Eleven countries put to the test: Room for improvement was found almost everywhere
Road works design in Europe differs greatly. Motorists travelling from one country to another must cope with many different situations, and there are still no standard European regulations despite all the efforts underway in this field. This is the result of the road works test which EuroTest a consortium of 14 partner clubs carried out this year for the first time ever in eleven European countries. In Spain, for instance, motorists must be prepared for very acute lane tapering when traffic lanes are diverted onto the opposite side. In England, on the other hand, some road work zones have a free tow-away service on standby at all times to deal with breakdowns. The test highlighted the strong points and weak points in each of the countries – and these findings can be used to take a broader look at the situation, to learn from each other and to achieve a high degree of uniform standards.
The following section lists the most important points in each of the countries tested:
Austria Austria, the country that came out tops in this test, achieved good results throughout. Particularly positive: The majority of road work zones in the test had lay-bys with emergency phones, opposite-way lanes were well separated by guiding/protective barriers, and information about the remaining length of the work zone area was well presented by smilies with a drooping mouth at the beginning of the work zone that gradually transformed into a big grin towards the end of the roadworks. In the tapering and speed-reduction area, guiding beacons with arrows were frequently used thus offering particularly good visual guidance for motorists. Furthermore, two of the road work zones are designed as pilot routes so that a speed limit of 100 kilometres per hour was sufficient to keep traffic flowing most of the time.
The operator's data sheets showed that work at the road work zones tested was partially carried out during the day only. Daily newspapers and radio announcements inform motorists two to four weeks in advance of any major road works and of each change in the building phase. Motorway operator ASFINAG also provides comprehensive information on the current status of road works on its website.
According to ASFINAG, road works staff are available 24 hours a day and can be on site within one hour to deal with any sudden defects or problems in conjunction with road work zone safety. Staff have been trained for emergencies, and a list with the telephone numbers of the police, emergency services, motorway maintenance unit, the operator and the road network safety company is available on site. Control checks are performed regularly to monitor the road work zones, usually during the day and at night. Traffic is monitored and there are speed traps, violations are punished. For instance 6,000 speeding offences were recorded in the first week at the winning road work zone near Traun. Belgium Motorway lighting which is a general feature in Belgium has particularly good implications for the clear overview of the road work zone at night. Unfortunately, motorists receive absolutely no information about the work being carried out. Furthermore, there are no lay-bys. The speed limit was low, i.e. 70 kilometres per hour, at the road work zones tested, and this slowed the flow of traffic.
The operator provided no details of information, road-work zone or emergency management.
Switzerland The road work zones tested in Switzerland were found to differ considerably. For instance, almost every rating from Very good to Very poor was recorded in the "Information" category. At half of the road work zones tested, opposite-way lanes were insufficiently separated and there were no emergency phones. The road work zone on the A 9 near Clarens was the only one to feature flashing lights which do not blind at night and which warn motorists in advance.
Just like in Austria, daily newspapers, radio announcements and websites inform motorists two to four weeks in advance of any major road works and of each change in the building phase, of the beginning and end, length and reason for the construction work, of traffic disruptions to be expected, and the speed limit is also often given.
In Switzerland, work is usually carried out both during the day and at night. According to the operator, road works staff are available 24 hours a day and can be on site within one hour to deal with any sudden defects or problems in conjunction with road work zone safety. Staff have been trained to deal with emergencies, an emergency plan is in place and a list is provided with the telephone numbers of the police, emergency services and the motorway maintenance unit. The road work zones are usually checked during the day and at night, and are monitored regularly per video. Traffic is monitored and there are speed traps, violations are punished.
Germany Germany came second in this European comparison. Positive: Opposite-way lanes were mostly separated by stable traffic guiding and protection equipment, the tapering zones leave sufficient room for HGVs, points of entry/exit were clearly indicated and featured acceleration/deceleration lanes. Almost all the road work zones had a clear layout at night, and featured non-blinding warning/flashing lights as well as additional reflectors.
Unlike the Austrian winner, motorists here received very little information along the road work zone concerning the remaining length, and apart from a few exceptions, lay-bys were seldom in place. The speed limit was often only 60 kilometres per hour and this hindered the flow of traffic.
According to the operator, daily newspapers, and often also radio and websites, inform motorists in advance of any major road works, of the beginning, end and reason for the construction work, and of the traffic disruptions to be expected. Furthermore, motorists are also informed of the length of the road work zone and the speed limit in force. This information is provided on the Internet by the Federal Ministry of the Interior and also by the motorway administrations of the respective Laender.
In the event of any sudden defects or difficulties with road work zone safety, staff are available 24 hours a day and can be on site within one hour. Staff have been trained for emergencies, and a list is provided on site with the telephone numbers of the police, emergency services, motorway maintenance unit, the operator and the road network safety company. Control checks are performed regularly to monitor the road work zones. Traffic is monitored and there are speed traps, violations are punished.
Spain In Spain, our test team searched in vain for lay-bys or signs with general information about the road work zone. Compared to other countries, signs when provided were positioned very close to the traffic measures. The road markings were not clear at times. The tapering area was often very steep and short, so that the speed limit was reduced to 20 kilometres per hour. The speed limit of 40 to 60 kilometres per hour was generally very low. The quality of road work zones varied significantly. Positive: At the road work zone on the A 64 near Villaviciosa, bumps were fitted before the lane tapering in order to slow traffic down in front of this critical area.
In the case of larger road work zones, daily newspapers, radio and the Internet inform motorists of the beginning and end, the length and the reason for the construction work, and at times also of the traffic disruptions to be expected and the speed limit.
According to the operator, road works staff are partially available 24 hours a day, and at times during the day only, and can be on site within one hour to deal with any sudden defects or problems in conjunction with road work zone safety. Staff have been trained to deal with emergencies, an emergency plan is in place, and a list is provided with the telephone numbers of the police, emergency services and the motorway maintenance unit. The road work zones are checked regularly, usually during the day and at night, and at times per video. With the exception of the road work zone on the C 31 in Barcelona, traffic and speed were monitored and violations were punished.
France The French road work zones did particularly well in terms of road surface condition and cleanness. The lanes were reduced at almost all the road work zones and this can hinder the flow of traffic and lead to congestion. In the case of the road work zones near Vienne and Bully les Mines, the slow right lane was additionally closed and this made it difficult for motorists to merge with traffic in the left fast lane. There was either no information provided about the speed limit along the road work zone, or if so, then this information was spaced too far apart. Motorists are usually not informed in time of the end of traffic restrictions at the end of the road work zone. There are generally no lay-bys and frequently no flashing lights to warn motorists in advance. In the case of three of the five road work zones tested, no information whatsoever was provided about the road works, and very little information was provided at the other two work zones.
The operator provided no details of information, road-work zone or emergency management.
Great Britain The British road work zones came third and were first in the category "Orientation at night". However, road work zones change drastically at night in Great Britain, so that more work can be carried out during times of low traffic. The test, however, rated layout only and not the night time changes which often had negative effects. Unique: As an effective alternative to lay-bys, some road work zones offered a free tow-away service on site at all times, so that vehicles that have broken down or have been involved in an accident can be removed from the road work zone as quickly as possible. Another plus: The original lane markings are removed completely, so that traffic routing on the lanes is clearly indicated by the new road work zone markings. In the tapering area, additional room for HGVs is provided and although not specifically marked as such, this room is usually provided by a wide lane.
The often poor separation of the work zone with pylons is, however, dangerous for road workers. The most recent accident in Manchester in which two workers died shows just how tragic the consequences can be. Only plastic pillars are also used to separate opposite-way lanes. The quality and quantity of information provided differed greatly from road work zone to road work zone. Our testers were displeased to find several pure text signs in the native language which were not supplemented by any generally understandable symbols.
In the case of major road works, daily newspapers, radio and also the Internet inform motorists in advance of the beginning and end, length and reason, the speed limit and also usually of the traffic disruptions to be expected.
According to the operator, road works staff are available 24 hours a day and can be on site within one hour to deal with any sudden defects or problems in conjunction with road work zone safety. Staff have been trained to deal with emergencies, an emergency plan and a list with the telephone numbers of the police, emergency services and the motorway maintenance unit are available on site. The road work zones are checked regularly, around every two hours, and are video monitored. Traffic is monitored and there are speed traps, violations are punished. On the M 4, for instance, within the space of two months, more than 20,000 motorists were caught in speed traps in the road work zone, corresponding to one motorist every five minutes. All in all, fines amounting to 1.2 million pounds were imposed.
Croatia With only two road work zones tested, it is very difficult to give a representative country rating. However, testing showed that lanes were very narrow and that no flashing lights were provided to warn motorists in advance. Work areas are either not separated from the traffic area or separation measures are inadequate. When reducing lanes, the slow, right lane was closed and this made merging difficult. There was no information provided regarding the type, duration and length of the road work zone.
The operator provided no details of information, road-work zone or emergency management.
Italy Generally speaking, no information on the road work zone was provided in Italy either. In the dark, traffic guidance could not be clearly identified. Lane tapers were too short and too steep so that the speed limit had to be reduced drastically here. The opposite-way lanes were not properly separated. Some of the necessary signs were not in place and/or the signs provided were often too low near the ground. Along the road work zone, the speed limit was only 40 to 60 kilometres per hour and this hindered the flow of traffic considerably. Entry/exit points were sometimes difficult to see, and entry points are provided with stop signs which can result in dangerous situations for merging traffic.
The operator provided no details of information, road-work zone or emergency management.
The Netherlands All the road work zones were given top marks for the condition of the road surface and their cleanness. Opposite-way lanes are generally separated by stable traffic guiding and protection equipment, and orientation at night was given top marks thanks to permanent motorway lighting. Another positive feature was that the original markings are fully removed to make way for road work zone markings. Exit/entry points in the work zone were clearly marked and featured acceleration/deceleration lanes. There were no lay-bys and the lanes were often very narrow. The information provided on site regarding the respective road work zone was insufficient at all the sites tested.
As a rule, daily newspapers inform motorists in advance of any major road works whilst the Internet provides information once work is underway about the beginning and end, the reason and length of the road work zone and the traffic disruptions to be expected.
Work is usually carried out during the day only. According to the operator, road works staff are available 24 hours a day and can be on site within one hour to deal with any sudden defects or problems in conjunction with road work zone safety. Staff have been trained to deal with emergencies, an emergency plan was provided at half of the road work zones tested, and a list with the telephone numbers of the police, emergency services and the motorway maintenance unit was available on site at all the road works tested. Control checks are carried out at only half of the road work zones. In most cases, speed traps were in place and violations were punished.
Slovenia Only a single road work zone was tested in Slovenia. The operator provided no details of information, road-work zone or emergency management. This means that it was not possible to reach any conclusions regarding the general quality and handling of road works or to identify any trends.
EuroTests - EuroTest 2005
Switzerland
Spain
Italy