnie z Unijną Dyrektywą (Dz.U. UE L.319/ 59) poziom bezpieczeństwa ruchu drogowego powinien zostać podniesiony poprzez inwestycje na najbardziej niebezpiecznych odcinkach dróg. Znalezienie zależności pomiędzy czynnikami drogowo-ruchowymi a liczbą wypadków i ofiar wypadków drogowych może być pomocna przy prognozowaniu poziomu bezpieczeństwa i wyborze środków poprawy brd. W referacie przedstawiono doświadczenia innych krajów i wstępne wyniki badań wpływu wybranych czynników na gęstość i liczbę ofiar śmiertelnych wypadków drogowych na drogach krajowych w Polsce.

Assessing Highway Travel Time Reliability Using Probe Vehicle Data

Probe vehicle data (also known as “floating car data”) can be used to analyze travel time reliability of an existing road corridor in order to determine where, when, and how often traffic congestion occurs at particular road segments. The aim of the study is to find the best reliability performance measures for assessing congestion frequency and severity based on probe data. Pilot surveys conducted on A2 motorway in Poland confirm the usefulness and reasonable accuracy of probe data for measuring speed variation in both congested and free-flowing traffic. Historical probe vehicle data and traditional traffic counts from Polish S6 expressway were used to analyze travel time reliability on its 24 road sections. Travel time indexes and reliability ratings for the whole year 2016 were calculated to identify segments with lower reliability and higher expected delay. It is concluded that unlike the HCM-6 method, travel times obtained from probe data should be averaged in 1-hour intervals. Delay index is proposed as a new reliability indicator for road segments. Delay map diagrams are recommended for showing how the congestion spots move in space and with time of day.

Road safety inspection as a tool for road safety management – the polish experience

Abstract In Poland, road inspections were implemented in June 2014 on all national roads. Previous traffic surveys mainly looked at the technical condition of roads, signs and markings; other safety issues were overlooked. The main problem of the inspections is that the qualitative assessment is subjective which affects the classification of the sources of hazard on the road. The paper presents an analysis of the variability of the qualitative assessments of road defects when they are assessed by different teams of inspectors. On this basis, guidelines were developed for the classification of risks based on the relationship between sources of road hazard and the personal and economic losses involved in road accidents. These relationships are quantified using mathematical models to simulate the effect of hazard variability on the consequences of selected road accident causes on sections of the road network.

Road Infrastructure Safety Management in Poland

The objective of road safety infrastructure management is to ensure that when roads are planned, designed, built and used road risks can be identified, assessed and mitigated. Road transport safety is significantly less developed than that of rail, water and air transport. The average individual risk of being a fatality in relation to the distance covered is thirty times higher in road transport that in the other modes. This is mainly because the different modes have a different approach to safety management and to the use of risk management methods and tools. In recent years Poland has had one of the European Unions highest road death numbers. In 2016 there were 3026 fatalities on Polish roads with 40,766 injuries. Protecting road users from the risk of injury and death should be given top priority. While Polands national and regional road safety programmes address this problem and are instrumental in systematically reducing the number of casualties, the effects are far from the expectations. Modern approaches to safety focus on three integrated elements: infrastructure measures, safety management and safety culture. Due to its complexity, the process of road safety management requires modern tools to help with identifying road user risks, assess and evaluate the safety of road infrastructure and select effective measures to improve road safety. One possible tool for tackling this problem is the risk-based method for road infrastructure safety management. European Union Directive 2008/96/EC regulates and proposes a list of tools for managing road infrastructure safety. Road safety tools look at two criteria: the life cycle of a road structure and the process of risk management. Risk can be minimized through the application of the proposed interventions during design process as reasonable. The proposed methods of risk management bring together two stages: risk assessment and risk response occurring within the analyzed road structure (road network, road stretch, road section, junction, etc.). The objective of the methods is to help road authorities to take rational decisions in the area of road safety and road infrastructure safety and understand the consequences occurring in the particular phases of road life cycle. To help with assessing the impact of a road project on the safety of related roads, a method was developed for long-term forecasts of accidents and accident cost estimation as well as a risk classification to identify risks that are not acceptable risks. With regard to road safety audits and road safety inspection, a set of principles was developed to identify risks and the basic classification of mistakes and omissions. This work has added to the Polish experience of preparing and implementing such tools within the competent road authorities.