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Client: Transport Scotland & Scotland TranServ
Location: A701 at Beattock
Route safety scheme alerting oncoming traffic to vehicles turning ahead while also encouraging speed compliance on the A701.
The A701 connects Dumfries with the center of Edinburgh. The route is signposted as a scenic route to Edinburgh from the motorway as it passes mainly through rural countryside. The first 20 miles of the road provide the primary link between Dumfries and the A74(M) for traffic heading northbound to Glasgow or Edinburgh.
Several serious and fatal incidents have occurred on these first 20 miles where the A701 passes near the village of Beattock. A particularly hazardous junction was identified where the B7076 intersects the A701 on a sweeping bend.
Following a safety report on this stretch of the A701 it was recommended that a Vehicle Activated Sign (VAS) be installed on the southbound lane. This warning sign would be activated when a vehicle is detected on the B7076 waiting to turn, making oncoming traffic aware that there is a vehicle turning ahead. There was also the requirement to show a ‘slow down’ warning when drivers are detected exceeding a set threshold on the A701.
Clearview Intelligence developed a solution, with the client Scotland Transerv, where the VAS warning of ‘vehicles turning’ would only trigger when a vehicle is approaching the sign. This ensures that regular users of the route do not become complacent as they might with a static sign. The dual use of the VAS to also warn drivers that they are travelling too fast maximizes the impact of this installation.
To activate the VAS, vehicles are detected ahead of the stop line on the B7076 and on the right hand turn lane on the A701. Inductive loops are combined with the M680 Vehicle Count and Classification system to provide this vehicle detection.
Given the rural location of this junction, the solution needed to work without access to mains power. Clearview installed two solar panels; one to power the M680 Vehicle Count and Classification system and another to power the VAS.
Combining vehicle activated and fixed messages in this way provides clear guidance to drivers on potential hazards on the road ahead. Tailoring the warnings to the situation on the road that the driver is experiencing at that very moment significantly increases the effectiveness of the warnings, ensuring drivers don’t become complacent, adhere to the speed limit and approach the junction with caution.
Download PDF: Route safety with VAS warning system on the A701
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January 19th 2017
March 23rd 2017
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