Reducing delay and achieving higher traffic flow rates and a reduction in the frequency and severity of crashes is a key component of New Zealand’s long-term success in managing its transport network. The research focused around developing, implementing and measuring safe and robust design principles and techniques to understand economic efficiency and operation on New Zealand’s highways with a focus on passing lanes and 2+1 passing facilities.

The research built on existing local and international knowledge, captured key observed data in order to develop an understanding of on-road behaviour and the operational characteristics, identify the core components of economic costs and savings, establish principles for measuring the optimal economic return from the length and frequency, and evaluate the potential benefits of ITS design treatments of passing facilities.