INTERURBAN TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT, Denmark, 7 locations

One of the many requirements from the Danish Ministry of Traffic was the improvement of the safety at several multi-lane highway entries where severe accidents had occurred in the past. Despite numerous warning signs, there were still occasions when drivers made a wrong turn when entering the highway and ended up driving into the oncoming traffic, particularly at night or in bad weather.

A system has been developed to help guide drivers onto the correct lane wherever possible. At sites where it is not possible to change lane, the flashing lights will get the driver's attention who hopefully stops the car. This system has been installed in seven different locations and has already been put to the test on several occasions. A sensor in the road on the highway ramp triggers an alarm when a car passes it from the wrong direction. Emergency warning lights in the road are immediately activated and start flashing to notify the “wrong turners” that they are driving in the wrong direction. When the system is activated, an alarm is sent via e-mail and SMS to the control centre where the situation can be monitored with traffic surveillance cameras.

Over a seven-month period on the seven sites, four cases of wrong turns have been reported. In three of the cases the vehicles changed lane when the warning system was activated and in the final case the situation was immediately detected and actions to minimise the risk for the involved road users could be taken even earlier. The seven installations are being tested until 2013, but with these positive outcomes where lives have probably been saved already, it is likely that this solution will be deployed at many more sites in Denmark.

• 
  Highway & Tunnel Systems

  SWARCO provides complete highway and tunnel management systems, including integrated communication and interfaces to external or third-party equipment.