A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Engineering in the Asian Institute of Technology, Bangkok, Thailand

Thesis (M.Eng.) - Asian Institute of Technology, 1969

A study was made of the effect of unequally spaced transverse pavement markings on speed and deceleration of vehicles approaching a toll station on a rural highway in Thailand. These white stripes, of 0.50-meter width, were spaced so a vehicle travelling at 60 kph at 120 meters from the toll station, and decelerating uniformly to a stop at the station, would cross one line per second. Using a photographic technique to collect the data, observations were made before and after painting the transverse lines. To obtain an estimate of speed at specific distances from the toll gate, a regression curve was fitted to each run, using the method of least squares. From the least squares curve, the mean speed of vehicles before painting and after painting the stripes were obtained and statistically compared using the Students' t-test at the 5-percent significance level. One of the findings was a significant increase in the speed of passenger cars observed during daytime at distances farther than 100 meters from the toll station. This finding is a confirmation of results by others in experiments employing rumble strips. Among the more favorable effects of the transverse pavement markings was a significant reduction in the speeds of trucks and buses approaching the toll station at night.