Analysis of recent testing of school bus motions has now been completed. A total of six testing sessions were completed along various routes in London, Ontario noted below:
- March 4, 202; GMC 18 Passenger School Bus driven along Wharncliffe Road route.
- March 4, 2021; GMC 18-Passenger School Bus driven along Wellington Road route.
- March 25, 2021; International Full-Size School Bus driven along Southdale Road route.
- March 25, 2021; International Full-Size School Bus driven along Exeter Road route.
- March 26, 2021, International Full-size School Bus driven along Southdale Road route.
- March 26, 2021; International Full-Size School Bus driven along Exeter Road route.
Three previous articles were posted to the Gorski Consulting website discussing the results from the first three sessions:
April 5, 2021: Testing of School Bus Response to Irregular Road Surface Conditions
April 13, 2021: GMC 18-Passenger School Bus Testing on Wellington Road in London
April 15, 2021: Preliminary Comparison of Full Size School Bus Motions To Other Vehicles
Now analysis has been completed on the last three sessions. The present article will summarize the results from all six sessions.
The results from the six sessions are shown in the following tables and charts. For each session a table is presented describing the actions of the bus along each 30-second road segment, the bus speed, and the bus motions in terms of the Longitudinal and Lateral motion. A bar chart of vehicle motions is also presented for each session.
1. March 4, 2021: GMC 18-Passenger Bus on Wharncliffe Road Route
2. March 4, 2021: GMC 18-Passenger School Bus on Wellington Road Route
3. March 25, 2021: International Full-Size School Bus on Southdale Road Route
4. March 25, 2021: International Full-Size School Bus on Exeter Road Route
5. March 26-21: International Full-Size School Bus on Southdale Road Route
6. March 26, 2021: International Full-Size School Bus on Exeter Road Route
Discussion
Gorski Consulting has been gathering data of road conditions for the past seven years. The sensors of an iPhone have been used to capture a wide variety of parameters. Two parameters were chosen for display 1) Rate of Longitudinal Rotation and 2) Rate of Lateral Rotation of a test vehicle. It was reasoned that the rotation, or motion, of a vehicle is caused by its reaction to the conditions of a road surface. So a greater motion would indicate a rougher surface and therefore a surface which is of worse condition.
A webpage on the Gorski Consulting website called Road Data contains the results of testing from a large number of roads in Southern Ontario. Most of this testing was done using a 2007 Buick Allure passenger car. Although it was found that the methodology was reliable there was always a question whether a test vehicle of a completely different structure might produce very different or even unreliable data. Recently access was gained to school buses and it was decided that the road testing methodology would be used to see what differences might occur in the data.
The data presented here demonstrates the reliability of the test methods. It demonstrates that, even vehicles of vastly differing sizes and structures, can be used in documenting the condition of road surfaces.
A vast percentage of the population now has possession of smartphones. On the negative side, the designers of these devices have installed sensors that record intricate details about an owner’s actions and habits. On the positive side, such technology can be used to benefit society when used for ethical purposes such as detecting road safety problems. The gathering of vehicle motion data provides a cheap method of providing the necessary vigilance of road conditions to whoever wishes to use it. It could be used by municipalities as a quick way to spot safety problems and make corrections. However it can also be used by any member of the public.
The cost of the hardware to perform the testing is minimal. A functioning test vehicle is required and most persons already possess a motor vehicle. A smartphone is also available to almost everyone. A video camera is required but nothing is needed that cannot be purchased for under $100 dollars. A computer is required and that is available to almost anyone. Video-editing software is required but that can easily be purchased for about $100 dollars. And that is all. With a little bit of training anyone can gather and analyze the condition of road systems in an objective manner.
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