Statistical analysis of experimental crossing speed on vertical traffic calming devices: influence of vehicle category and road safety implications

The growing number of accidents involving pedestrians every year represents a critical issue for road safety in urban areas. These accidents are often caused by excessive speed and risky behaviour by the drivers of the vehicles involved. In this context, traffic calming devices, especially raised pedestrian crossings (RPCs), are installed to reduce the transit speed of vehicles and allow pedestrians to cross safely. This study aims to determine whether the transit speeds of vehicles on a traffic calming device depend on the category of the vehicle itself. To this end, an experimental data collection was conducted on an RPC case study, considering different collection days, in various time slots. Statistical tests, including ANOVA (F-test), Student’s t-test, and Tukey’s correction, were carried out on these data, showing a significant correlation between the crossing speed of the traffic calming device and the vehicle category. This study, therefore, lays the foundations for urban planning dedicated to pedestrian safety, enabling the adaptation of traffic calming device characteristics according to the vehicle fleet, maximizing their effectiveness.