Average speed enforcement and its potential application on New Brunswick roads
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Date
2021-03
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University of New Brunswick
Abstract
Average Speed Enforcement (ASE) is a is a relatively new approach that can be used to enforce speed limits. ASE determines a vehicle’s mean speed over an extended length of road by recording the time a motorist took to drive between two set points. Reducing the speed of motorists over a longer section of roadway yields benefits such as fewer collisions and a reduction in fuel consumption. This study investigated the findings of the effectiveness of average speed enforcement among those jurisdictions that have adopted it. It was found that ASE reduces collisions by 30-40% and that it lowers carbon emissions by roughly 15% on a 100 km/h road. These findings were then applied to a local road to determine if an economic case could be made for its use in New Brunswick. Route 7 between Oromocto and Saint John was chosen as a test site. A field study found that the average space mean speed on this facility was 107 km/h and the 85th percentile speed was 114 km/h despite the posted speed limit being only 100 km/h. The potential benefits of ASE were estimated and an economic evaluation found that its deployment would yield a benefit-cost ratio of approximately 15.6.