An analysis of the relationship between traffic congestion on main roads and the traffic environment in surrounding areas (An evaluation of residential road safety from analysis of traffic accident and ETC 2.0)

Abstract

In Fukuyama City, Hiroshima Prefecture, there are two main roads, National Road No. 2 which crosses the city from east to west, and Prefectural Road No. 244 which crosses the north and south. National Road No. 2 has the role of connecting Fukuyama City to the city in the east-west direction, and Prefectural Road No. 244 is an artery for logistics to the industrial area in the southern part of Fukuyama City. Therefore, the traffic of vehicles passing through these main line roads are high. If such a main line road is congested, for example, when traffic is too high and traffic congestion occurs, such as in the morning or evening commuting hours, many vehicles that want to avoid traffic congestion will enter the road in a residential area. As a result, it is expected that it will negative effect for the safety of roads in residential areas. The authors investigated the area around the crossing of National Route No. 2 and Prefectural Road No. 244. And the authors analyzed traffic volume on main line roads and residential areal roads, questionnaires from junior high school students in the investigate area, traffic accident occurrence situations, and traffic situation data using the ETC 2.0 function. In this study, it was confirmed from traffic volume observations and ETC 2.0 data that the traffic volume on residential roads parallel to the main road increased during the time of congestion on the main road. In addition, regarding this parallel residential areal road, "the place where junior high school students had a dangerous experience" coincided well with the locations where sudden braking frequently occurred in the ETC 2.0 data, and there were many actual accidents.