Study Details
Study Title: Effect of Removing Freeway Mainline Barrier Toll Plazas on Safety
Authors: Yang et al.
Publication Date:JAN, 2013
Abstract: Toll plaza safety is a critical issue. Toll plazas induce motor vehicle crashes and also put workers such as toll collectors at risk. Therefore, enhancing safety at a toll plaza is crucial to improving safety on tolled roadways. This study aims to evaluate the safety effect of removing mainline barrier toll plazas on highways using Empirical Bayesian (EB) methodology. Recent removals of barrier toll plaza on the Garden State Parkway in New Jersey were used as a case study. Multiple-year traffic and crash data before and after the removals of the barrier toll plazas were used for analysis. Toll plaza crash frequency models as a function of traffic flow and other factors were developed, with the modeling results suggesting that there is a nonlinear relationship between toll plaza crash occurrences and both traffic flow as well as toll booth configurations. The EB approach is also used to predict crash frequency assuming that the barrier toll booths were not removed. These EB-based estimates were compared with the observed number of crashes after the removals of the toll plazas. Individual comparisons show reductions in crash frequency at almost all of the toll plazas and an estimated reduction of 47.2 percent overall at all toll plazas due to the removal of the barrier toll booths. The estimated crash cost was reduced by 43.2 percent. These estimated reductions demonstrate that the removal of barrier toll plazas is a very beneficial step towards improving safety of toll roads.
Study Citation: Yang, H.; Ozbay, K.; Bartin, B.; and Ozturk, O. "Effect of Removing Freeway Mainline Barrier Toll Plazas on Safety" Presented at the Transportation Research Board 92nd Annual Meeting, Paper No. 13-5001, January 13-17, 2013, Washington, DC.
Related Citations: Yang, H., Ozbay, K., Bartin, B., and Ozturk, O. (2014). "Assessing the Safety Effects of Removing Highway Mainline Barrier Toll Plazas." J. Transp. Eng., 140(8), 04014038.
Study Report: Download the Study Report Document
CMFs Associated With This Study
Category: Roadway
Countermeasure: Removing mainline barrier toll plazas on highways
| CMF | CRF(%) | Quality | Crash Type | Crash Severity | Roadway Type | Area Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.528 | 47.2 |  | All | All | Principal Arterial Other Freeways and Expressways | Not specified |
| 0.51 | 49 | | All | O | Principal Arterial Other Freeways and Expressways | Not specified |
| 0.597 | 40.3 | | All | K,A,B,C | Principal Arterial Other Freeways and Expressways | Not specified |
