Regina engineering professor wants to make winter driving safer

A University of Regina engineering professor is hoping to make traveling on Saskatchewan’s roads safer in the winter.

Professor Babk Mehran said he hopes his research helps to develop better traffic management strategies that can be used during the winter.

Mehran said that some very specific changes could be looked at.

“For example our traffic signals do not change as a response to weather conditions, or speed limits on highways are not changing because of weather conditions.”

Mehran said that his research could look at the duration time of lights depending on the weather.

“The duration of the green time or the amber time on the signal should be long enough in winter to let drivers stop, or if they want, to speed up and go.”

Mehan said that using the same amber light times in the winter as in the summer can lead drivers to hesitate, which he said could pose a danger.

Mehan said other technologies could make it easier for drivers to see better on highways during the winter could also be studied.

“That could be some artificial light or some pavement marking that can be seen easily when there is snow.”

Mehan said that the construction of the Regina bypass could provide the chance to apply some of these new ideas as part of a pilot project in the future.

Funding for this research will be provided by the federal government, which will be providing one and half million dollars in total funding to 16 other projects at the University of Regina.

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