Quantifying the effect of road design on urban road driving speed
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Author (Corporation)
Publication date
15.07.2025
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Type
01A - Journal article
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Parent work
Transportation Research Part F: Psychology and Behaviour
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Series
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Volume
112
Issue / Number
Pages / Duration
142-169
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Publisher / Publishing institution
Elsevier
Place of publication / Event location
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Abstract
Background: Reducing driving speed is a key factor in improving road safety and combating noise emissions. As a result, an increasing number of cities worldwide are lowering speed limits on urban roads. However, main urban roads differ from residential streets in several ways, including their appearance, type of trips they accommodate, mix of vehicles and the presence of public transport. These differences limit the design options available for speed reduction.
This paper examines the impact of continuous road design measures on drivers' preferred speed, safe speed and actual driving speed on urban main roads, as well as the psychological processes influencing these choices.
Methods: A virtual reality (VR) study was conducted using a driving simulator. Participants drove through a series of main roads in VR with varying speed limits and road designs. Speed and lateral position were recorded; in a follow-up survey, participants stated their preferred - as well as the considered ‘safe’ - speed along different road designs. They were also asked about driving style, perceived complexity and safety of each treatment.
Results: Simulator results indicated that only specific road designs result in slightly lower driving speeds. Survey results revealed that certain measures influenced preferred and safe speed. Specifically, those with effectiveness linked to the presence or absence of other road users (cyclists, pedestrians, or other cars). Moreover, the study showed that perceived safety and complexity moderated the effectiveness of these road design measures.
Conclusion: Overall, road design measures investigated in this study provided evidence on the impact of road design on driving behavior, but also demonstrated the need for further investigations to include dynamic human factors, as well as combinations of measures to achieve the goal of lower speeds on urban roads.
Keywords
Traffic calming, Urban roads, Driving speed, Driving simulator, Credible speed limits
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ISBN
ISSN
1369-8478
1873-5517
1873-5517
Language
English
Created during FHNW affiliation
Yes
Strategic action fields FHNW
Publication status
Published
Review
Peer review of the complete publication
Open access category
Hybrid
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Citation
van Eggermond, M., Schaffner, D., Studer, N., & Erath, A. (2025). Quantifying the effect of road design on urban road driving speed. Transportation Research Part F: Psychology and Behaviour, 112, 142–169. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trf.2025.04.005