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International Focus Group on Rural Road Engineering

Information Note

Construction of passing points


Category : Technical Information/Road safety/

PROBLEM
Constraints of geometry or traffic prevents traffic passing safely and easily; single lane road with no shoulders or weak shoulder materials

SOLUTION
Design and Construction of Passing Places

GENERAL DESCRIPTION
Road widths should be minimised so as to reduce the costs of construction and maintenance whilst being sufficient to carry the traffic volume and type safely. Other factors, such as terrain and demands of non-motorised traffic (NMT) may also determine the optimal road width. Access roads, carrying low traffic volumes, are likely to be single lane (2.5 3.0m wide). In these circumstances, the frequency of vehicles meeting is low and over-taking or passing movements should be expected to be undertaken at low speed.

Provision of a 3.0 metre carriageway with 1.5m shoulders will allow a total road width of 6.0m, sufficient for two trucks to pass with reasonable clearance at low speed. Shoulders used by NMT and pedestrians reduces potential conflict to an acceptably low level. Road widening or passing points can be considered where:

the shoulder material is weak or the side slopes are steep, and traffic finds difficulty passing traffic volumes (both motorised and non-motorised) increase and instances of conflict compromise safety

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International Focus Group on Rural Road Engineering


Information Note

type of traffic (wide commercial vehicles causing passing constraints) or constraints of geometric design prevents safe and easy passing manoeuvres . driver education and enforcement is such that operation of mixed single lanecontra-carriageway flows and passing points pose unacceptable safety problems.

FEATURES
A passing point is a short length of widened road with a taper at each end. It appears similar to an elongated bus stop or a lay-by. The structure and surface of the passing point is the same as the main carriageway. The most important feature of passing points is the frequency at which they are constructed along the road. The frequency depends upon the volume of traffic and the road safety environment. Selection of Passing Points

Criteria Funding Traffic volume Traffic growth Vehicle types Maintenance practice

Single lane road with passing Two lane road points Suitability Funds are constrained Traffic volume is below 20 vehicles per day Expected traffic growth is less than 10% per year Predominantly small vehicles Current maintenance practice suits narrow roads Funds are not constrained Traffic volume is above 20 vehicles per day Expected traffic growth is more than 10% per year Considerable number of wide vehicles Current maintenance practice does not suit narrow roads

DESIGN ASPECTS
A clear distinction should be drawn between passing points and lay-bys. Lay-bys are provided for specific purposes, such as parking or bus stops. Passing points are simple to design in structural terms, following that of the main carriageway. The greater difficulty is to determine the spacing, location and size of the passing points. Determination of the optimum passing point spacing is dependent

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International Focus Group on Rural Road Engineering


Information Note

on a number of interacting factors (see list) and as such no rigid rules are applicable for basic access roads. Spacing and location depend upon the following factors.

Meeting sight distances Traffic volume and mix Acceptable reversing distance for vehicles Terrain Strength of surrounding ground

Meeting Sight Distances: The spacing and location of passing points is largely dependent on the meeting sight distances. Ideally, at least one passing point is placed within each sight distance. Meeting sight distance refers to the length of road where drivers in vehicles travelling towards each other begin to see each other. The maximum spacing and location of passing points is dependent upon sight distances. Locate passing points such that if one stands at one passing point, the next is visible in each direction. In hilly terrain the spacing of passing points will need to be more flexible and responsive to both sight distance and the constraints of the surrounding landscape. As a general rule the optimal spacing should be equal to the sight distance, up to a maximum of 500 metres. An alternate approach to locate passing places at regular intervals (say every 500m). Traffic volume and mix: As traffic volumes increases or the type of traffic changes (timber trucks, mining vehicles, buses, slow moving motorised/nonmotorised), the number of passing points will increase. In such instances road widening is more likely to become the optimal solution. Drivers of heavy or wide vehicles may be unwilling to reverse long distances. Where trucks are travelling in both directions, it may be necessary to reduce the passing point spacing. Sizing of passing point After determining the spacing and location of passing points, the length and width should be set. The length is primarily dependent on the traffic volume. If the traffic volume is high, the passing point should be long enough to accommodate several vehicles waiting for oncoming traffic to pass. General Guide for length (including tapers) of passing points Traffic volume (vehicles per day) Required length of passing point

< 20 25m 20 30 50m >30 75m The width of a passing point should be such to allow two trucks to pass, i.e. minimum width of 5.0 metres total width. Vehicles should be expected to stop or slow to very low speed.

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International Focus Group on Rural Road Engineering


Information Note

CONSTRUCTION ASPECTS
The construction of passing points is similar to that of the main carriageway. Side drains The side drain next to the passing point should be protected from erosion damage where water changes direction. Signage Signs indicating the presence and frequency passing points should be provided. Signs should be highly visible through dust, mist and at night. Passing points can be delineated using earth or concrete filled oil drums that have been pained white. Oil drums can be placed close (10-15m) to the entry and exit of the passing place.

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