Road user-centric pavement management system: ride quality assessment using whole-body vibration exposure

The maintenance and rehabilitation of road networks pose significant challenges for developing countries due to limited funding resources and extensive networks requiring upkeep. This study proposes an innovative methodology to enhance pavement management by assessing road conditions through Daily Equivalent Static Compression Dose (Sed), a measure of whole-body vibration that captures the impact of deteriorated pavements on road users. Motorized two-wheelers were selected for data collection due to their heightened sensitivity to surface irregularities, ensuring that the methodology addresses strict surface condition thresholds applicable to all vehicles. Utilizing ordinal logistic regression, Sed thresholds were established to classify road sections into three tiers—priority maintenance, scheduled maintenance, and routine monitoring. The approach provides decision-makers with a user-centric, cost-effective and time-efficient tool for targeted maintenance, enabling sustainable and scalable road infrastructure management in resource-constrained settings.