BESIP: Hidden measurements revealed another risky place in the Liberec region

The village of Hajniště, which is part of Nové Město pod Smrkem, could be an idyllic and safe village. After all, it has just over 200 inhabitants and a history dating back to 1580, when it is first mentioned in writing. The village is undoubtedly idyllic, only the security is problematic. Undisciplined motorists who exceed the speed limit are to blame, and this is not an insignificant amount.

Road II/291 runs through the village and around 3,300 vehicles pass through the place every day in both directions. Recent measurements and subsequent analysis of the Liberec Region have shown how much drivers ignore the maximum permitted speed in the municipality. In the first half of April this year (April 2-15), the region carried out two-way statistical measurements of the number and speed of vehicles on this particular road, in two places near suburban bus stops. One was in Hajniště at the fire station, the other at house No. 70. The highest permitted speed in both places is 50 km/h. And what were the results of the measurements?

In both sections, the maximum permitted speed is exceeded. To a more pronounced one at house no. 70, where roughly 89.6% of drivers ignore it. Of these, approximately 57% of drivers exceed the speed limit by 11 km/h or more. “It is a very serious security risk, exacerbated by the fact that it is a bus stop location. Pedestrians move along the road here, and over three thousand passing cars a day do not add to their safety,” warns Jan Polák, director of the Road Safety Team. The maximum speed measured in the given section was 149 km/h for passenger vehicles, 129 km/h for motorcycles and 120 km/h for trucks.

The Liberec region has been dedicated to road safety for a long time. It also focuses on risky locations where drivers do not observe the maximum permitted speed and helps municipalities identify these locations. “This does not only apply to pedestrian crossings, which are one of the many areas where we have been dealing with the situation for a long time in connection with exceeding the maximum permitted speed. The Liberec region paid for hidden measurements of selected sections, a security analysis that revealed how many cars, what categories and how fast they are passing through the area,” explains Jan Sviták, deputy governor for the Department of Transport.

“Given the intensity of traffic in Hajniště, the nature of the place, the absence of sidewalks, the presence of bus stops in lanes without construction modifications, and the tourist potential of the road section, it is necessary to address the situation,” continues Sviták.

In the past, the initiative of the Liberec Region helped Vratislavice nad Nisou or Raspenava, where the cooperation of the Liberec Region, the municipality and the Road Safety Team proved to be effective. In Raspenava, based on the results of last year’s measurements, the city commissioned a project to implement a demand crossing for pedestrians near the elementary school, and this year it will be implemented during the summer holidays in order to calm traffic.

“Drivers have a sense of freedom before entering Hajniště. It is given by the road in front of the village, which changes to a different driving mode at the beginning of the village without significant changes or warnings. It is therefore important to calm traffic with safety systems,” Jan Polák points out. The measurement and monitoring analysis clearly shows that most drivers do not slow down when entering the village. It is necessary to change the mentioned psychological effect of “a kind of freedom” by means of a device with sufficient influence on passing motorists. But at the same time, it is important that it does not have a negative impact on motorists observing the prescribed speed. Traffic calming is necessary and the proposed solutions correspond to this.

A key rule applies when calming traffic on sections of the village – the calming must start at the edge of the village and the person behind the wheel must be clearly told that one traffic mode ends and another begins. A quick and low-cost solution can be used, for example, with V18 horizontal traffic markings. They are transverse stripes that act as a psychological brake on the driver, which optically and acoustically leads to a reduction in speed. To reduce the percentage of drivers who exceed the speed limit, segmental measurement or informative speed indicators would help. These are quick solutions, without lengthy administrative discussions.

“A combination of radars in conjunction with horizontal and vertical traffic markings can also help to comply with the maximum permitted speed. Thanks to the approved project documentation and all administrative conditions, we are planning information indicators by the end of June. However, high speeding raises the question of whether it would not be appropriate to use punitive speed measurement in the village in the future,” says the mayor of Nové Město pod Smrkek, Petr Černica.

One very important fact emerges from the analysis of traffic measurement and monitoring in Hajniště on road II/291. The given section of the road is dangerous in terms of the occurrence of traffic accidents. It is not only radars, section measurements or road markings that are essential for increasing safety. The solution to the situation would be significantly helped by construction improvements along the city stretch, such as an island at the entrance from the city center, sidewalks at bus stops or ensuring pedestrian crossings between stops.

“We would like to implement the proposed quick solutions in the shortest possible time. However, this will be preceded by processing by the designer and subsequent discussion with the relevant authorities and the relevant road administration office. What is certain is that this year we will implement an information sign with a vehicle registration plate at the entrance from the city center,” concludes Mayor Petr Černica.

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