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Types Of Audits |
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General
Increasingly road authorities, architects, designers, planners and contractors worldwide are avoiding unnecessary accidents, injuries and costly litigation by conducting road safety audits prior to commencement, during construction, and right through to when the facility is opened to the public.
A road safety audit will review the following stages during the day and night (where appropriate):
Concept, Functional Design, Detailed Design, Construction/Traffic Management, Pre-Opening, Post-Opening and Existing Conditions.
Audits are conducted in accordance with the relevant standards and acts for construction audits, and Austroads Guidelines / relevant road authority traffic engineering manuals and design guidelines for design audits. However, audits are not compliance checks.
Feasibility/Concept
Feasibility/Concept audits are conducted at an early stage when preliminary design plans may or may not have yet been generated. At this stage the advantages and disadvantages of major elements such as alignments and intersection types are assessed against each other from a safety perspective.
Feasibility/Concept audits are normally conducted for medium to large projects only, but can be of benefit to smaller projects depending on the nature of the works.
Why audit at the Feasibility/Concept stage?
- There is greatest scope for change at this stage
- Avoids problems that cannot be avoided at a later stage
- Ensure all road users have been considered in the design
- To check that the project fits into the overall environment suitably or whether additional works will be required
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RSA proposes options for LATM scheme |
Preliminary/Functional
Preliminary/Functional Design audits occur at a critical stage in the design process where horizontal/vertical alignments, superelevation, sight lines, intersection layouts, access locations and all road user groups are considered.
Site inspections are undertaken at this stage to uncover any unknown existing features that may impact on the works, and to gain a general appreciation of the site conditions in relation to the proposed design.
Why undertake a Preliminary/Functional Design Stage Audit?
- Check that lane widths, batters and general road designs are acceptable at an early stage
- Check potential conflict points
- Avoid wasting time if only a detailed design is done and it turns up significant issues
- Check for potential hazards
- Check that all road users have been considered
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Desktop analysis of plans. |
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Site inspection of proposed development. |
Detailed Design
Detailed Design audits assess the design at a stage when the major conceptual and layout decisions have already been made. They reassess the road design aspects as done in the Preliminary audit, but focus on the final details such as barrier terminations, correct type and placement of signs, batter slopes and table drain profiles, pedestrian facilities, drainage, roadside objects, signals and so on.
Site inspections are also undertaken at this stage if they have not already been undertaken at the preliminary stage.
Why undertake a Detailed Design Stage Audit?
- It is the last chance to make alterations to plans before construction where the cost of changes dramatically increases
- Check the signing and linemarking
- Check that all the details of the road furniture work together and connect well to the conditions of the existing road
- Check that all road users have been considered
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Departure side of a T-intersection over a steep crest. |
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Modified T intersection brings a non-frangible pole into crash path.
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Guard rail too short.
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Bike lane routed onto shared path. |
Construction/Traffic Management
Traffic Management Plans are audited to ensure that traffic will be safely channelled through/past a work site, and to anticipate common driver behaviours that may result from confusion due to the changed conditions.
Engineering judgement is often called upon in situations where standards cannot necessarily be met. Expertise in barrier design and application and traffic engineering is also critical at this stage.
Following implementation of the Traffic Management Plan, an audit should be undertaken to assess how the plan is operating so that adjustments can be made as soon as possible where site conditions were not anticipated on the plan.
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Boxed section too deep with
inadequate clearance to traffic. |
Why undertake a Construction/Traffic Management Audit?
- Changed road conditions in a confined space give rise to the potential for crashes
- Construction contractors are often not equipped with expertise in traffic management and will miss many subtle but important issues
- To check that signs and devices are standard to ensure consistency and clarity for road users
- To avoid conflicting messages between existing and temporary signs
- Check that all road users have been considered including road workers, motorists, cyclists and pedestrians
- Inner city construction sites often require a deviation from the standards in order to proceed due to the absence of space. Careful consideration and judgement is required to determine an acceptable deviation
- Minimise exposure to legal action in the event of an accident within the work zone
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Sign edge too close to road, raised in an audit, not addressed. |
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Sign struck by vehicle and identified in next audit. |
Typical Issues?
- Location, cleanliness and appropriateness of signage
- Suitability and installation of barriers, including termination
- Suitability/credibility of speed limits
- Proximity of workers to traffic
- Proximity of traffic to hazards caused by the works
- The appropriateness of the selected layout
- Conflicts between existing and temporary road furniture
- Taper lengths at merges
- The depth of boxed out sections
- Provision for all road users
- Implemented in accordance with latest standards
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Three different speed signs in 20 meters.
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Temporary sign conflicting with existing sign.
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Too many signs.
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Good channelisation.
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Worker has no safety vest and is too close to traffic.
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Too much information in lane sign, and placed below directional sign.
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Lane status sign should be in advance of lane taper.
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Dirty sign is non-reflective in day or night.
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Pre-Opening
Pre-Opening audits are a final check to ensure that the road has been built as designed and to identify any safety issues. The new road is assessed in detail, along with its connections to existing roads during the day and night.
At this stage many of the issues raised can be rectified with only minor modifications. However, this is often dependant on the audit process to this point.
Why undertake a pre-opening audit?
- To check for issues that may have been missed through the design process
- To check for issues resulting from poor or incorrect construction
- To check for issues resulting from genuine mistakes
- It is the last chance to rectify any problems before exposing them to the travelling public
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Combination of frangible pole and BCTA not ideal.
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Issue was addressed after being raised in an audit.
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Pooling of water potential for aquaplaning.
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Give Way or Stop?
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Non-frangible pole placed within deflection zone of wire rope barrier.
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Protruding base of sawn-off pole a trip hazard.
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Poor interface between old and new lines.
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Post-Opening
When a post-opening audit is commissioned, normally the project is of a magnitude that has also required a pre-opening audit. The post opening audit checks that issues raised in the pre-opening audit have been adequately addressed, and has a particular emphasis on how all road users are coping with the new road facility and whether any significant operational problems are being observed (above and beyond normal teething issues).
Why undertake a post-opening audit?
- To check that issues raised in the pre-opening audit have been satisfactorily addressed
- Often not all road features are complete at the time of the pre-opening audit, hence it is also an opportunity to check the completed road
- To check that traffic is coping adequately with the new road conditions
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New and redundant line markings indistinguishable in wet.
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One sign blocking another.
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Left arrow should be visible at beginning of left turn lane due to crest.
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BCTA Guard Fence cable too flaccid. |
Existing Conditions
An assessment of an existing road with or without an accident problem, pedestrian environment or building access can be made. RSA will adopt the following procedures to identify existing problem areas and potential problem areas based on risk management principles and develop suitable counter measures:
- Analyse existing accident problems: Location, time of accident/s, conditions during accident/s
- Travel the total length of the route to investigate the known accident sites and assess the road in general
- Assess existing conditions that are potential hazards
- Record location of deficiencies and photograph some of the problems identified
- Development of suitable counter measures
- Assessment will be conducted during the day and night
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Road appears to go somewhat straight...
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...in fact it bends right. Side road should be partially sealed, with splitter island and edge line on main road.
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Significant level difference on outside of bend is undesirable.
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Chevron Alignment Markers are at wrong height, position, relative spacing and size.
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Too many signs.
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Redundant line marking.
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Slip section of pole too high.
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Perambulator (Pram ramps) should have been installed through intersection.
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