Paul St-Aubin edited Conclusion.tex  almost 10 years ago

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\section{Conclusion}  This research looked at two indicators of traffic behaviour---speed and time-to-collision---associated with road safety (collision severity andcollision  probability) for 37 weaving zones at 20 roundabouts in the province of Quebec. Random effect regression was used to perform a disaggregated behaviour regression across 37 groups over nearly 80,000 observed vehicles, one of the largest applications of surrogate safety indicators to date. Among the major findings, a  direct regression of factors suggest suggests  that the number of exit lanes and width of the apron have a significant negative effect on driving speed within the weaving zone, while zone,while  more obvious factors, such as roundabout diameter and flow ratio do not have an effect on speed. Flow ratio is found to have an important effect on time-to-collision however, for evenly mixed flow ratios produce the most complex traffic conflicts. Traffic circle conversions are found to be associated with the highest speeds. Surprisingly, roundabouts in residential areas on collector roads are associated with higher speeds and TTC in the weaving zone. This may be explained by low flows overall and drivers accustomed to not having to yield. Roundabouts located in connected to  regional highways generated relatively higher speeds within the weaving zone despite comparable size, though only moderate TTCs. While this research provides some important insight into traffic behaviour at North American roundabouts, it is not yet complete. The time-to-collision indicator still needs more validation so these results will need to be revised for better interpretation regarding safety. Results are also somewhat inconclusive regarding multi-lane roundabout configurations. A more detailed analysis targeting lane changing behaviour and conflicts specifically may be warranted for these types of manoeuvres are frequently cited as problematic.