Dedicated passing sections where queues form on the Ring Road could help prevent accidents and improve traffic flow, according to a working group. They would be a cheaper option than building a so-called 2+1 road.
It is proposed that special passing lanes be constructed in several locations on the Ring Road between Reykjavík and Akureyri. Such measures could reduce accident risk and improve traffic flow. An engineer says this would be cheaper than building a so-called 2+1 road.
Passing lanes are a widening of the road, so that on a given stretch of a two-lane road, for example, an extra lane is added so that drivers do not need to cross into the opposite lane to overtake. A research project under Vegagerðin (Icelandic Road and Coastal Administration) on such lanes has been underway on the Ring Road between Reykjavík and Akureyri.
Engineer Bjarni Viðarsson, one of those involved in the project, says that such lanes are not necessarily limited to hills or other places where traffic slows down and overtaking becomes frequent.
These can also be straight sections, especially sections where sight distances are not great and conditions for overtaking, due to oncoming traffic and limited visibility, are restricted.
This solution, in terms of cost, would perhaps be an intermediate step between keeping the road as a standard two-lane route and building a 2+1 road – like on Kjalarnes, where the road alternates between two lanes in one direction and one in the other, allowing safe overtaking.
So this is the middle ground in terms of cost and quality. It might be a one-kilometre stretch where you have two lanes and can overtake without it involving the same cost as the [full] 2+1 road.
On the route between Reykjavík and Akureyri, the most difficult sections, according to Bjarni, are those closest to populated areas, on Kjalarnes and near Akureyri, where conditions are most difficult and a full 2+1 road might still be considered, whereas other stretches – such as in Borgarfjörður and Öxnadalsheiði – could instead be fitted with passing lanes.
The need for action arises because of how often cars end up in queues and because of accident risk on mountain roads. These two factors form the basis for the proposals.
According to the research group, the following sections of the Ring Road are prioritised from a traffic safety perspective: Vestfjarðavegur – Holtavörðuheiði, Holtavörðuheiði – Innstrandavegur, and Öxnadalsheiði – Ólafsfjarðarvegur.
And from a service level perspective, defined by how often queues form, the following sections of the Ring Road are prioritised: Borgarnes – Borgarfjarðarbraut, Borgarfjarðarbraut – Vestfjarðavegur, Innstrandavegur – Hvammstangavegur, then Hvammstangavegur to Blönduós, and finally the Ring Road from Húnaver to Varmahlíð.
With measures such as these, accident risk should be reduced.
It is intended to reduce the risk of accidents caused by overtaking, yes.
Source: Ruv.is
