For the first time ever, EuroTest, the international test programme involving 15 automobile clubs tested motorway road work zones. In view of the fact that the risk of accidents occurring is much higher in road work zones than on the open road, the time was more than ripe for a comparative study on this topic. The evaluation and comparison of road works systems in Europe provide the first-ever opportunity to identify shortcomings and possibilities for improvement, as well as model solutions. In order to correct wrong driving behaviour, motorists should also be informed of the conditions at road work zones and country-specific features. The aim is, of course, also to generate greater acceptance for the necessity for road works.
50 motorway road work zones were tested in eleven European countries: nine in Germany, seven in Great Britain, six in Austria, five in France and in Italy, four in Switzerland, Spain and the Netherlands, three in Belgium, two in Croatia and one in Slovenia. All of the sites tested were long-term road work zones on main European travel routes. The shortest road work zone was one kilometre long, the longest one 21.5 kilometres.
ADAC, which was in charge of the project, commissioned the Transport Infrastructure Institute ("Friedrich List" Faculty of Transport and Traffic Science) at Dresden University of Technology to perform the tests. The experts travelled along the road work zones from 8 March to 15 June 2005 in both directions, twice during the day and once at night, all in all, driving around 30,000 kilometres. A BMW 525d Touring fitted with state-of-the-art measuring systems was used in the test. The measuring systems included a positioning system (comprising GPS, reference station, inertial system and position measuring equipment), digital stereo cameras with their own computers for storing images which were used to measure distances and lane widths, an analogue scenery camera and a central measuring computer. For instance, whilst driving along the road work zones, the position of signs and the location of lay-bys were marked per touchscreen. The overall road work zone was measured during the day. The data was captured, documented per video both in digital and analogue form and subsequently analysed in the laboratory.
The ARROWS study (Advanced Research on Road Work Zone Safety Standards in Europe), which was carried out on behalf of the European Commission and which is the only basic study in Europe to be performed on this topic, provided the methodological basis for our test. From 1996 to 1998, this study examined the safety and design of road work zones in Europe. The national road administrations of Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, Slovenia and the Czech Republic were involved in this study which was managed by the National Technical University of Athens. The result of the study was a practical handbook with recommendations for uniform European safety standards for road work zones. This was not designed to replace but to supplement national guidelines.
This handbook was used by the EuroTest partner clubs and traffic experts from science, planning and practice to develop a criteria catalogue for a comprehensive checklist. This list contains, for instance, the most important safety-related issues, but also matters concerning the layout and quality of a road work zone, and is broken down into two sections: data collection via the software in the test vehicle and the evaluation by the test team on site.
Using the checklist, the following five theme blocks were checked:
Signs / road markings Weighting: 35 percent
Signs in advance of the road work zone
Signs along the road work zone
Signs at the end of the road work zone
Frequency, understandability, recognisability and condition of road signs Quality of road markings, self-explanatory
Traffic routing Weighting: 35 percent
Width of traffic lanes
Lead-in taper onto opposite lane
Routing of lanes onto opposite lane
Exit taper onto the original lane
Points of entry/exit within the road work zone
Points of entry/exit for road work vehicles
Flow of traffic
Safety-relevant equipment
Road surface Weighting: 5 percent
Routing
Cleanness
Orientation at night Weighting: 15 percent
Visibility of signs and road markings
Protective equipment with reflectors
Illumination of the lead-in/exit tapers
Clear layout
Information Weighting: 10 percent
Information about the type and duration of road works
Information regarding the overall length of the road work zone
Information several times regarding the remaining length of the road work zone
The road work zones were rated on the basis of a points system with the following ratings: Very good, Good, Acceptable, Poor and Very poor.
EuroTests - EuroTest 2005
