A Best-Practice Example of Changes in Road Design
In road safety work, as in many other fields, it is important to learn from accidents, recognize key areas of risk, and implement improvements. One good example of this is the response to a fatal accident involving a truck and a pedestrian with a rollator, which is described in accident example Examples of Accidents "Truck hits pedestrian with rollator" of this report.
At the time of the accident, the pedestrian light was positioned at a point where using it required a significant diversion to the natural route taken by the majority of pedestrians. At the same time, a sleeping traffic light ahead of the crossing itself that was designed to keep the bus stop clear emboldened pedestrians to take a direct route across the road, resulting in critical situations.
Following the accident, the police reported the issue to the responsible city authorities and recommended that the section of road in question be redesigned. Moving the pedestrian light has proven to be a quick solution that makes the section of road much easier to navigate, takes into account the needs of pedestrians by providing them with a direct route, and thus improves safety levels. This example clearly shows how important good collaboration between the police, the traffic authorities, politicians and other authorities involved in road planning and infrastructure design can be – not to mention a desire to bring about improvements by increasing road safety.