Exploring Students’ Understanding of Traffic Artworks in Jordan

Driving consequences in Jordan are becoming a major concern for all Jordanians despite of their age; occupation; socio-economic status. Education is as important as engineering and enforcement to maintain safety and efficiency on our streets. Unsatisfactory levels of traffic knowledge and safety culture is spreading among Jordanians. The knowledge base among students in Jordan universities and schools is explored in this research when administering a questionnaire to more than one hundred students. The subject of the questionnaire is the contents of eight artworks developed by school kids expressing their understandings of traffic and traffic safety issues. The drawings contained more wrong concepts than correct concepts, and less of the interviewed subjects were able to identify the incorrect concepts compared to those who identified correct concepts. University students were more capable to identify incorrect concepts. The topics and the quality of drawings contribute to the variation in responses among students. No clear trend is detected in that regard. This research is setting the ground for future work to examine the knowledge base of traffic issues among Jordanian. The next step is to examine more artworks with control sets who have been subjected to various orientations prior to examination. Keywords: traffic safety, traffic artworks, traffic safety knowledge, traffic safety awareness, students’ traffic safety

The Relation Between Speed-Lane Choice and Road Accidents in Jordan

More than 96% of traffic casualties in Jordan take place on nonintersection roadway segments. Speed variation and improper lane change are considered to be some of the main factors contributing to these casualties. This research paper describes an attempt made to study speed-lane choice behavior in Jordan. Drivers’ behaviors with regard to their choice of speed and/or traveled lane are assessed. One-fifth of the observed drivers are speeding and one-forth of them changes lanes along the tested segment. Two models are developed and investigated to describe the relationships between speed and lane choice using binary and linear regression models. Results indicate that driving behavior varies with respect to roadway geometry and lane. Speed influences the driver choice of lane changing and his/her decision about changing lanes influences his/her speed choice

A Review of Public Transport Service in Jordan: Challenges and Opportunities

Jordans public transport (PT) system is characterized by low quality. Jordanian Citizens are reluctant to use the PT unless they have no other option. This paper aims to examine legislative framework for transport system and its effect on the system. It also aims to analyze factors affecting the sector and make suggestion to develop it. All legislations governing the system since the founding of the Kingdom of Jordan were reviewed including points of weakness in those legislations. Data on PT were collected locally and globally for comparison and were analyzed statistically. Results showed that PT vehicles/1000people in Jordan is low compared to international indicators (0.88 compared with 2.66); PT share is 33; fare in Jordan is the lowest compared to 12 European cities ($0.47 compared to 2.57). Fares in Jordan cover operation cost compared to nearly half of the cost in 56 cities. User satisfaction index did not exceed 60 percent and it is related to low service spatial coverage. Investment in transport is low; there is a need for innovative funding; engaging private sector, and developing the public transport system and legislation

Walkability of School Surroundings and its Impact on Pedestrian Behaviour

Pedestrian safety due to traffic accidents is seen as a serious problem in Jordan. It is believed that walking environment is a contributory factor. This study looks into pedestrian environment in schools’ vicinity. Seventeen schools were selected and 231 students were followed from school to home. Pedestrian walking environment for each student trip was assessed by considering the sidewalk and crossing facilities; driver and pedestrian behavior; attractiveness and school location. Analysis indicated that pedestrian environment is rather poor and very few walking paths are in good conditions. Behavior of each pedestrian was observed by considering the trip time; walking time on sidewalk and on pavement; crossing time; number of crossings; and involvement of conflicts. Results showed that 15% of observed subjects were involved in conflicts. Average walking time is 17 minutes; almost half of this time is spent either by walking on street or crossing. On average, children cross two junctions on their way back from school. Females are involved in less conflict and they spend less time in traffic. Drivers give priority to pedestrian in one-thirds of all observed crossings with preference to males

Development of traffic conflicts technique for different environments: A comparative study of pedestrian conflicts in Sweden and Jordan

This study is aimed at improving the current Swedish Traffic conflicts Technique [TCT] in relation to vehicle-pedestrian conflicts. The present definition of conflict severity appears to produce less severe conflicts than they might be, particularly if the relevant road user (RRU) is the pedestrian. Another aim is to apply the Swedish TCT in Jordan as a method for evaluating safety conditions at junctions. The difference in conflict perception in the two countries is explored throughout this thesis. The study was based on collecting data [accident, conflict, and traffic volume] from selected junctions with and without signal control in urban areas (20 junctions in Sweden and 22 junctions in Jordan). Alternative definitions of traffic conflicts and RRU were validated against the present definition of serious conflicts. The results indicated that the present definition of serious conflicts could be improved. The most valid definition of conflicts for non-signalised or signalised junctions or both junction types together was obtained by shifting the present threshold to the more severe direction of the time to accident-speed graph by 0.25 seconds. The present definition of RRU (road-user who acted evasively and was subjected to the least sever situation) produced the most valid definition for non-signalised junctions. The high definition of RRU (the road-user who in the situation produced the highest severity, i.e. the driver) produced the most valid definition for signalised junctions. Sub-groups of conflicts were formed according to the present definition of conflicts by excluding conflicts that involved RRU under the high definition who is driving at a speed less than 20km/h. They produced accident predictions as those produced by the most valid definition of conflicts, particularly for non-signalised junctions. The results indicated that the most valid definitions in Jordan were not the most valid definitions in Sweden. Some conflict definitions, however, have high validity for non-signalised junctions in both countries. The technique must take into account the local conditions in order to be applicable in other countries. According to this study, a minimum requirement is to establish local conversion factors between accidents and conflicts, if the technique is to be applied for accident prediction purposes. Finally, the road-user perception of conflicts is different in the two countries

Evaluating road work site safety management: A case study of the Amman bus rapid transit project construction

AbstractThis study explores safety perceptions in Jordan’s road construction sites, where work-zone hazards have been insufficiently addressed despite extensive research elsewhere. The study focuses on the impact of safety measures on workers and their environment, providing in-depth insights into roadway construction projects’ safety climate. The study analyzed responses from the Project-Based Group (PB) and the General-Based Group (GB). The PB group included 75 subjects interviewed face-to-face, while the GB group had 43 subjects who filled out an online form. The ratings indicate that staff training, traffic operations, loading/unloading, and site administration safety measures are perceived positively. However, there is a need to improve general site safety and maintenance/management protocols. Safety perceptions differ significantly between the PB and GB groups across multiple safety factors. While the response rates are similar to some extent, differences in safety measure evaluations emphasize the need for targeted interventions. The study highlights the importance of standardized safety protocols, particularly in areas like general traffic safety and maintenance. Using Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA), the research identifies nine factors that shed light on safety perceptions. Sociodemographic elements such as age, job roles, education, and representation significantly impact perceptions. The correlation analysis reinforces the association of factors. The Confirmatory Factor Analysis model (1st and 2nd order) confirms a strong association between the latent and observed variables. However, some model fit criteria were still unmet, signaling the need for further refinement. Despite challenges, the research provides valuable insights into construction safety perceptions, guiding future research

Road traffic safety perception in Jordan

In the past 20 years, several safety measures were taken in an attempt to reduce traffic-related fatalities. Although reduction in deaths was occasionally noticed, the sustainability of that trend has never achieved. This study explores Jordan safety profile trying to explain the traffic safety trend. It examines road traffic safety perception of both public community and road specialist. Main turning points that may have contributed in explaining prevailing traffic safety conditions have been collected. A questionnaire is administered to two distinct groups of the Jordanian society (general public and road specialist) with a total of 167 subjects. The subjects were asked to evaluate the effectiveness of a list of safety measures. Results showed that government took effective but not sustainable measures (mainly enforcement and legislative). Other ineffective measures (administrative and engineering) were taken but they were not target oriented. The main focus of interviewed subjects in order to improve traffic safety in Jordan is to establish sustainable engineering measures and improving the vehicle fleet, driver licensing, and testing procedures. As a surprising result, enforcement measures were not considered as desirable as other measures