Drivers get extra lane to overtake

cyclopath2001

April 5th 2004 MAIN roads are being given an extra overtaking lane and crash barriers in a dramatic attempt to cut road deaths in half, the Irish Independent has learned.

.....Motorists driving on these roads will be separated by a crash carrier and will be able to overtake safely at 2km intervals, ending head-on collisions - the biggest cause of road deaths.

......The top-secret €3bn plan has been finalised after a two-year investigation by the National Roads Authority, local authorities, consultants and international road safety experts.

.....A downside of the plan is reduced space for pedestrians and cyclists.

Victor

http://home.eircom.net/content/unison/national/2957333?view=Eircomnet

Drivers get extra lane to overtake
From:The Irish Independent
Monday, 5th April, 2004

MAIN roads are being given an extra overtaking lane and crash barriers in a dramatic attempt to cut road deaths in half, the Irish Independent has learned.

Existing single-lane roads on main routes are being replaced with two lanes in one direction and one-lane in the opposite direction, alternating every 2km.

Motorists driving on these roads will be separated by a crash carrier and will be able to overtake safely at 2km intervals, ending head-on collisions - the biggest cause of road deaths.

The top-secret €3bn plan has been finalised after a two-year investigation by the National Roads Authority, local authorities, consultants and international road safety experts.

Existing roads with a lane in each direction and hard shoulders will be turned into three-lane routes. The plan has been given the green light by the Government and is to be implemented immediately on four main roads at a cost of €200m.

The system will then be rolled out on 850km of existing and new single-lane main roads at a cost of €3bn, or €3.6m per km.

The move affects almost one third of the single-lane main inter-urban road network that is not due to be upgraded to dual-carriageways.

Drivers going to the wrong side of the road and overtaking dangerously is the biggest cause of road deaths. The so-called '2 plus 1' roads have been introduced extensively in Sweden, the country with the best road safety record in the world. It has cut road deaths in half.

Authorities in this country believe the move will cut road fatalities on these notorious roads by at least 50pc and save at least 50 lives a year by eliminating head-on crashes and ending dangerous overtaking sparked by frustration at being stuck behind rows of cars and trucks.

A downside of the plan is reduced space for pedestrians and cyclists.

The plan gets underway immediately with four projects on national primary roads at a cost of over €200m. These are the N20 Rathduff to Mallow (9km) in Co Cork, N2 Clontibret to Castleblayney (8km) new road, N15 Ballybofey new road (16km) and a fourth scheme that is to be announced shortly.

The move will then be extended to approximately 700km of new projects and 150km of existing routes will be retrofitted with '2 plus 1' roads, representing 30pc of of the main roads network.

The remainder will be made up of dual-carriageways and motorways. Harry Cullen, the NRA project director, said yesterday the plan will save at least 50 lives a year.

"It will stop head-on collisions. It will end the practice of people pulling over to the hard shoulder to let other motorists pass and then having them plough into vehicles coming in the opposite direction," he said.

Meanwhile, Formula One racing champion Michael Schumacher will visit Dublin tomorrow to join EU transport ministers in a major push to reduce the 40,000 road deaths every year.

Transport Minister Seamus Brennan will host a major conference of ministers at Dublin Castle where the first ever international charter on road safety will be signed. Mr Schumacher will give a demonstration on new seat belt technology.

Treacy Hogan Environment Correspondent

Crossley

Won't be any use as Paddy Driver will sit in the overtaking lane for the full 2km :-(

jd

We need "moving violations a la the USA" treated as careless driving. The points hiy would wake up the dozers in their jalopies.

Raam

this is in use on the roads in Canada, and from my experience it works quite well. However, many drivers over there tend to tail gate very close until they reach the over-taking lane!

KR

Genghis

I've seen this work in Germany, too. I think it is a positive idea, and I don't know about Paddy Driver sitting in the overtaking lane - sure, it will happen to some extent, but in my own experience over 80% of drivers either go directly in to the 'climbing lane' or do so when someone comes up behind them in those limited situations where overtaking lanes exist in Ireland already.

In fairness to the government the success of drink driving, the roll-out of penalty points, the investment in motorways and this initiative, taken together we can expect an increasing payback in terms of lives saved.

uberwolf

further to that article is this one Indo comment
________________________
When 2 plus 1 adds up to slashing death on the road


THE pattern is chillingly familiar to drivers and their passengers. A long tailback of cars builds up on the single lane main Sligo to Dublin road at Longford. There's still a long way to go before the Mullingar or Kilcock dual-carriageways.

Too long to wait for the idiot who pulls out and proceeds to overtake up to a bumper to bumper line of a dozen cars and trucks. Cars travelling towards the driver are forced to swerve into the rarely used hard shoulder. Twisted metal, emergency vehicles and the ubiquitous single shoe lying on the road are the indelible impressions left on most who witness the consequences of such stupidity on these single lane main roads.

This tragic chain of events is replicated up and down the country every day.

An eminent surgeon at one of the country's main accident and emergency departments said recently that these types of roads "should be wiped off the face of the earth and replaced by dual-carriageways".

Motorways and dual-carriageways are far safer as they eliminate head-on crashes and crashes linked to right-hand turning. But they are also very expensive and take years to get built because of our notoriously slow planning system, the whole issue of objections, archaeology (see Carrickmines for details) and the thorny issue of compulsory purchase of farmland.

Now, after a two year, top-level investigation by the National Roads Authority, the local authorities and expert consultants' plan is ready to go.

It is the most radical, yet commonsense way to save lives on the familiar single lane main road between urban centres without having the massive expense of upgrading or replacing them with dual-carriageways or motorways. Put simply you take the two lanes - one in each direction, and the hard shoulder if one exists - and divide it up into three new lanes. Motorists will have two lanes every 2km, the outside lane enabling them to overtake safely. A crash barrier will separate the motorists from traffic travelling the opposite direction on a single lane. This configuration will alternate every 2km and the motorist in the single lane will then have the two-lane facility. Everyone gets a chance to overtake every 2km. Simple but very, very effective.

The move is expected to be wholeheartedly welcomed by anyone anxious to see a reduction in our unacceptably high level of road deaths. If you can't get the high visibility Garda enforcement needed to get people to behave themselves - and that now appears to be the case - the best option is to "engineer" what amounts to self-regulating road safety.

The latest and most innovative plan involves taking 150km of existing, single-lane main road with hard shoulders between the main urban centres and transforming it into three-lane "2 plus 1 roads". The scheme will then be extended to 700km of new road, representing a total of about 30pc of our main roads.

It is a radical and quite brilliant concept tried and tested in Finland, Denmark, Germany and Sweden resulting in dramatic reductions in road deaths and serious injuries.

Experience in Sweden indicates that the presence of the safety barrier slightly increases the number of minor injury accidents but decreases by 40 to 55pc fatal and serious injury accidents.

The view of the top level group was that the 2 plus 1 road type was needed for Ireland because of the poor accident record and design of single carriageway roads which make up the bulk of our main roads and because of the growing traffic volumes on much of the network.

Sweden has led the way in research and development of the 2 plus 1 road type with safety barrier systems and has constructed in excess of 25 such schemes since 1998, both on greenfield and retrofit sites.

The 2 plus 1 roads also operate in Finland, Denmark, Scotland and Germany. At present many national primary roads have climbing lanes with two lanes on the uphill section and one lane on the downhill section. Irish drivers are familiar with their operation, notably the reduction from 2 lanes to 1 lane beyond the crest of a hill.

The main difference between these roads and the new 2 plus 1 road type is the existence of a safety barrier between the opposing traffic streams.

The national primary road network has an overall length of approximately 2,750km and carries 31pc of all road traffic. The National Development Plan (2000-2006) when fully implemented will deliver approximately 1,200 km of the National Primary road network to a high quality dual carriageway /motorway standard.

The remaining 1,500 km of the network will consist of single carriageway roads.

Stark statistics show the need to eliminate the head-on collision risk on the normal, single lane roads. The risk of a crash on these roads is seven times greater than on a motorway and five times that of a dual carriageway.

Head-on collisions account for 20pc of accidents on two-lane roads but account for 37pc of fatal accidents.

Single vehicle accidents account for 24pc of accidents on two-lane roads but 30pc of fatal accidents.

The NRA experts believe that the 2 plus 1 Lane road type with a safety barrier will significantly reduce fatal head-on collisions on single carriageway roads and reduce the severity of all accidents.

In Europe there is a move towards self-regulating roads as it is recognised that the over-reliance on enforcement does not ensure safe driving behaviour. The 2 plus 1 road is a step in this direction. The 2 plus 1 road type will be considered for new main road projects on routes to which the high quality dual carriageway/motorway standard does not apply.

This applies to approximately 700km of new projects, with a potential of retrofitting an additional 150km on existing routes. Therefore this road type potentially applies to 30pc of national primary roads.

The main advantage of 2 plus 1 roads is enhanced safety. The separation of opposing traffic streams prevents cross-over accidents, including head-on collisions. In Sweden, it has been estimated that a 2 plus 1 road type with a safety barrier led to an overall reduction of 50pc in fatal accidents when compared to a single carriageway road. Quite an achievement. No wonder Swedish roads are the safest in Europe.

This was achieved largely by the elimination of head-on collisions and a transfer of accidents from the fatal category to the minor injury category.

The main benefits of the 2 plus 1 are the overall reduction in the incidence of fatal accidents and in the severity of accidents in comparison to the single carriageway road. The provision of overtaking sections every 2km reduces driver frustration and the provision of a central safety barrier eliminates imprudent overtaking.

Provision for right-turning movements will only be at designated junctions. Analyses of the capacity and economics of two-lane roads have indicated that the 2 plus 1 is a slightly more economic solution than the wide, single carriageway. It is proposed to use a safety barrier to separate the traffic streams.

Irish drivers and motorcyclists will be unfamiliar with safety barriers on single carriageway roads and it will take time for them to adapt. There are disadvantages to the plan. Property owners adjacent to the 2 plus 1 roads may be required to drive longer distances to access their property as the safety barrier prevents all right turns from the main road other than at designated junctions.

On the one-lane section of the 2 plus 1 road type, road users driving behind a slow moving vehicle such as tractors must travel until the next two-lane section is reached in order to overtake. The reduction of the hard shoulder to 1.0m will have the effect of actively discouraging the use of the 2 plus 1 road type by cyclists and pedestrians as it will not be as safe for these road users and this will have to be monitored very carefully.

This is the downside of the plan but its architects believe the gains in lives saves far outweigh any negative impacts.

________________________________

Cyclopath has some valid comments re: cyclists and to a lesser extent pedestrians (I say lesser because pedestrians are unlikely to walk on these roads anyway) But certainly whilst the construction of these is taking place would it be that difficult to provide an off the road cyclelane kinda thingy, just an extension to the road with a barrier thrown in for good measure.

sceptre

Originally posted by Crossley
Won't be any use as Paddy Driver will sit in the overtaking lane for the full 2km :-(

If they're smart (pause for laughter), they'll do what they did with the likes of the Nenagh bypass and the improved short overtaking lane from Mallow north. Guide people into the left lane rather than guiding them into the right hand lane. It reinforces the idea that the right lane is for overtaking, not for fast driving.

Sounds a bit basic and dumb but I've never seen anyone totally hogging the overtaking lane where they've done it correctly like that. Contrast that to the old way of signalling a "slow lane" on the left (Cork people will be familiar with the cockup after the Blarney junction coming out of Cork on the N20) and it seems the cheapest and easiest way to eliminate many of the Paddy Drivers (or at least their obstinate stupidity). They're more likely to hog the right lane on dual carriageways than a correctly designed overtaking lane that's signalled as such.

At least they've realised that a barrier is necessary - just switching the ownership of overtaking lanes from one side of the road to the other would be a real problem for Irish drivers - anyone who doesn't know what an unbroken white line on the road means probably shouldn't be allowed out in any case.


I'm a little concerned at the reduction of the hard shoulder to 1m though from the point of view of breakdowns. And cyclists.

seamus

Originally posted by sceptre
I'm a little concerned at the reduction of the hard shoulder to 1m though from the point of view of breakdowns. And cyclists.

Yep. Although, as uberwolf said, less pedestrians will be walking down here. However some major roads have many pedestrians walking down them, even without paths. The N81 between Brittas and Blessington being the perfect example. I wouldn't fancy walking my dog in a 1m strip with artics roaring by at 50mph+. (Ditto for cycling in heavy winds, or for people training in large groups)

GerardKeating

Originally posted by Crossley
Won't be any use as Paddy Driver will sit in the overtaking lane for the full 2km :-(

This could be stoped if they painted lines with bumps..

Capt'n Midnight

Twill be scary comming up to the end of the overtaking section - where impatient drivers try to nip ahead before it goes back to one lane.

Totally agree about the inside land not being called a slow lane/climbing lane - yeah a bit of white paint so that drivers have to cross over a dotted line to get into the "overtaking lane" would help. - as would penalty points for obstruction in the outer lane.

mike65

Originally posted by Capt'n Midnight
Twill be scary comming up to the end of the overtaking section - where impatient drivers try to nip ahead before it goes back to one lane.

Totally agree about the inside land not being called a slow lane/climbing lane - yeah a bit of white paint so that drivers have to cross over a dotted line to get into the "overtaking lane" would help. - as would penalty points for obstruction in the outer lane.

Ditto all that.

Says it all that we have to be "herded" like this to
deal with the idiot minority. As for walkers, cylists etc I would'nt dream on doing either on most of the roads likely to be included in the scheme.

Mike.

John R

Originally posted by seamus
Yep. Although, as uberwolf said, less pedestrians will be walking down here. However some major roads have many pedestrians walking down them, even without paths. The N81 between Brittas and Blessington being the perfect example. I wouldn't fancy walking my dog in a 1m strip with artics roaring by at 50mph+. (Ditto for cycling in heavy winds, or for people training in large groups)

The N81 is not as wide as most main routes though, there should be enough room on then for three traffic lanes and two decent sized cycle/walking areas. They would need to be raised or something to stop lazy drivers drifting into them though.

No matter how wide the shoulders are walking on main roads is very unpleasant.

uberwolf

Originally posted by mike65
As for walkers, cylists etc I would'nt dream on doing either on most of the roads likely to be included in the scheme.

Two roads I use at mo training would be canditates I'd imagine, the road between kilcock and enfield, and the N81 that Seamus has pointed out, the trucks are cvnts on the N81, and there just isn't the hard shoulder going to enfield, although the new motorway should relieve that. In both cases though there isn't really a network of backroads that'll do the same job for walkers and cyclists. Mores the pity - I'd rather be out of there way!!

Crossley

I'm a little concerned at the reduction of the hard shoulder to 1m though from the point of view of breakdowns. And cyclists.

I've always argued that the existing hard shoulders were a waste of space and also a safety hazard as they have such a mixed use. Motorists tend to see them as an extra lane, pedestrians see them as footpaths, cyclists as cycleways, and certain hauliers seem to have leases on entire sections as lorry and trailer parks. This coupled with the fact that the county councils don't see any merit in maintaining their surfaces is altogether a recipe for disaster.

At least this latest proposal will go some way to sorting out that mess although as a cyclist I do have concerns. On the other hand I always tend to go to any length to avoid having to cycle on N roads if I can possibly do so.

Victor

Originally posted by Crossley
Motorists tend to see them as an extra lane, pedestrians see them as footpaths, cyclists as cycleways, and certain hauliers seem to have leases on entire sections as lorry and trailer parks.

Then those motorists and hauliers should go read the Rules of the Road.

seamus

Originally posted by Victor
Then those motorists and hauliers should go read the Rules of the Road.

I'm pretty sure they're aware that they shouldn't be there. Enforcement would be the main issue here.

BrianD

I have seen this system in Australia and it works very well. They have overtaking lanes at specified distances and they are "countdown" road signs in advance so impatient drivers know that there is 5KM, 2KM ... till the next overtaking location.

Over there they also have signage stated "Keep left unless overtaking. Fine $90"

It would seem that the press have described system in Ireland incorrectly. They are giving the impression that the entire road network is going to be converted into semi-dual carraigeway rather than ovetaling lanes being installed at specified distances.

Capt'n Midnight

Originally posted by BrianD
Over there they also have signage stated "Keep left unless overtaking. Fine $90"

hmmm... Keep left unless overtaking - One Penalty Point ?

cyclopath2001

I've no problem with the barriers as long as they do not prevent people from crossing the road but:

>>....A downside of the plan is reduced space for pedestrians and cyclists.<<

This worries me, just how much space will be taken away? 2 metres is the recommended safe width for a single-direction cycle track & I guess 2m would be needed for provide a comfortable passage for pedestrians.

BigEejit

Count the number of cyclist voters ..... now count the number of car driver voters ..... cyclists will be listened to and ignored......

I look forward to when it'll be finished, it'll be horiffic until then but by god its so badly needed on most of the national roads .... I'm thinking of sections of the Cork to Dublin road and sections of the Cork to Kerry road (mind you, this route is supposed to have some major problems sorted in the next 5 years)

seamus

Originally posted by cyclopath2001
I've no problem with the barriers as long as they do not prevent people from crossing the road but:

>>....A downside of the plan is reduced space for pedestrians and cyclists.<<

This worries me, just how much space will be taken away? 2 metres is the recommended safe width for a single-direction cycle track & I guess 2m would be needed for provide a comfortable passage for pedestrians.

In fairness, I don't think I've ever seen a 2m wide single direction cycle track. Even most two lane ones would be barely pushing 2m. This is Ireland after all. sceptre said one metre, and although I don't know where he got that from, I trust him as a good source

1m is ridiculous. That's barely enough room to cycle, and just about enough room to walk single file, which would be fine if it was a secluded forest walk, but it's not. It's a beside busy roadways, with large vehicles being driven by tired truckers at speeds in excess of 50mph.
They'll certainly have to put barriers in beside the paths, where the overtaking section is, but I would prefer to see an overall widening of the road and path - 3ft high barriers aren't much use to pedestrians if struck by an artic at 50mph. If they can alter and resurface the road to provide and extra 3 metres of lane, why can't they also provide at least an extra 1.5 metres of path on top of what's there?

Victor

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2091-1070217,00.html

Accident danger areas to get €1.8m
Richard Oakley

TWELVE of Ireland’s worst stretches of road for car accidents are to be upgraded. The National Roads Authority is to spend €1.8m making changes to 170 miles of “high accident” roadways.

The roads include notorious stretches such as the N52 route from Ardee to Dundalk in Louth; the Foynes-Kildimo road in Limerick; the N69 from Tralee to Six Crosses in Kerry; and the N81 from Baltinglass to Blessington in Wicklow.

Improvements will include changes to junctions and bends as well as the addition of extra lanes and improved signage.

Michael Egan, head of corporate affairs at the NRA, said: “These stretches of road have high numbers of accidents. They require a significant number of improvements, but the changes are costly and funding wasn’t available until now.”

He said the NRA will spend between €80,000 to €405,000 on each stretch.The other roads in the plan, on which between €80,000 and €405,000 apiece will be spent, are the entire route of the N5 which travels through Longford, Roscommon and Mayo; a five-mile stretch in Edgeworthstown, Longford, on the N55, and another from Drumban now to Bellanagh.

A 12-mile route on the N24 from Pallasgreen to Limerick will be upgraded, as well as a seven-mile stretch from Newcastle West to Castlematrix on the N21.

The government has identified road improvement as one of the best ways to reduce accidents.

During the first quarter of this year 96 people were killed on Irish roads, compared with 74 in the same period last year.

A road safety strategy for the next three years, soon to be published, estimates that an extra 550 miles of motorway and dual carriageway would save more than 50 lives a year.

In the next five years the state is to spend €10 billion on motorways and a further €200m on changing some inter-urban routes to three-lane carriageways.

sceptre

Originally posted by seamus
In fairness, I don't think I've ever seen a 2m wide single direction cycle track. Even most two lane ones would be barely pushing 2m. This is Ireland after all. sceptre said one metre, and although I don't know where he got that from, I trust him as a good source

Your faith is heart-warming:)

I pulled the one metre detail from the Irish Indo article posted by uberwolf towards the start of the thread.