5 minute read
Two-in-one enforcement
A traffic enforcement system continues to adorn Berlin’s central square, improving traffic safety while combining red-light and speed-enforcement technology
Words | Dorothea Janß, Vitronic, Germany
Image: Fotolia
Intersections within urban infrastructure are pivotal to ensuring safe and efficient traffic flow. They accommodate a number of vehicle types and pedestrians and, as a result, can be found in different designs, configurations and sizes. Wherever two or more roads meet, cross or converge in highly populated areas, the risk of accidents increases.
Intersections: points of conflict
Crossing an intersection is one of the most complex traffic situations that road users encounter daily. Intersections constitute points of conflict in any roadway system, especially for vulnerable road users such as pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists. Crossing and turning maneuvers at intersections create opportunities for many conflicts between the different types of road users, which may result in traffic crashes.
According to the US Department of Transportation (USDOT), 25% of traffic fatalities and roughly half of all traffic injuries in the USA are attributed to intersections. The same goes for Germany. Almost half of all accidents in urban areas, involving the death or injury of a road user, happen at intersections. Speeding and violating a red-light signal are two of the most dangerous driving habits in these busy areas. Thus, the issue of traffic safety at intersections is of great importance – especially against the background of the Vision Zero goal.
Strategies to address intersection safety vary. Many of them are engineering- and infrastructure-based, and include geometric designs and the application of traffic control devices such as signs, markings and signals. Another approach is the use of speed and red-light enforcement. These are effective prevention tools that mitigate the risk of blackspots at intersections and ultimately protect lives.
Traffic metropolis Berlin
Berlin is taking a pioneering role in terms of traffic safety concepts at intersections. The efforts of the metropolis are necessary, because the city is growing rapidly; the number of road users is increasing and road traffic is becoming denser. While around 1,091,000 cars were registered in the capital in 2008, this year (2017) there have already been 1,195,000 registrations.
The city of Berlin has also experienced a 2.5% increase in road traffic accidents from 2015 to 2016, with 141,155 road accidents recorded in the capital (in 2016). In addition, from 2015 to 2016, the number of deaths related to traffic accidents increased by 16.7%.
According to a report from the Berlin police, mistakes made while turning, disregarding right of way rules and driving at inappropriate speed are the main causes of road incidents.
At traffic intersections there are often red-light infringements. In 2015 the number of red-light offenses rose sharply, by 13% (52,352 offenses). To counteract this behavior, the city is intensifying traffic
monitoring and upgrading with additional stationary speed and red-light monitoring systems.
Accident blackspot: Großer Stern
Every year, Berlin identifies the most dangerous blackspots in the city. Großer Stern in Berlin-Mitte district is one of them. Along with the Brandenburg Gate and the Fernsehturm, Berlin’s central square, Großer Stern, with its Victory Column, is one of the city’s best-known landmarks. Five major roads intersect here and at times, up to six vehicles travel alongside one another because of the outermost two-lane entry and exit points. Traffic lights are responsible for managing the traffic.
In 2016, with 225 traffic accidents (it saw 275 accidents in 2015), Berlin’s central square was ranked fourth out of the city’s top-10 traffic accident sites involving personal injury. The neglect of red-light turns, in particular, was found to be a key factor.
Effective enforcement systems
Since October 2016, the capital city’s traffic at this important junction has been monitored by Vitronic’s ‘city design housing’. The system in use, Poliscan red+speed, offers a combination of red-light and speed enforcement. The monitoring of speed is in pace, regardless of the traffic lights’ phase.
The system meets the special requirements of the Großer Stern location. With its ability to measure multiple lanes simultaneously, it monitors all the lanes of the roundabouts. A single system enables the complete traffic monitoring of the complex crossing – without requiring road-embedded loops or piezo sensors. This means that traffic is not hindered during the system’s installation or servicing – an important advantage for the heavily used roundabout. Thus, the capital traffic can remain unaffected by the traffic enforcement in place.
The system is directly connected to the control system of the traffic light and can process up to three configurable light groups from yellow and red phases. Laser-based (lidar) measuring technology across the roundabout can continuously track all approaching vehicles on multiple lanes, simultaneously, and tracks their travel paths up to the stop line and beyond. This enables the system to capture red-light violations exactly at the time that the stop line is crossed – as well as a second time in the intersection’s danger zone.
Road users often run yellow lights at dangerously high speeds. To mitigate this, the Poliscan red+speed also detects speeding at all traffic light phases. It is equipped with twin cameras for optimum-focus photographic evidence. The system documents all infringements digitally in an encrypted file, which contains all relevant data such as measured speed, time and place. Case data can be downloaded locally or transferred via network connection for evaluation. To fit into the intersection scene and blend in with the ‘Victory Column’ monument, the system is integrated into Vitronic’s ‘city design housing’ – a slender, functional column.
Thanks to the combined enforcement system, Berlin police are able to monitor traffic at one of the most critical blackspots in the city. Speed and red-light enforcement help to minimize the danger potential at this heavily frequented roundabout. This is an important step toward road safety and not least toward Vision Zero for the city. n
Opposite: The Großer Stern
roundabout in the center of Berlin, Germany
Above: Vitronic’s ‘city design
