It’s unavoidable — approximately one in every five fatal vehicular crashes involve driver fatigue; a 3rd of crashes involving a drowsy driver end in injuries. In step with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, tired drivers are answerable for over 70,000 crashes a year, causing nearly 45,000 injuries. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that up to 6,000 fatal crashes every year are caused by drowsy drivers.
Truck parking planners must consider not just a rest area’s initial use, but regulations governing commercialization of the right-of-way along with the Interstate System. Additionally, they ought to also anticipate long-term utilization over the subsequent five, 10, 15, and more years with an eye fixed toward developing and future technologies which will affect the project.
TOP 10 LAY-BY DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS
1. LOCATION
As the saying goes, when it involves land, the three most significant considerations are location, location, and site. Each layby could be a connected element within a series of resting places, so it must be located in regard to other existing or planned facilities.
Efficiency considerations, like facilities serving bi-directional travel, should be evaluated. Developing a system of facilities that serves both directions of travel saves money where regulations allow them, but they present potential issues with capacity and safety, especially the chance of wrong-way re-entry to the highway.
2. PARKING ENGINEERING
Parking geometrics are essential at the earliest stages of coming up. Parking engineers must determine how entrances and exits are configured to assure trucks can maneuver into, throughout, and out of the remaining area. As a rule, designers have a requirement to account for median turning radii that are suffering from the parking angle and direction.
3. WHO ARE YOUR USERS?
It is vital to segregate private vehicles and trucks, directing each to a unique lot within the power. This improves safety within the ability by reducing the danger of collisions between trucks and personal vehicles.
4. RESTROOMS
Bathrooms are the foremost basic and essential service for any new rest area; it’s vital there are sufficient facilities to fulfill the wants of both truck drivers and private vehicle drivers.
5. FUEL AND VEHICLE SERVICES
Another consideration is whether or not to produce fuel and, if so, whether to sell regular, diesel, or both — and with the exponential growth of electrical vehicles, today’s service/rest areas should consider electric recharging capabilities — including the mandatory infrastructure (the wires and necessary equipment) within the initial design. It’s much more cost-effective to hook into existing infrastructure than to completely retrofit a facility to later add electric charging capabilities.
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6. ENVIRONMENTAL CONSIDERATIONS
Environmental management is often a very important issue for any development, but particularly for facilities that serve many vehicles. It’s vital that the planning include stormwater treatment strategies that address the inherent environmental impact on adjacent land and water.
7. FOOD SERVICES
Often, drivers who stop are hungry and would really like to own an opportunity to eat a meal or grab a snack. When designing a brand new layby, planners should decide whether to incorporate fast-food restaurants and convenience stores in their design.
8. UTILITIES
It’s essential to own thought for bringing in power, water, and other utilities. It should be possible to attach to local power utilities, but in additional remote locations, the remainder area may generate its own power through gas- or natural gas-fueled generators. On-site water and wastewater treatment plants can also be necessary where it’s insufferable to attach to local utilities.
9. THE WAY TO GET HOLD OF EVERYTHING
It may be expensive to control a pull-off, and most highway departments would favor their facilities to be revenue-neutral. There is a variety of how to realize revenue neutrality, and that they work best when planned ahead.
10. SAFETY AND SECURITY
Safety and security are of paramount importance. Rest areas are used 24 hours on a daily basis, one year a year. There’s a collection of conceptual principles referred to as Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) that ought to influence design in ways in which discourage crime and promote security.
IN CONCLUSION
Ultimately, every vacant lot is different, and lay-by development plans should be built around each site’s unique characteristics. And although truck operators ensure business continuity with the help of software for trucking business, highway parking could also be beneficial to the trucking industry.