CHAPTER 5

Conclusions

The objective of this synthesis is to describe planning, design, and operations for airfield VSR systems for airport planners, engineers, and operations staff. This synthesis includes a review of industry guidelines related to VSRs and interviews with airport personnel.

As part of a literature review, industry guidelines published domestically and internationally on vehicle service roads were reviewed and documented. The review included information published by industry organizations and federal regulations. It also uncovered knowledge gaps in specific VSR guidelines for traffic volume and capacity, building and tunnel entrance clearances, signage, roadway layouts, pedestrian safety, and pavement management and maintenance.

The literature review was used to develop interview questions for selected U.S. airports. The airport interviews focused on these questions to gather and document current VSR practices. A summary of the literature review and the interview responses were categorized into several topics and used to provide the reader with an understanding of each in this report.

These findings form the basis for the following conclusions.

• Planning and design
  • Comprehensive industry guidelines and regulations are contained in various documents. Many publications primarily focus on the planning, design, and operation of airfield elements (i.e., runways, taxiways, aprons) and may briefly mention guidelines related to VSRs. Several of these publications refer readers to roadway information provided by non-aviation industry sources or state and local guidelines. There is also a lack of consistency between different industry sources, which can create confusion.
  • Planning of VSRs tends to be reactionary rather than proactive. Discussions with airport personnel revealed that changes in airport rules, driver training, VSR markings, and layouts are often the result of an incident or a series of incidents. Some airports reported being proactive by coordinating with local stakeholders and completing risk assessments to identify potential solutions to VSR operational challenges.
  • The types, models, sizes, and weights of vehicles vary at airports. Many of these vehicles have unique operating characteristics (length, width, turn radius, vehicle weight) that can affect the planning, design, operation, and maintenance of VSRs.
  • Space-constrained airports appear to have the most VSR challenges. Discussions with these airports revealed unique designs (e.g., layouts, markings, signage, lane configuration), operational rules, and safety concerns.
  • VSR markings are inconsistent at airports. Different versions of roadway edge and centerline markings are applied at airports. Marking standards for stop, yield, and posted speed limits do not exist, and some airports lack consistency in these markings throughout their airfield. Other airports do not utilize stop, yield, or speed limit markings and depend on driver

• • training and enforcement for traffic control. Training is often required for VSR drivers to understand unique markings present at their airports.
  • General aviation facilities and airports are subject to different security and operational requirements. Since these requirements are voluntary at most GA airports, VSR configurations, driving rules, and training are customized to the unique configuration and operation of the airport.
• Operations
  • VSRs are subject to many operational and security regulations. At many airports, VSRs are part of multiple operational areas subject to air traffic control, federal regulations, and FAA orders. VSRs are also subject to federal regulations related to security, TSA guidelines, and local airport security programs and boundaries. Vehicle operators are subject to federal regulations pertaining to recurrent driver training.
  • Airport rules and regulations play a role in managing the operation and safety of VSRs. A review of airport rules and regulations revealed many examples of driving and pedestrian rules, vehicle restrictions, speed limits, vehicle conditions, vehicle signage and marking, enforcement, and associated penalties.
  • Driver training programs vary greatly between airports. Most airports have training programs for both movement and non-movement areas. They use various tools (handbooks, testing, ride-along training, videos, computer-based training, and virtual reality) for driver training.
• Construction activities and pavement maintenance
  • VSRs and haul roads are essential to airport construction. Discussions with airports revealed many strategies for utilizing existing VSRs, constructing new haul roads, and adjusting perimeter fencing to accommodate airport construction projects. Many airports share a concern about the wear of VSRs during construction projects. They are taking steps to ensure VSRs are returned to their original operational state or are utilizing stronger airfield pavement as haul roads to prevent existing VSRs from being damaged.
  • Guidelines on the management and maintenance of VSR pavement are limited. Some airports manage VSR pavement similarly to airfield pavement by conducting regular pavement condition studies and including it in their airfield or a separate pavement management system.

Synthesis projects report on the state of practice based on literature reviews and surveys of recent activities. Future research and development of guidebooks that summarize the planning and design of VSRs and the operation and maintenance aspects of VSRs would be helpful to the industry as it would recommend best practices on a topic for which there is no consolidated information for airport planners, designers, and operators. Future research should also consider investigating VSR incident reports and data from airports to understand the cause of these events and better identify possible safety best practices for the planning, design, and operation of these roadways.