NORDIC ROAD AND TRANSPORT RESEARCH | NO.2 | 2006

Road Design in the Nordic Countries P7

SUNflower A Project to Improve Traffic Safety P24

Tunnels and Pavements Information about Tunnels from Norway and Noise Reducing Pavements from Denmark News from

VTI, Sweden Icelandic Road VTI is an independent, internationally Administration (ICERA) established research institute which is engaged in the The ICERA's mission is to provide the transport sector. Our work covers all modes, and our Icelandic society with a road system in accordance core competence is in the fields of safety, economy, with its needs and to provide a service with the aim environment, traffic and transport analysis, public of smooth and safe traffic. The number of employe- transport, behaviour and the man-vehicle-transport es is about 340. Applied research and development system interaction, and in road design, operation and and to some extent also basic research concerning maintenance. VTI is a world leader in several areas, for road construction, maintenance, traffic and safety is instance in simulator technology. performed or directed by the ICERA. Development division is responsible for road research in Iceland.

Danish Road Directorate (DRD) Norwegian Public Roads Danish Road Institute (DRI) Administration (NPRA) The Road Directorate, which is a part of The The Norwegian Public Roads Administration is one Ministry of Transport & Energy, Denmark, is of the administrative agencies under the Ministry of responsible for development and management of Transport and Communications in Norway. The the national highways and for servicing and facilita- NPRA is responsible for the development and mana- ting traffic on the network. As part of this responsi- gement of public roads and road traffic, as well as the bility, the Directorate conducts R&D, the aim of Vehicle Department. This responsibility includes which is to contribute to efficient road manage- research and development of all areas related to road ment and to the safe use of the network. The mate- transport and the implementation of R&D results. rials research component is carried out by the Danish Road Institute.

Technical Research Centre Institute of Transport of Finland (VTT), Economics (TØI), Norway VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland is a con- The Institute of Transport Economics is the natio- tract research organisation with a staff of 2,800. In nal institution for transport research and develop- this joint publication, the VTT expertise areas cover ment in Norway. The main objectives of the research and development of transportation, logis- Institute are to carry out applied research and pro- tics and road structures. The work is carried out in mote the application and use of results through five research groups employing a staff of 60. consultative assistance to public authorities, the transport industry and others. The Institute is an independent research foundation employing about one hundred persons.

Editorial notes Please write to the author or to the respective Finland publishing organisation. Nordic Road & Transport Research is a joint publi- Kari Mäkelä, VTT Requests for back issues, and notification of add- cation of six public road and transport research [email protected] ress changes: organisations in the Nordic countries, Denmark, Iceland Readers outside the Nordic countries: please write Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden. The main to the Editor-in-chief at the VTI in Sweden. Hreinn Haraldsson, ICERA objective of the publication is to disseminate re- Readers in the Nordic countries: please contact [email protected] search results and news from the institutions, espe- the publishing institution of your country. cially to researchers and decision makers. Each insti- Norway Addresses: see back cover. tution is responsible for the selection and presenta- Nils Fearnley, TØI tion of the material from its own scope of activities. [email protected] Nordic Road & Transport Research is published The Editorial Board consists of the Thorbjørn Chr. Risan, NPRA three times a year. It is regularly sent out, free of following representatives of the [email protected] charge, to recipients selected by the six joint publishing institutions Graphic Design publishers. Free sample copies are also sent out on Johnny Dahlgren Grafisk produktion AB, special request. Editor-in-Chief, Sweden Reproduction and quotation of the texts are allow- Magdalena Green, VTI Linköping, Sweden ed if reference is made to the author and source. [email protected] Issue 3,500 However, legislation regulates and restricts the right Denmark ISSN 1101-5179 to reproduce the illustrations. Please contact the Helen Hasz-Singh, DRI Cover respective publishing institution for information. [email protected] Advertising is not accepted. Matton Correspondence about the contents of the publi- cation:

2 | NORDIC NO. 2 2006 www.vti.se/nordic Contents

In Brief | p4 Autumn Brings Darker Conditions | p7 New Manual for Road and Street Design | p8 Harmonisation of Road Signs and Markings | p10 Rumble Strips Make Rural Roads Safer | p12 Improved Road Safety in Kungsbacka Town Centre | p13 Traffic Safety on Wind-exposed Roads in Iceland | p14 Designing the Urban Motorring 3 | p16 Using Clean Clay as Cap Material: Environmental Aspects of the Bjoervika Project in Oslo | p18 2005 Norwegian Travel Survey | p20 Under-sea Tunnels: New World Record | p22 Fire in Tunnels: The Runehamar Test Tunnel | p23 SUNflower – Developments in Traffic Safety in Sweden, the UK and the Netherlands | p24 Vibrations on Trains Disturb Passenger Activities | p26 Motorring Road 10 and Noise Reducing Pavements | p27 Noise Reducing Pavements – Internationally! | p28 Recycling of Oil Installation | p30 Annotaded Reports | p31

NORDIC NO. 2 2006 | 3 IN BRIEF PHOTO: PHOTOS.COM PHOTO:

The Transport Sector is Counteracting Terrorism Metro-like Bus Service A terrorist attack against vital infrastructu- and the way these are related to the trans- Attracts Passengers in the res such as transport and energy may have port sector. It is also the intention to esta- extensive regional, national and internatio- blish good cooperation between the sector Helsinki Region nal impacts on society and the economy. and the police, security firms and rescue Helsinki Metropolitan Area Council This problem has received a lot of atten- services. The project will act as a platform (YTV), the body responsible for public tion in the EU, and through the project for European expertise of researchers, con- transport planning and procurement in COUNTERACT, Cluster of User Networks sultants, operators and authorities. the Helsinki Metropolitan Area, believes in Transport and Energy Relating to anti- The most recent terrorist attacks, 11 in the appeal of high-quality bus services. terrorist ACTivities, security in the trans- September, the attacks against the London A new cross-town bus service known as the port and energy sectors will be strengthe- underground and the regional trains in Jokeri Line began operating between ned. VTI is contributing rail and public Madrid, show that security is of the greatest Helsinki and its neighbouring city Espoo transport expertise to the project. importance for transport. in August. The service links several district The transport sector is not immune The project extends over three years centres, employment clusters and residen- from terrorism. EU is now taking measures and will deliver reports on the present tial areas, covering a total of 27 km with 36 to evaluate and recommend solutions in situation with regard to risks, threats and stops. Transfer connections to other bus order to increase security in vital parts of terrorist acts, a review of the present posi- and rail services are excellent, because the transport sector, infrastructure, public tion concerning the need of e.g. training, Jokeri stops are located close to railway sta- transport, railways and freight transport. policy measures and further research. A tions and other transport nodes. Special COUNTERACT will make its contribu- number of targeted studies will also be attention has been paid to passenger tion by improving knowledge and under- made, and several conferences and works- information as well as comfortable and standing of the terrorism threats that exist hops will be arranged. environmentally friendly buses. This line, which follows a ring road, was originally planned as a rail link but the bus service was chosen as a more economical alternative to speed up the project's imple- mentation. Implementation of the bus ser- vice also required the construction of a number of tunnels and bridges, as well as a public transport street for fluent pro- gress and to avoid traffic jams. The Jokeri Line features metro-like service frequency. During weekday rush hours the buses run at 5-minute intervals. On Saturdays and

PHOTO: PHOTOS.COM PHOTO: Sundays the service is less frequent but

4 | NORDIC NO. 2 2006 www.vti.se/nordic TRA – New Arena for Transport Research “Greener, Safer and Smarter Road and between the world of research, autho- Transport for Europe” was the heading for rities and industry. TRA 2006, a new European conference on This introductory conference in Sweden research into road transport. attracted around one thousand visitors who TRA 2006 (Transport Research Arena) could hear presentations and exchange was held during four days in the middle of experiences concerning the latest research June at the Swedish Fair in Göteborg. This findings relating to road transport. The conference is the first of its kind and size in idea is that the conference shall be repea- Europe that has the aim of implementing a ted every second year in different common research area (European European countries; the next one is plan- runs until late evening. The Jokeri Line has Research Area – ERA) for road transport. ned for Slovenia in 2008. a distinctive visual image using blue and This research area shall comprise compo- The programme included both joint green colour scheme for its vehicles, both nents such as vehicles, roads and humans plenary sessions and parallel thematic spe- outside and interiors, bus stops and all pas- senger information. Public transport signal priorities help buses run on time. The driver’s ticket unit informs drivers on how close they are to their schedule. Key stops, 25 in all, have real-time displays showing the arrival time of the next bus. The system is based on the GPS satellite system in use on bus and tram lines operating in downtown Helsinki. The Jokeri Line vehicles are brand-new city buses. The high standard includes con- sideration of the environment; the buses’ exhaust emissions conform to the Euro 5 standard. According to YTV’s estimates, passenger GREEN, VTI MAGDALENA PHOTO: numbers on the Jokeri Line are expected seen from a system perspective. The confe- cial sessions. They covered most aspects to reach 18,000 during the initial stage. rence shall be a platform to support the and issues concerning the road transport Should the line turn out to be a success, coordination of the needs for, the perfor- sector and the way it should be changed to YTV plans to increase the circular cross- mance and implementation of research meet future challenges. Some of the sub- town transport. and development in the field of road trans- jects dealt with in the plenary sessions were VTT’s role as a consultant in the deve- port. It is expected to contribute to a sustai- the Seventh EU Framework Programme lopment of the Jokeri line touches on seve- nable, effective and safe road transport sys- for R&D and the contribution of road ral areas, notably increasing punctuality tem by helping, in its turn, to stimulate and transport to a sustainable society and glo- and reducing fuel consumption. reinforce the European networks within bal competitiveness. VTI contributed with ten papers, concerning, inter alia, intelli- gent roads and VTI’s HVS, an equipment for the simulation of heavy traffic. Norwegian – Czech Cooperation A commercial exhibition with around TØI recently signed an agreement of co- forty exhibitors was held in conjunction operation with its Czech sister institute with the conference. Here, VTI had the Centrum Dopravního Vyzkumu´ (CDV). opportunity to present its subject areas and The ceremony took place at the Czech to meet its customers and cooperation Republic’s embassy in Oslo. partners. The good relationship between the two The Swedish Road Administration and institutes has developed over time through VINNOVA were the organisers of the con- collaboration in research projects and in ference on behalf of three principals, international research policy fora. With the CEDR (Conference of European Directors new strategic alliance the two institutes aim of Roads), ERTRAC (European Research to develop this cooperation further. Advisory Council) and the EU Com- mission. Director of CDV, Josef Mikulík and Managing Director of TØI, Lasse Fridstrøm sign the agreement.

NORDIC NO. 2 2006 | 5 EU Cooperation for an Index of Road Safety The European Transport Safety Council (ETSC), together with Toyota Motor Europe and the Swedish Road Administration, has launched a new pro- gramme for comparing traffic safety in the EU. VTI will be one of the Swedish repre- sentatives in this programme, and Urban Karlström, the Director General of VTI, is a member of the steering group of the pro- gramme. A break during the Decision Makers’ Seminar The new programme will produce a Road Safety Performance Index, PIN, Joint Interest for Noise Abatement in the Road Sector which will take account of the increasing gap between countries that are good at traf- A Dutch-Danish seminar for executives and From the discussions it was concluded fic safety and others that have not yet done senior researchers was held in Copenhagen that technical terms should be translated as well. The index will be based on ten key in June, 2006. into social financial costs. Focus should be areas associated with training, legislation, The purpose of the invited seminar was on the process rather than the technical engineering and evaluation. to bring together senior researchers, issues and it should be considered to hitch- The overarching objective is to create a executives and program managers from hike noise considerations into air pollution stronger political leadership in the field of the national road and environmental admi- considerations in the definition of environ- traffic safety by noting how well the mem- nistrations. The discussion topics were on mental zones in larger cities. In Stockholm, ber countries of the EU are doing in the the level of combining the perception from environmentally friendly vehicles pay no areas of the greatest importance for traffic research with strategic items in relation to tax for entering the city zone and parking safety. national noise abatement objectives. is free. This has created a market for envi- National research organisations, indust- Interesting subjects were: ronmentally friendly cars (20 % of the total ry and independent researchers from 25 • Understanding of the “political playing market in the region). Environmental EU countries are taking part in the pro- field” (national road and environmental labelling of tires and noise labelling in gramme and will ensure that evaluation is authorities, industry, European and motor vehicle registers connected to car performed on scientific grounds. A stee- international regulations) taxes could effectively promote low noise ring group will have an active role in desig- • Understanding of the “technical wor- vehicles. It was noted that the responsibili- ning the evaluation and reporting process, king field” of the noise measures (road ty for noise abatement is shared between one feature of which will be an annual pro- surfaces, tires, noise barriers) three parties: Car manufactures, tire manu- gramme evaluation. The panel will consist • Differences in assessments of the measu- factures and road authorities and that of traffic safety experts from all the EU res (costs and benefits) noise should be regarded as a global pro- member countries. • Needs for future initiatives. blem and solved in EU rather than by local authorities individually.

The Road Safety Conference 2005 was a Great Success

During a period of nearly twenty with an interest in road safety years, starting in Göteborg, development. In total more than Sweden, in 1987, an international 250 delegates from 55 countries road safety conference has been and 6 continents participated in organised by the Swedish National the three day event. Road and Transport Research The next conference planned Institute (VTI). In October 2005 this series for late 2007, probably November, will be a of conferences were organised with the 13th 20-year anniversary. The venue for the next “Road Safety on Four Continents” in conference is proposed to be Bangkok, Warsaw, Poland. The Road Safety Thailand. A “Call for papers” and other Conference 2005 was a great success and information about the next conference attracted the international research com- will be presented at the website munity, national safety experts, decision www.vti.se/RS4C. makers, practitioners and other delegates

6 | NORDIC NO. 2 2006 www.vti.se/nordic ROAD DESIGN

Autumn Brings Darker Conditions PHOTO: PHOTOS.COM Good road lighting not only reduces fear of violence and criminali- ty but also cuts the number of accidents to pedestrians and cyc- lists. Road lighting helps pedestrians detect hazards, identify local landmarks and recognise other pedestrians, and makes them feel safer.

he principal aim of road lighting is to distribution of luminous intensity in rela- environment and energy use. Light pollu- Tcreate a safe journey for car drivers and tion to the surroundings, type of fitting tion is artificial light that shines in an unde- passengers, to help pedestrians detect haz- and the height of the fitting. sirable direction. One example is badly ards, identify local landmarks, make them For the illumination of footpaths and shielded road lighting that lights up open feel safer and promote the appearance of cycleways, fittings placed at a low level with landscape or shines upwards. One way to the surroundings in the dark. Several stu- a dim natural light that spreads light to the save energy and reduce light pollution is to dies that have been made all over the world sides have many safety advantages, such as reduce the level of illumination. point out that many accidents involving cyc- reduced shadow formation and enhanced There are also other problems with road lists and pedestrians occur at dusk, dawn or identification capacity. The drawbacks are lighting. One concerns lighting columns darkness. the risk of vandalism, the risk of glare and that are exposed to corrosion attacks both inferior lighting of the road layout. above and below ground. Good lighting is an art Since dark areas discourage many peop- Visibility and thus the ability to detect an le from cycling or walking because they are Magdalena Green, VTI, Sweden object depends on several factors, such as afraid of being attacked, road lighting must the contrast between the object and the be provided and it must be continuous. background, the adaptation of the eye, Environmental problems glare and the visual acuity of the driver. Title: Road Lighting – A literature review, R535 Many factors must be taken into account in Road lighting has not only positive effects Contact: Sara Nygårdhs, [email protected] choosing lighting fittings, such as shape, but may also have a negative effect on the

NORDIC NO. 2 2006 | 7 ROAD DESIGN

New Manual for Road and Street Design

In the near future Norway will get a new manual for road and street design. The existing manual was published in 1993.

he reason for the revision of the Texisting manual is, among other fac- tors, Vision Zero – a vision of a future situa- tion where nobody is killed or seriously injured in road accidents and the need for more self-explanatory and forgiving roads (i.e. if a traffic accident takes place, it shall not result in death or serious injuries). In Norway approximately 300 persons are kil- led and 1,200 are seriously injured in road accidents per year. The new manual distinguishes clearly between roads and streets. Streets are being formed by the town structure, avai- lable area and the wish for low speed. Street design - Consequently the streets will get complete- street enhance- ment (Drøbak). ly different shape and dimensions than the PHOTO: BÅRD ASLE NORDBØ. roads. 1. High-traffic roads will be provided with a cal curvature will be adjusted to make it There are three main parts in the new better standard due to the Vision Zero. easier to adapt the road to the landscape. guidelines: street design (new streets), 2. Low-traffic roads (i.e. AADT 0-4,000) 7. Open up for more use of roundabouts road design (new roads) and improvement will have a poorer standard because where traffic is moderate. of existing roads. Input parameters for resources will be used to improve the 8. The principles in The Norwegian selecting different road or street types, existing roads. Bicycle Guideline (published 2002) are which are the bases for the design require- 3. Roads with an AADT more than 4,000 integrated in Hb 017. Among other fac- ments, are the area connected to the will be given the same standard are pri- tors construction of cycle tracks has tur- road/street, speed limit and average annu- maryroads or other main roads. ned out to be a good measure with al traffic. The design guidelines give 4. For AADT 4-8,000 and speed limit 80 regard to traffic safety. instruction to providing solutions for seve- km/h a road width of 10 m with 1 m of 9. The public transport topic is updated ral road user groups: Cars, heavy vehic- rumble strips in the middle is recom- on the bases of new knowledge from les/goods delivery, buses, pedestrians and mended. public projects. In the future there will cyclists. 5. More use of median barriers and four- be more focus on public transport net- lane roads are based on the gain in traf- work, public transport priority and uni- What Is New? fic safety. This however will increase the versal design. Some important changes in the new road measures dramatically in some projects. 10. In the manual updated knowledge will and street guidelines: 6. The demands on horizontal and verti- be given on water pollution, vegetation,

8 | NORDIC NO. 2 2006 www.vti.se/nordic The topography, among other factors, makes it challenging to plan roads in Norway. PHOTO: BÅRD ASLE NORDBØ.

game protection fences and noise. The delines to shape of and design the public important in the future based on the fact environmental topics are relatively roads. Preparation of the road manuals that the contractors are operating more shortly described, but there are refe- requires high professional skill, and the internationally than before. rences to guidelines. work is normally organized as a project 11. The new 017 manual will result in redu- with a steering committee and work ced level of light on roads with motori- groups. New standards go through an zed traffic only. On other roads the extensive hearing by the road authorities, level of light will also be reduced, but by various technical authorities and by a the light level will increase in areas of number of interest groups. conflict such as cross-over areas and Road manuals are used on all road crossing points for cyclists and pedestri- levels. The choice of road standard is often ans. a political issue. Norway has good connec- tions with standardization agencies in More information: Road Manuals in Norway other countries, in particular the other http://vegvesen.no/horinger/hb_017/hb017_w.pdf (Temporarily only in Norwegian) In Norway The Road Directorate in The Nordic countries. The coordination of the Contact: Randi Eggen. Public Roads Administration is responsible efforts in the Nordic countries and the co- E-mail: [email protected] for issuing a series road manuals and gui- operation through CEN will be even more

NORDIC NO. 2 2006 | 9 ROAD DESIGN

Harmonisation of Road Signs and Markings

Part of the EU project IMPROVER studied the possibilities of improving traffic safety on the Trans-European Road Network (TERN) through harmonisation of fixed traffic signs and road markings in EU countries. VTT coordinated this subproject with six partners.

he continuing increase in vehicular that target, and also looked beyond it. be realised in the short term. The first esti- Ttraffic in the EU, together with greater mation of the measures showed that the movement of freight across Europe, has safety benefits should exceed the costs wit- resulted in the need to have dedicated hin one year. An efficient way to improve road networks within the EU. The White traffic safety on the TERN involving road Paper of 1993 identified serious imbalan- signing could be to harmonise the use of: ces in Europe’s transport system. In order i. Exit lane countdown marker signs to all to correct these imbalances the common motorway exits and intersections, Figure 1. Examples of different practices in the use of ii. Retro-reflective road markings on the transport policy seeks, and needs, to pur- road numbers as destinations sue seven objectives among which they whole of the TERN, and to supply: recommend the establishment of Trans- The study first focused on differences in iii. Better pre-trip information on the European Networks. This network will legal and technical instructions for road World Wide Web about the existence enable citizens to travel and businesses to signing systems between the European and meaning of various road signs and deliver their goods without hindrance or countries, then assessed the effect of these road markings for motorists in Europe. risk from one end of the Union to the other. differences on traffic safety from the view- The recommendation is that the The increased importance of the TERN point of costs and benefits. Thereafter, the European Commission should start the is one reason for the EC to demand better work developed four harmonisation scena- implementation of these measures as soon safety standards in road traffic. Fixed, verti- rios to eliminate significant differences in as possible, since the means to carry them cal traffic signs and road markings make an road signing. Finally, institutional analysis out are fairly clear-cut. The necessary steps important contribution to traffic safety. was undertaken to elucidate the implemen- in this scenario would be to draft a docu- Deployment of traffic signs is a national tation steps and EU actions for harmonisa- ment resulting in a Decision that would duty, but road signing systems on tion. allow implementation of the Scenario 1 European roads vary between countries. The total number of fatal accidents on measures immediately, and completion of This variation may have a significant the TERN was estimated to be almost 5,000 a detailed list of roads (or road sections) impact on traffic safety. per annum and the length of the TERN belonging to the TERN in order to make it approximately 70,000 km. The harmonisa- more easily identified and better known in Differences in road signing systems as a tion of road signs and markings among EU every EU country. starting point countries could prevent many road deaths An important milestone for traffic safety is on the TERN by means of the following Scenario 2. Should be harmonised in the the year 2010, by which time the EU aims scenarios, actions and recommendations: short term if the means are available to have halved the number of people killed The second scenario consisted of urgent in road traffic. This study aimed to show Scenario 1. Should be harmonised in the harmonisation needs, but the exact means what role the harmonisation of fixed traffic short term for harmonisation will not be known until signs and road markings among EU coun- The first scenario showed harmonisation further work and research are undertaken. tries on the TERN could play in achieving of relatively low-cost measures that could The task of driving safely on the TERN

10 | NORDIC NO. 2 2006 www.vti.se/nordic i. Extending the use of profiled road mar- kings ii. Improving night-time visibility of road markings. Both should be applied on road sections with high accident rates (only accident types on which road markings might have an effect need be considered) in the first instance. Scenario 3 required the relevant natio- nal institutions in the field of road safety to identify road sections with high accident rates. The EC should then issue a Decision

PHOTO TIMO UNHOLA stating where road markings should be improved. This scenario could then be would be supported by the harmonised use road. Nevertheless, the costs of these analy- implemented within the scheme of regular of: ses are estimated to be minimal compared maintenance. i. E-road numbers (only on E-roads to the potential safety benefits after imple- which cross at least one border and mentation. However, the costs of imple- Scenario 4. Could be harmonised in the only at their intersections) mentation cannot yet be predicted as the long term ii. Exit numbers on motorways. needed measures for harmonisation The fourth scenario comprised a variety of Based on initial estimates, a quick way to depend on results from studies. details (14 aspects in total) in road signing improve matters would be to modify For a swift implementation of Scenario differences among EU countries. Their existing signs by means of adding ‘patches’ 2, the EC should launch the following ini- safety effects were not assessed to be high with E-road and exit numbers. However, tiatives: A joint committee with UNECE separately, but together they demonstrated national direction-signing systems are diffe- should be set up to formulate European the clutter and inconsistency that foreign rent, therefore solutions on how and where norm plans for typical intersections. drivers have to face on the TERN. Thus, numbers should be added may vary from Similarly, a joint committee should be for- the combined effect of harmonisation may country to country. Before the value of med to initiate dialogue on optimal defini- be substantial as it meets the general these measures can be fully assessed, a con- tions and background research; an agree- demand for continuity and uniformity of cept for realisation must be developed. ment with the Vienna Convention would road signing on the TERN in the long Costs then have to be derived reliably from be one way to produce new guidelines on term. After making an initial assessment, the concept. Since a safety benefit is hard road signs. Finally, UNECE would have to the Commission should further develop to quantify, the number of accidents that produce another agreement specifying the particular issues by launching additional the measure could have an effect on must minimum parameters for road marking research into the measures suggested in be determined, to gain an impression of performance over time, while (under this scenario. the maximum number of accidents that CEN) the European Norm ENV 13459-3 could be prevented. could be modified to assist in this process. Further research to determine the best Accordingly, the performance of fixed, ver- practice should be done in the following tical traffic signs (initial performance and areas: performance in use) should be defined iii. Direction sign positions at intersec- and harmonised for sign types. tions, iv. Maximum number of destinations and Scenario 3. Should be harmonised in the letter size in direction signs, long term v. Road numbers as destinations. The third scenario involved long-term Harmonisation of the above is expected measures, as the costs of harmonisation to produce considerable benefits in road exceed the estimated safety benefits likely safety. These harmonisation measures first to be obtained in a single year. However, require further clarification of, and rese- the harmonisation need is high-priority arch on, drivers' information-processing and safety would improve through: Contact: Mikko Räsänen, [email protected] capabilities in relation to input from the

NORDIC NO. 2 2006 | 11 ROAD DESIGN Rumble Strips Make Rural Roads Safer

A study from VTI shows that milled rumble strips in the centre of a two-lane road are probably an excellent measure to reduce the number of head-on collisions that occur because tired and inat- tentive drivers inadvertently leave their own lanes. One alternati- ve to rumble strips in the carriageway is to simulate them in the car, for instance through a vibrating driver’s seat.

road had rumble strips than when it had none • 76% of drivers answered that they would feel safer if there were rumble strips in the centre of the road • 83% said they that would feel more cer- tain they would not inadvertently drive over into the wrong lane • 88% thought that rumble strips at the centre are a good way of improving traf- fic safety. The strips may also improve driver beha- viour by making the driver consciously avoid crossing the centre line on sections where this would be unsafe. This may, in turn, have the result that the number of overtaking and curve cutting manoeuvres is reduced. The rumble strips chosen for the study were milled at 1.2 m centres. They are 35 cm wide, 15 cm long and about 1.0 cm deep. The experimental section is 14 km long. PHOTO: VTI The strips were evaluated by means of traf- study shows that one of the effects of signals can stop the driver from inadver- fic counts, roadside interviews and observa- Amilled rumble strips in the centre of tently wandering over the centre line tions. the road is to make car drivers lower their because he/she is tired or inattentive, says One alternative to rumble strips is to speed and keep at a larger distance from Anna Anund, researcher at VTI. simulate these in the car through a vibra- the centre of the road. Milled rumble strips ting driver’s seat. Citroen has such a veer- have been found to work well on Swedish Results from the study: off alarm in models C4 and C5. The great rural roads that are not wide enough for a • According to the drivers, the greatest difference between these support systems centre barrier such as a wire rope barrier. benefit of the strips is that they warn dri- and actual rumble strips is that these vibra- No effects can however be found as regards vers that they are about to drive across tions are of much lower intensity and that changes in the behaviour of the drivers of the centre line (94%) false alarms often occur. heavy vehicles. • At all sites of measurement, car drivers – Milled strips help the driver both significantly, by an average 1.8 km/h, Title: Milled rumble strips on the centre line on a through the sound they create and reduced their speed two-lane road through the vibrations they set up in the • On average, car drivers drove about 5 cm Contact: Anna Annund, [email protected] vehicle, in the seat and the wheel. These nearer the edge of the road when the

12 | NORDIC NO. 2 2006 www.vti.se/nordic Improved Road Safety in Kungsbacka Town Centre

Through knowledge and the correct measures, the traffic situa- tion for vulnerable road users can be markedly improved in towns. VTI has monitored the road safety situation in Kungsbacka town centre in Sweden. It is found that, as the result of the comprehensive measures, vehicular traffic in the town centre has decreased, speeds have been reduced and there has been a marked reduction in the risk run by vulnerable road users of being injured or killed.

TI has studied the road safety situation Vin Kungsbacka town centre. The inve- stigation has focused on the road safety situation of vulnerable road users and an evaluation has been made of the safety effect of the physical measures that had been taken. – We are very pleased with the results we have achieved, all the measures we have taken have been found to improve the road safety situation in the town centre, says Lars Björkman, traffic manager in Kungsbacka. Our cooperation with VTI has worked very well, and we feel that we have had a very good return for the money spent. PHOTO: VTI

Physical measures Good results due to heavy traffic. Speeds also dropped As long ago as 1991, VTI made a situation VTI has now followed up the road safety owing to the physical measures. Mean assessment and analysis of the traffic and situation in Kungsbacka, with the focus on speed decreased from 34 km/h to 24 trafic safety situation in the central areas of studying the interaction between vulne- km/h. Another important measure was Kungsbacka. This investigation was arran- rable road users and motor vehicles. separating vulnerable road users from vehi- ged as a preliminary study that could be – We have focused on vulnerable road cular traffic to the greatest possible extent. used as the basis for a future follow-up. users, which has irritated some drivers who To sum up, the measures taken may be After the investigation, extensive measures think that they now have to drive too slow- said to have reduced the risk of pedestrians were taken in the town centre to improve ly through the town centre, says Lars and cyclists being hit by motor vehicles. road safety. One street was closed to reduce Björkman. But it is good to be able to show The risk of being killed has decreased by through traffic in the town centre, a pede- how the number of accidents has dropped 75% and the risk of being injured by 44%. strian and cycle tunnel was constructed, in recent years when we get this type of roundabouts were built, intersections and complaint. Magdalena Green, VTI, Sweden pedestrian and cycle crossings were raised, Closing a junction from a street carrying and the whole town centre was made a 30 a lot of traffic redistributed traffic and thus Contact: Hans Thulin, [email protected] km/h area. reduced traffic volume in the town centre. Alexander Obrenovic, [email protected] A large proportion of the reduction was

NORDIC NO. 2 2006 | 13 ROAD DESIGN Traffic Safety on Wind-exposed Roads in

Iceland’s windy climate poses a notable threat to road users. On the most severely exposed road sections, as many as one third of all road traffic accidents may have strong wind as a contributing, or as a primary factor. An ongoing study funded by the ICERA Research Department reflects on influencing factors such as local topography, road surface condition, vehicle characteristics, driving

speed, road weather information and traffic control etc. PHOTO: J. TH. SNÆBJÖRNSSON

Windy road environment utilized. Thanks to the ICERA Road accidents types most often resulting in per- The study was conducted by ORION Service Department’s ambitious informa- sonal injury according to the database. The Consulting Engineers and the Engineering tion policy, data from road weather stations mean wind speed is higher than 10 m/s for Research Institute, University of Iceland. It is available to supplement the road traffic two thirds of the frontal collisions, and one focuses on two exposed road sections, on accident database, as well as data from sub- third of the driving off the road incidents. either side of the Hvalfjordur submarine pavement sensors determining vehicle The road condition related to these acci- road tunnel near Reykjavik. The two road speed and size. dents is most often wet and not icy or sections (Kjalarnes, ADT 6400 and In order to map the distribution of snowy. The only accident type solely happe- Hafnarfjall, ADT 3400, year 2005 figures) strong winds in the exposed areas, compu- ning on a dry road surface is trailer roll- play a significant role in the national trans- terized wind simulations have been done as over on the road. port system of goods and people. Both sites well as wind measurements with a vehicle- are adjacent to mountains (approx. 800 mounted device. Also, the project funds Road surface condition metres above sea level) that during specific have in part supported the development of In theory, less tire friction means that lower weather conditions are prone to magnify- a probabilistic model for the assessment of wind speed is needed to cause the vehicle ing the wind effects, causing extremely road vehicle safety in windy environment. to slip. The study confirms that during hazardous conditions on the road. At windy conditions, a higher number of acci- Kjalarnes the chances that the 10 minute Key findings dents occur when the road friction is lower mean wind speed exceeds 15 m/s in a sing- Existing road weather stations enable real- than usual, due to water or ice. A wet road le day during the winter is 47%. The hig- time monitoring of wind conditions and surface seems to be equally hazardous as hest wind gust can be as high as 2,5 times early warning possibilities. Besides that, his- icy or snowy road surface. A possible expla- higher than the mean wind speed, fre- torical time series from the stations are nation is that drivers seldom experience quently caching drivers off-guard. At least important for accident statistics. Comparison the reduced friction caused by a wet road one third of the road traffic accidents may of the road traffic accident database and surface and are thus not prepared for the have strong wind as a contributing factor. measurements from the weather stations combined effects of wind gust and reduced The objective of the study is to enhance indicate that strong winds and the combi- road friction, while on the contrary an icy the knowledge of the road users and the ned effects of the wind and road surface road triggers an “automatic reflex” in most road authorities on the different parame- condition are in many cases not adequately drivers. ters influencing road traffic safety in windy reported. In other words, analysis omitting environments. The main goal is to reduce the cross linking with weather measure- Vehicle category the accident rate in windy road environ- ments would underestimate the influence The aerodynamic properties of vehicles are ments. of winds on traffic safety. important to the stability on a windy day. On exposed sites, cross winds acting lateral- Method Accident category ly on the side of the vehicle are commonly A variety of tools has been adopted by the Frontal collisions of meeting vehicles and as strong as the vehicle velocity induced air- researchers and different data sources were single vehicle driving off the road are the speed, the air pressure acting sideways can

14 | NORDIC NO. 2 2006 www.vti.se/nordic Iceland Hafnarfjall study site. Red cross indicates the road weather sta- tion in the area.

The relationship betwe- en driving speed and wind gust for all vehic- les at the Kjalarnes study site. The arrows define V85 under nor- Minivan with a mobile wind measuring device attached to the roof, at mal and under extreme- the Hafnarfjall study site. The vehicle is here parked in the curve close ly high wind gusts to the weather station on the following map. respectively.

thus be high as the drag force in the dri- only reduce the risk of accidents taking Future tasks ving direction. The appearance of the dif- place but also increase their chances of cor- The researchers believe that the risk of ferent vehicle categories in the data con- recting the course in time should the vehic- wind induced accidents can be heavily firms the theory. Once an accident has le come out of control. Last but not least reduced by driver education, early war- happened, the chances that the recorded will they reduce their risk of injury if the ning, traffic control and possibly local shel- mean wind speed is 10 m/s or more, are driving speed is moderate. In the accident tering measures on exposed sections or double for high-sided vehicles such as database, the vehicle speed at the time of road class improvements. However, due to trucks and trailers, than for passenger cars. accident is recorded according to the dri- Iceland’s harsh climate and sparse vegeta- With respect to this it should be mentioned ver’s own assessment. In accidents happe- tion, the risk of wind induced traffic acci- here that some national insurance compa- ning at mean wind speeds lower than 10 dents will always be there. Even though nies in Iceland discourage commercial traf- m/s at Kjalarnes, 85% of the drivers state wind induced accidents are most common fic during adverse weather conditions, dec- that their driving speed was 89 km/h or during the winter, August is also a risky laring a limited responsibility when the lower (V85 = 89 km/h). When the mean month, when the autumn is approaching wind speed exceeds a certain limit wind speed is higher than 10 m/s, V85 is and lots of holiday makers are still out on reduced to 78 km/h. the roads with their caravans, which have Wind direction, wind speed Thanks to the sub-pavement sensors, proved to be the wind’s own favourites! In the Kjalarnes area, when the recorded V85 is easily calculated and sorted accor- wind direction is 40° north-east, most acci- ding to the recorded wind speed in a near- FACTS: dents happen at the Esjuberg black-spot, by weather station. For last October till Thordarson & Snæbjörnsson, 2004, and wind gusts on the order of 1,5 to 2,5 January, on Kjalarnes, this exercise reveals 2006. Traffic accidents and wind condi- times the mean wind speed can be expec- that V85 is close to 103 km/h when the tions. Reports for RannUm, part I & II. ted. On the other hand, when the weather wind gust is lower than 15 m/s (equalling The Icelandic Board for Road Traffic station records 80° east, the Dalsmynni mean wind speed lower than approx. 10 Safety Research. (In Icelandic). black spot (a few kilometres away) is the m/s). When the wind gust is 40 m/s (78 Snæbjörnsson, J. Th., Baker, C.J. & most common location of wind induced knots or 144 km/h !), V85 is only reduced Sigbjörnsson, R., 2005. Probabilistic accidents. Anyhow, regardless of the inci- to 90km/h. assessment of road vehicle safety in dent wind direction being 40° or 80°, the Concluding on this fact it sounds reaso- windy environments. EACWE4 – The whole Kjalarnes area of almost 12 kilomet- nable to say that drivers only slightly mode- fourth European & African Conference res is dangerous in either case. rate their driving speed according to wind on Wind Engineering. speed, and are probably not paying the Driving Speed deserved respect to the wind. And obvious- A higher driving speed can increase the ly, driver’s own assessment of the driving overall aerodynamic forces on the vehicle. speed once the accident has happened Contact: Skuli Thordarson, PhD. Civ. Eng. Iceland By reducing the driving speed during gives a biased picture! [email protected] extremely windy conditions, drivers not

NORDIC NO. 2 2006 | 15 ROAD DESIGN Designing the Urban Motorring 3

AlI phases of the project of the extension of the Motorring 3 – from idea to the completed road – is carried out in close co-ope- ration with architects. The purpose is to construct an urban motorway which is safe and which lives up to the requirements for quality and aesthetics set by the Danish Road Directorate, the road users, and the neighbours of the road.

Facts on M3 for the neighbours of the road – how will With almost 125,000 cars per day the M3 is the new road appear in relation to the clo- the most important ring road of sest surroundings? Copenhagen, Denmark. The 17 km motor- way connects the Danish capital to the rest Surroundings of Denmark and Europe through five By analysing the surroundings and the motorways and a motorway to Sweden. The urban conditions it has been possible to need for more capacity has been urgent for establish those characteristics which form several years. The project widens the M3 by the basis for the aesthetics for M3. The M3 The completed road (illustration). one extra lane in each direction plus an is fused by its many ramps and bridges to emergency lane in both directions. The the landscape and urban areas it passes. A work started March 2005 and will be finis- modern urban motorway should be crea- road user, driving at approximately 100 hed by the end of 2008. Total cost is 255 ted which corresponds to the expectations km/h passes an interchange approximate- million Euro. of the surroundings and the road users. ly every 90 seconds. The road is situated The M3 surrounds the Danish capital The architects have therefore been in close above, below and on level with the surroun- Copenhagen for a length of 17 km, going dialogue with the Danish Road Directorate ding level and gives a varying experience, from North to South. It is the most impor- and have been involved in all phases of the when the road user drives from one end of tant ring road of the region. To design an project from idea to completion. the road to the other. urban motorway, such as the Motorring 3 The basic plan was produced by urban (M3) requires necessary aesthetic decisions Comprehensive picture of the project developers back in 1947. This plan, known as regards elements such as bridges, Claus Bjarrum Arkitekter has designed the as “Finger Plan” has had great influence on lighting, noise barriers, crash barriers, M3 seen from several points of view and the development of the area and landscape plants, etc. In brief, everything, which is considerations. Some basic questions have in Greater Copenhagen. The provincial part of a heavily trafficked road. If the aim been asked which form the basis for the de- towns are today situated along the radial is to give road users and neighbours a beau- sign of the motorway. How can a high capa- roads of Copenhagen and are a part of the tiful, safe and high quality impression city road be designed where traffic safety characteristic star formation of the Finger within the framework of the project, all has the highest importance? How can the Plan. Between the fingers or arms of the elements must be considered to give a redesigned road contribute to the creation stars are rural areas which spread far into comprehensive picture. of higher quality and identity in those the urban areas. urban areas through which the road pas- The radial roads crossing the M3 are Aims ses? How can the barrier effect of the road clean crossings of the infrastructure and The aim of the Danish Road Directorate be reduced? How are the elements of the are therefore a natural starting point for has been to create a modern urban motor- road experienced by the road users, who aesthetic thoughts. At the interchanges way within the economic framework of the drives on the road at high speed? And various different trees are planted, which project for the extension of the M3. A maybe the most important questions of all thus give each place an individual identity.

16 | NORDIC NO. 2 2006 www.vti.se/nordic Cross section (illustration).

The neighbour The neighbours to the M3 have conside- rable nuisance from noise, coming from the road. Thus a 3-4 meter high noise bar- rier will be constructed for the total length of 18 km. The noise barrier is slanted at 10° towards the centre of the motorway, partly to achieve the greatest possible effect of the noise absorbing capacity of the noise The motorway with noise bar- barrier, but also to soften the experience of rier, light and the barrier as seen from the side of the gantry for intel- neighbour. In order for the noise barriers ligent traffic management to look harmonious - and for them to have systems. a good design - the barrier on the neighbour’s side is covered with trelliswork the way, the road passes a stretch of woo- dings and the most important landscape. to allow climbing plants to grow there. ded area. It is a positive development in these On some stretches the M3 is situated • The urban part lies very close to hou- years that there is so much focus on impro- some 4-5 meters over the surrounding ter- sing areas. This part of the M3 will have vement of the physical environment. rain. On the major part of these kind of noise barriers of up to four meters in Hopefully, the ongoing design work on M3 stretches supporting walls are established height and in places where the road is will be considered a practical example of a in order to minimise the expropriations above or below the normal level, sup- careful and integrated effort to create qua- necessary. The four meter high noise barri- porting walls will be constructed. lity improvements and a new identity for er is placed on top of the supporting wall. On the northern side, the noise barriers infrastructure and town development. In total, the height of wall and noise barri- will form a smooth course. The road user er can become up to nine meters. As a moves through an environment which is neighbour, this is an overwhelming barrier. calm and the traffic can largely flow with- Article specially written for Nordic Here also, climbing plants will be planted out hindrances. At the different inter- Road & Transport Research by Jesper so in some years’ time, this will appear to changes one sees vertical tress which catch Krilov Sørensen, architect MAA, Claus be a green, coherent surface. one’s attention and which is in agreement Bjarrum Arkitekter A/S with the fact that it is important to be aware The character of the road of other road users, who come into or leave

M3 passes a varied environment. It can be the M3. On the southern part, the motor- More information: www.trafikken.dk/m3. divided into two types: way construction expands and catches the Contact: tel. +4533413700, Email: [email protected] • The open countryside: Along some of road user’s attention through the surroun-

NORDIC NO. 2 2006 | 17 Using Clean Clay as Cap Material: Environmental Aspects of the Bjoervika Project in Oslo

The Bjoervika Project is not a typical road project, but part of a city development plan in an old harbour area. PHOTO: NPRA/PROSJEKTFOTO AS AND BÅRD GUDIM

he E18 motorway passes through Oslo’s environmental aspects of the road project showed that the pilot project was a success. T(Norway) city centre with an annual both during construction and for the Clay slurry of suitable consistency was pro- average daily traffic volume of 95,000 completed road system. This includes fin- duced and seems to provide a valuable cap vehicles. The Bjoervika Project will realign ding acceptable solutions for mass disposal, on contaminated sea bed. The negative the motorway from the surface to under maintaining fresh and salt water environ- reaction of the media has been hard to the harbour area by means of an immersed ments, polluted sediments and sea-bottom, understand. It is possible that they are scep- tunnel. The new alignment will cross two excavation and transportation of soil mate- tical to capping contaminated seabed in small bays: Bjoervika and Bispevika, and rial, vegetation, air pollution, and noise. itself. release valuable land sites for city develop- After removing a minor layer of conta- ment Figure 1. Construction work started minated marine sediment, approximately Challenges Related to the Marine in the summer of 2005 and construction 380,000 m3 of clean clay will be dredged to Environment work in the water will be going on until the make space for the prefabricated tunnel In the sea area the tunnel will mostly be end of 2008. The whole project will be elements. An additional 180,000 m3 of lower than the present seabed level. finished during spring 2011. clean clay will also be excavated from land Therefor during the time of the building Particular attention has been given to approach areas. project, a deep canal down to about con- The clay is very soft and not suitable for tour line -20 has to be excavated belov the construction work. Transportation and dis- bottom of the sea. This will be laying open posal of 560,000 m3 clay on land would until the prefabricated elements of the generate traffic and air pollution, plus immersed tunnel are installed and the mas- extra costs if the clay is defined as waste. ses filled back to cover the tunnel ele- The plan is therefore to use this non-conta- ments. The construction site will also cross minated clay to cap areas of the sea bed in the outlet of a river (Akerselva) and unless the Inner Oslo fjord that are heavily conta- necessary measurements are carried out, minated. This will establish a physical barri- migrating fish could be negatively affected er between the contaminated seabed and by particles, pollution and noise. The mas- sea life. ses from the excavation consist of different types of material of which some fractions The Pilot Project have a high concentration of heavy metals To test the feasibility and effectiveness of and organic environmental poison which PHOTO: NPRA/PROSJEKTFOTO AS AND BÅRD GUDIM have to be handled in a way that prevent A overwiew of the new alignment crossing Bjoervika this concept, a pilot project was carried out and Bispervika. in the autumn of 2004. The results (2005) spreading of pollution.

18 | NORDIC NO. 2 2006 www.vti.se/nordic Construction works for the immersed tunnel which also will cross The Bjoervika pier.

Analysis have shown that spawning fish and fry should manage to pass through the construction site during the construction period and be secured from negative expo- sure of particles, pollution and noise if app- ropriate measures are taken. In addition the bottom contour line and the river bed of the Akerselva will be restored so that the river mouth remains as it is today.

Status by August 2006 The construction work on the alignment of the immersed tunnel has begun. Contaminated clay has been disposed, and clean clay is now being excavated. When the excavation for the alignment is over, this clean clay will be used as cap material on the immersed tunnel. The alignment is 110 m wide and the excavation will last for about a year and a half. The first two 112.5 m long elements of the immersed tunnel manufactured in Bergen, Western Norway, are also tugged into the construction site.

More information: http://vegvesen.no/region_ost/prosjekter/bjorvika/ english.stm Contact: Turid Winther-Larsen, [email protected] PHOTO: NPRA/PROSJEKTFOTO AS AND BÅRD GUDIM Inspection of migrating fish in the clean water corridor made by a bilge system. 2005 Norwegian Travel Survey

The 2005 Norwegian National Travel Survey (NTS) is the fifth national survey of travel behaviour conducted in Norway, and marks 20 years of NTS surveys in Norway. This article summari- ses some key findings of the survey.

TS records personal travel of all types, Nincluding short trips taken on a daily basis and longer journeys undertaken less

frequently, and all modes of transport inc- Figure 2: Proportion luding walking. The Norwegian NTS is driver licence holders comparable with most European and the among women and men aged 18-24 in American Passenger Travel Surveys. A total 1992, 2001 and of 17,514 persons aged 12 and above were 2005 interviewed in the 2005 NTS. The figure includes a representative sample of the entire country of around 10,000 and sup- plementary, regional samples. Access to a car varies considerably. Men areas have highest access. People living in Increased car access continue to have better car access than areas surrounding the big cities have good Car access is one of the most important fac- women. Other characteristics of those with access to cars, too. tors affecting mode choice. In 2005, 87 per good access to a car are high income, hig- During the 1990s, the proportion of cent of the population belonged to a hou- her education, couples with children, and young people aged 18-24 with driving licen- sehold with at least one car, one third had age group 45-54. There are considerable ce fell. In 2005, the relatively low propor- two cars and seven percent had three or geographical differences in car access. tion of driving licence holders in this more cars. 68 per cent said that they always People living in the capital, Oslo, have the group remained at the same level as 2001, had access to a car; an increase of four per- lowest car access rates; whereas those living 73 per cent. Among young people, the pri- centage points from 2001. in smaller towns and in sparsely populated mary reasons for not having a driving licen- ce are that they do not need one and that they cannot afford it. The quality of public transport, measu- red in terms of the distance to the bus or

Figure 1: Proportion tram stop and in terms of service frequen- of men and women cy, varies extremely between different who can always areas. The quality is clearly best for people access a car in 1992, 2001 and living in Oslo. Also those living in the cities 2005 of Bergen, Trondheim and Stavanger enjoy relatively good levels of service, whereas service levels in areas surrounding the large cities are considerably poorer. 24 percent of the sample reported that

20 | NORDIC NO. 2 2006 www.vti.se/nordic Car access is one of the most important factors affecting mode choice. PHOTO: PHOTOS.COM very good public transport services were were made by car drivers. When we add than 100 km (62 miles) and trips abroad. available to them, 46 per cent good or fair- trips made as a car passenger, the car repre- This is a clear increase since 2001. More ly good services and 30 per cent stated sents two thirds of all trips being made. than half of the population made a long poor or very poor public transport services. One trip in five is a walking trip, and in trip in 2005. This is an improvement compared with total one out of four trips is non-motorised. Holiday and leisure travel dominate 2001, when 38 per cent reported poor or Public transport trips constitute eight per- long trips. Every third trip takes place in very poor public transport. cent of all trips. the context of a holiday, with visits coming A large proportion of the population in addition. Altogether these two purposes owns a bicycle, 76 per cent. This figure Trip purpose constitute 56 per cent of long trips. Work- remains stable over time. Commuting constitutes 19 per cent of all related trips represent 18 per cent. individual trips, but is often connected For domestic long trips, the car is the More trips and more car use with trips for other purposes, such as shop- dominant mode with a 71 percent modal The average trip length is 11.1 km, a slight ping, taking children to activities etc. share. Aviation accounts for 13 percent, as reduction from 2001, and takes 20 minu- Nearly 30 per cent of daily trips are related do train and coach together. There is an tes. The total length travelled per day for to shopping. This a slight increase from increase in car use since 2001. For holiday each person is 37.4 km, a slight increase 2001. More than half of these shopping and leisure trips abroad, travel by air is the from 2001. Men, those in employment, trips involve grocery purchases. dominant mode of transport. people with high income and education, Accompanying children to activities and and those living in the Oslo region travel trips for other care purposes constitute 10 the longest distances. per cent of daily trips. Separate leisure trips In 2005 the population made an average are 17 per cent of daily trips, and travel of 3.3 trips per day. This is a slight increase related to private visits 13 per cent. Title: 2005 Norwegian Travel Survey - key results from the 2001 average of 3.1 trips and is Authors: Jon Martin Denstadli, Øystein Engebretsen, Randi Hjorthol and Liva Vågane mainly caused by an increase in car travel. More long trips TØI report no 844/2006 The number of trips by other modes of tra- On average Norwegians made 1.6 long All TØI reports are available on www.toi.no vel is stable. In 2005, 54 per cent of all trips trips per month, defined as trips longer

NORDIC NO. 2 2006 | 21 Under-sea Tunnels: New World Record

A new world record for deepest under-sea tunnel was set in Norway on the 31st of May this year when, under construction of the new Eiksund tunnel in the north-western part of the country, a depth of 266 m under mean sea level was reached. The record Graphic design: Graphic centre, is expected to increase to 287.32 m this autumn and experts NPRA believe this record will not be broken in many years.

ever before have road builders rea- Nched as far below the ocean surface as the builders of Eiksund tunnel. The old record of 264 m below sea level, which belongs to Hitra tunnel in Sør-Trøndelag, is now history. The new record was reached after constructing 3.940 m tunnel starting from Steinnesstranda in Ørsta district. The Eiksund The Eiksund tunnel, which runs from link. Graphic Eika under Yksenøysund and Yksen island, design: Wiggo and further under Vartdalsfjord to Berknes Kanck/Graphic centre, NPRA peninsula will be 7.765 meter long. The tunnelling goes deeper and deeper and the • Wider offer in public and private ser- lowest point of 287.32 m will be reached in vices. the autumn. Breakthrough in Eiksund tun- • Attractive recreational areas in the nel is expected at the end of December this mountains and near the sea. year depending on the quality of the rock • An active and well developed industrial in the remaining 2.300 meters. environment in ship building and The Eiksund tunnel will have three mechanical industries. lanes (climbing lane) from the lowest point • Fishing activities up to Eika where the slope is 9.6%. The The tunnel builders were praised very exit to Steinnesstranda where the slope is much during celebration of the new world lower (7.6%) and the view is better, will record. The good teamwork that was con- PHOTO: WIGGO KANCK have two lanes. Never before have road builders reached as far below ducted by all those involved in the project The total cost of the project including the ocean surface as the builders of Eiksund tunnel. and the fact that the work was conducted supporting roads, two tunnels and a new without any injury was highly appreciated. bridge is about 100 million Euros (2003). In addition it was noted that the project is The cost of the Eiksund tunnel itself is nect Ørsta and Volda on the main land side on the right track with regard to progress, about 47 million Euros (2003). to the island districts to form a region with quality and economy. When the Eiksund link on the national over 40,000 inhabitants, who will get better road 653 becomes completed in 2007, the communication and access to: island districts of Hareid, Herøy, Sande, • diverse schools More information (only in Norwegian): and Ulstein with their 22,000 inhabitants • wider and diverse job market http://www.vegvesen.no/region_midt/prosjekter/ will get ferry-free road connection to the • physician and hospital services eiksundsambandet/index.stm main land. The Eiksund link will also con- • Wider and better trading opportunities.

22 | NORDIC NO. 2 2006 www.vti.se/nordic Åndalsnes is located 500 Fire in Tunnels: km from Oslo. The Runehammer test site is located 5 km from the The Runehamar Test Tunnel town centre of Åndalsnes. Fires in road tunnels have happened more frequently over the last decade. To be able to prevent such fires, there is a need for understanding the specific elements related to fires and tunnels and how these matters influence each other. Laboratory testing has been usual, full scale testing is rarer. The Norwegian contribution is an abandoned tunnel, The Runehamar Tunnel, upgraded with equipment to execute full scale fire tests.

The Tunnel Fire Test Site • Tests of insulation materials nels. Variation of loads is infinite, but we The Runehamar test site is located 5 km • Mitigation measures. shall attempt to restrict the number to from the town centre of Åndalsnes in the those most commonly encountered. north western part of Norway. Åndalsnes is Large Scale Fire Tests in the Runehamar During 2005 two full scale tests were located 500 km from Oslo and 40 km from Tunnel conducted in the tunnel: Molde. The Runehamar test site has three In the frame of Swedish national and • Test of tunnel membrane used for water road tunnels closed down for ordinary traf- European research programs on tunnel protection. A total length of 30 m of mem- fic, where two can be used for fire testing. safety, comprehensive large scale fire tests brane was installed and the test fire was The Old Runehamar tunnel has previously have been conducted in September 2003 approximately 25 – 30 MW with a time- been used for fire testing of various tunnel in the Runehamar road tunnel. Especially temperature curve similar to HC. The test insulation materials. All tunnels at the site semi-trailer fires similar to the size of the confirmed that the given demands for are easy to access by road. They are located fires in Mont Blanc Tunnel (France/Italy) such a membrane were fulfilled. about 1 km from road E136. The entrance and St. Gotthard Tunnel (Switzerland) • A full scale mitigation test was conduc- has a key closed gate entering into a short were used. The Swedish National Testing ted at the end of the year. For the results tunnel, which leads to the site. The road is and Research Institute (SP) have carried of this test the “Ministerie van Verkeer in good condition with asphalt paving. out the tests in collaboration with our en Waterstaat” in the Netherlands has to UPTUN partners from TNO Building and be contacted: http://www.rws.nl/ The Runehamar Test Tunnel Construction Research in the Netherlands rws/bwd/home/www/cgi-bin/ The Runehamar tunnel is made of hard and the Norwegian Fire Research index.cgi?site=3 Gneiss type rock. It is about 1.650 m long and Laboratory (SINTEF/NBL). Total four For 2006 The Norwegian Public Roads the cross section is about 50 m2. The tunnel large-scale tests with different semi-trailer Administration is planning for three diffe- has a small slope (1%-3%) downwards (going fire loads where carried out. The world's rent full scale fire tests of materials related west) and a slight curve going north. The tun- highest peak heat release rate ever measu- to water-frost insulation and protected with nel was constructed in the early sixties. red in a tunnel fire test was registered. It 80 mm sprayed concrete with polypropyle- The site of the tunnel, length and sha- was higher than 200 MW and the gas tem- ne fibres. The fire growth, caused by pool ping make the Runehamar Tunnel ideal as a peratures in the vicinity of the fire were fire, of these tests are decides to be of a size tunnel for research and development of tun- registered above 1.350 °C. around 50 MW for at least 90 minutes. nel safety technology. The benefit of such a test tunnel will be related to the fact that Why Testing? every research activity conducted in this tun- The purpose of the fire tests was to measu- nel will be in full scale. Previous laboratory re the rate of growth of various types of tests can be evaluated in realistic conditions semi-trailer cargoes and to investigate the More information about the tests and the results can be found at the website: www.uptun.net, and environment compared to real life: heat exposure to the tunnel linings. The www.sp.se and • Large scale fire tests purpose was also to obtain information to http://vegvesen.no/servlet/Satellite?cid=115625 • Size of fires influencing accept criteria assist a new approach to fighting fires in 0661871&pagename=vegvesen%2FPage%2FSVVs • Size of fires and structural response tunnels. The information will be used to ubSideInnholdMal&c=Page Contact: Harald Buvik, • Accept criteria for evacuation in tunnel develop design scenarios for road tunnels [email protected] smoke and guidelines for protection of such tun-

NORDIC NO. 2 2006 | 23 SUNflower PHOTO: PHOTOS. COM – Developments in Traffic Safety in Sweden, the UK and the Netherlands

By commission of the EU, the project SUNflower, a comparison of traffic safety in Sweden, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands, was carried out in 2002. The aim was to find infor- mation that several countries could use and in this way improve their traffic safety. The project was extended since these coun- tries acted as models for many other countries. Two other groups of three countries in Europe have also performed projects of very much the same type as that in the original SUN countries.

weden, the UK and the Netherlands pyramid where the objective is to describe traffic have increased, which means that Sare countries which have the highest the “costs” of society for road safety. The the total risks have decreased. From 2003 traffic safety measured in terms of the level below this contains the number killed to 2004, the number of road fatalities was number killed in traffic per head of popu- and injured in traffic. Below this level there drastically reduced in these three coun- lation and the number killed in traffic in is information concerning the road net- tries. At the same time, the situation was relation to the total mileage driven by work, traffic and traffic user behaviour. largely the same in the whole of Europe. vehicles on the road network in the coun- The two lowest levels comprise the road There are nine areas that have received try. A comparison of countries requires safety measures of society and the structure particular study, pedestrians, cyclists, information concerning different groups of society and the traffic system. The moped riders, motorcyclists, young drivers, of roads, age groups of road users or dri- description of these levels requires annual heavy vehicles, speed limit systems, surveil- vers, and so on. The more detailed the reporting and registration routines, and lance and sanctions, and traffic safety mea- information on road accidents or traffic, preferably the same routines in all coun- sures such as 30 km/h limits in urban the better and more reliably road safety tries. Sweden, the UK and the Netherlands areas, speed cameras and the use of cycle can be described. In the end, the compari- satisfy these requirements for comparisons helmets. Every country was responsible for sons are limited by the fact that one or to a very high degree. The years used as the three of these areas; Sweden was represen- more countries do not have the necessary basis for the work have been those between ted by VTI. information or that the information is too 2000 and 2003. The total number of road Some results concerning traffic safety in imperfect to be used. fatalities is largely unchanged between Sweden, the UK and the Netherlands: The method used is formulated as a 2000 and 2003, but the population and the • in relation to the population, the num-

24 | NORDIC NO. 2 2006 www.vti.se/nordic ILLUSTRATION: MAGDALENA GREEN, VTI

ber of pedestrians killed is twice as high 59. There is largely the same difference urban areas which are most common in in the UK as in the Netherlands and between young men and young women the Netherlands, speed cameras that are Sweden. The greatest problem in as car drivers, which indicates that this is relatively rare in Sweden, and the use of Sweden relates to elderly pedestrians. mainly a male problem. The combina- cycle helmets that is most common in • in relation to cycling, the risk of being tion young man and car driver is in Sweden. killed per cycle km in the UK is twice as many ways an unfortunate one. Magdalena Greeen, VTI, Sweden high as in the Netherlands and Sweden. • the speed limit systems in the three Cyclists have been given their own space countries are different, but the thinking FACTS to a greater extent in the Netherlands behind the systems is the same. Because and Sweden, and need not, in general, of the limited surveillance and the per- As mentioned above, the project com- mix with vehicular traffic to such an formace of the cars, car drivers have prised two other groups of three coun- extent as in the UK. adapted to a greater extent to the tries, Portugal, Spain and Greece, and • the risk run by moped riders of being “limits” of surveillance. A large propor- Czech Republic, Slovenia and Hungary; killed is twice as high in the Netherlands tion of car drivers drive within the limits these are described in separate reports. as in Sweden and the UK. The majority that are accepted by the police, and/or The project has thus given rise to five of those involved are younger than 20. that the likelihood of a reasonable fine reports: Generally, mopeds do not conform to can be accepted. the traffic system and/or are used by a • as regards police resources, the UK and “An extended study of the development less responsible age group, often for the Netherlands have about 270 police of road safety in Sweden, the United purposes other than transport. per 100,000 population against 180 in Kingdom and the Netherlands” • the number killed in motorcycle acci- Sweden. Police in the Netherlands issue “A comparative study of the develop- dents in relation to the number of fines in traffic much more often (at least ment of road safety in the Czech motorcycle km is twice as high in the UK 10 times as often) than in Sweden and Republic, Hungary and Slovenia” as in Sweden. What is surprising is that the UK. In Sweden, the action taken by “A comparative study of the develop- motorcycles are now less common in the police in traffic is only about one half of ment of road safety in Greece, Portugal, “motorcycle country” UK than in that in the UK. What is perhaps most Spain and Catalonia” Sweden and the Netherlands. striking is that in the UK and the “Development and application of a • the risks run by young car drivers in the Netherlands more car drivers want to footprint methodology for the three countries are about the same have greater surveillance and higher SUNflower+6 countries” when consideration is given to the num- fines for speeding than in Sweden. “A comparative study of the develop- ber of km driven. There has been a • three measures have been treated with ment of road safety in the SUNflower+6 trend for risks to increase in recent regard to their introduction and the countries” years, primarily in Sweden. The risks are attitudes of the countries to these mea- You can find the reports on 4-5 times higher than for those aged 30- sures. These are 30 km/h limits in www.transguide.se

NORDIC NO. 2 2006 | 25 Vibrations on Trains Disturb Passenger Activities

Many travellers like to read or write during a train journey, but unfortunately they often experi- ence disturbances due to the vibrations in the train. A new thesis shows that the stan- dards used at present to eva- luate vibrations are not ade- quate and must be revised.

most difficulties. It was also found that moderate levels of difficulty to read and write are experienced already at low vibra- tion levels. The seated posture and the type of activity were also found to have a great influence on how vibrations cause reading and writing difficulties. According to the large number of people who use the made to investigate how vibrations affect standardised vibration measurements, even train for their daily travel read and train travellers ability to read and write. In A the trains that travelled on poor tracks write during the journey. Many of them are the field study onboard three types of tra- were shown to have acceptable vibrations disturbed in their activities due to vibra- ins in normal traffic, 80% of travellers sta- levels. On the same trains 60% of passen- tions onboard the train. At present there ted that they read at some time during gers said that they were disturbed by noise are international and european standards their journey, 25% wrote by hand and 14% and vibrations when they performed a for evaluating the vibrations in the train, worked on portable computers. The travel- simple writing test. but a doctoral thesis from VTI researcher lers applied a number of different seated Jerker Sundström shows that these should postures for their activities. In the labora- Title: be revised. According to the standards, in tory studies, the vibration frequency and Difficulties to Read and Write Under the simplest case only vibrations at floor amplitude were found to have a great influ- Lateral Vibration Exposure. Contextual studies of level are measured. The thesis demonstra- ence on the perceived difficulty in reading train passengers' ride comfort. Contact: tes however that vibrations at the seat and and writing. The vibration spectra in the Jerker Sundström, [email protected] table are often higher. In the thesis, one actual train also appear travellers to coinci- field study and two laboratory studies were de with the frequencies that causes the

26 | NORDIC NO. 2 2006 www.vti.se/nordic Motorring 10 and Noise Reducing Pavements

he Danish Road Institute/Road Directo- been measured by DRI. the same could be said about the TP8c Trate (DRI) and Road and Hydraulic The completed SPB measurements are pavement in year 0, whereas it seemed in Engineering Institute in the Netherlands used to evaluate the noise reduction of the year 1 that the traffic noise at this pave- (DWW) is cooperating on the DRI-DWW tested pavements relative to the reference ment had increased. noise abatement programme that includes pavement. When the actual distribution of A 1/3-octave-band frequency analyses a project on Thin Layer Pavements. An the traffic is used as it was in the noise map- has been made for the SPBIM10 indices. In important part of this project is to carry ping of the M10 at Solrød with 90 % pas- the frequency spectra below 800 Hz the out a full scale test of different types of senger cars, 5 % dual-axle trucks and 5 % noise from vibrations in the tyres (and noise reducing thin layers on a highway in multiaxle trucks, then the results, the engine noise) is dominating. Below 800 Hz Denmark with speed limits of 110 km/h for modified SPB index (SPBIM10) for each tes- in year 0 the spectra were very similar for passenger cars and 85 km/h for heavy ted pavement is as shown in the table both the reference and the thin layer pave- vehicles. The test site is located on highway below. The total uncertainty on the ments. This indicates that there was no sig-

M10 at Køge Bugt Motorvejen near Solrød. SPBIM10 is around 0.4 dB. nificant reduction in the noise generated The purpose of this experiment is to docu- Modified SPB indices for each pavement from tyre vibrations. Above 1000 Hz the ment the noise reducing effect, and on a and difference re reference pavement, noise from the air pumping effect is domi- long term the acoustical and the structural when the actual traffic distribution was used nating. The noise reduction relative to the lifetime of the thin layers. (SPBIM10 dB re 20µPa). Year 0/ 1. reference pavement AC11d takes place at In the summer of 2004, five different There was an increase in the noise emis- the high frequencies above 1000 Hz. This pavements including a reference pavement sion of 0 to 1.3 dB from year 0 to year 1. At indicates that the air pumping noise was were constructed. In the last part of 2004 the dense reference pavement there was no reduced by the thin layers. This must be (year 0) when the mentioned pavements increase in the noise emission. This is the caused by the open surface structure of were a few months of age, the DRI perfor- main reason that the year 1 measurements these pavements. med a series of detailed noise measure- showed a less effective noise reduction CPX measurements have also been ments. A sixth pavement was constructed compared to year 0 noise reductions. made. The two indices (SPB and CPX) for in August 2005. A new series of measure- It can be seen that relative to the referen- passenger cars and passenger tyres showed ments was conducted in December 2005 ce pavement there was a reduction in the the same tendency but there was no unique (year 1) in order to monitor the develop- modified SPB index for the tested pave- linear relation. ment of the noise emission of these pave- ments of between 0 and 3 dB in year 0 and The surface texture measurements yiel- ments. The measurements were performed year 1 with a trend for lower noise reduction ded the Medium Profile Depth (MPD). The according to the international standard in year 1. The noise reduction was around MPD value for the layers SMA8, AC8o and ISO 11819-1 characterizing road surface 1.5 dB at the SMA6+ pavement for both TP8c was around 0.9 mm, and this was a sig- influence on traffic noise, the so-called years, while the initial noise reduction at the nificantly higher MPD value than that of the “SPB” method (Statistical Pass By method). two thin layers (TP8c and AC8o) was 2-3 dB, reference pavement and SMA6+ which was Furthermore, a series of CPX (Close in year 1 this was reduced to 1-2 dB. AC8o 0.4 to 0.5 mm. All pavements fulfilled the Proximity) measurements were performed and TP8c have the biggest built in air voids requirements for the friction as stated in the in year 0, as a part of the project on acous- of 15.3 % and 14.4 %, respectively. At the highway standards. The thin layer pave- tical characteristics in the DRI-DWW noise SMA8+ the measured noise reduction was of ments had better friction than the reference abatement program. To describe the surfa- 2.4 dB. in year 0. The marginal noise reduc- pavement. Both the texture and the friction ce texture of the pavements on the five sec- tion at the SMA8 pavement was of no signi- values were homogenous in the longitudi- tions, the DRI has performed detailed tex- ficance. nal direction for all pavements. ture measurements by using laser equip- The AC8o and the SMA8+ pavements ment also in year 0. And finally, friction has had the best noise reduction performance;

AC11d SMA8 AC8o TP8c SMA6+ SMA8+ 1 Year 0 Year 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1

SPBIM10 84.0 84.1 83.2 84.1 81.2 81.8 81.8 83.1 82.6 82.6 81.6 - Difference re. AC11d [dB] 0 0 -0.8 0.0 -2.8 -2.3 -2.2 -1.0 -1.4 -1.5 -2.4 -

1 Due to intense traffic only 38 light vehicles were measured, whereas at least 100 light vehicles were included in the other measurements.

NORDIC NO. 2 2006 | 27 Noise Reducing Pavements – Internationally!

The latest international experiences are presented. Good noise reduction and durability as well as good friction have been achieved in Europe.

Netherlands in the period from 2004 – 2007, called the “DRI-DWW noise abate- ment programme” [1]. Thin layer pavements were introduced in the early 1990s and have since been used in France and other European countries on a large scale. The purpose was to obtain good friction at a relatively low price. In the late 1990s, work was started to modify these pavements to also obtain noise reduc- tions. France also has worked on optimi- sing the pavements to obtain noise-redu- cing qualities, not only on urban roads, but also on rural roads and motorways. This work has changed existing mix designs, which can have consequences on the dura- bility, friction and other relevant proper- ties. Use of thin layer pavements is not new in Denmark either, but the new aspect is PHOTO: HANS BENDTSEN that the pavements are being optimised in here is an increasing focus in Denmark nal knowledge, which can form the back- order to obtain better noise reducing pro- Ton the possibilities of using thin layer ground for a continued development and perties. pavements, which have been optimised to optimisation of noise reducing properties There are two important mechanisms reduce noise. The Danish Road and durability of thin layer pavements in which influence the amount of tyre-road Directorate/ Danish Road Institute (DRI) Holland and Denmark. surface noise: has published two new reports about inter- The work has been carried out within • Noise from the vibration of tyres is gene- national experiences with noise reducing the framework of the co-operation on rese- rated by the contact between the rubber thin layer pavements based on literature arch and development, which DRI is carry- blocks on the surface of the tyre and the studies and visits to France and USA. The ing out with Road and Hydraulic surface of the road. These vibrations purpose was to obtain the latest internatio- Engineering Institute (DWW) in the start moving the air surrounding the

28 | NORDIC NO. 2 2006 www.vti.se/nordic Microphone on roadside to measure noise. PHOTO: HANS BENDTSEN

tyre, which then creates noise. This of the aggregate in thickness, noise redu- concrete with 10 mm maximum aggregate noise is in the frequency area less than cing pavements with an open structure will size, which basically corresponds to the 1000 Hz. The more even the road pave- usually have a small layer thickness of typi- Danish reference pavement. Noise is mea- ment, the less noise. cally 15-25 mm. This can give a noise redu- sured at 80 km/h and 90 km/h. In general, • Noise from air pumping occurs when a cing effect. However, not all thin pave- noise reductions are measured on thin tyre goes over a pavement. As the rub- ments are noise-reducing. layer pavements of 2-4 dB, which is less ber blocks of the tyre hit the road surfa- than can obtained on a drainage asphalt, ce, they are compressed, and thus the Noise reduction which is 4-6 dB. It can be seen that the best air between the rubber blocks is pushed In France, researchers and asphalt produ- noise reduction can be obtained on pave- out. When the rubber blocks are relea- cers have worked for a number of years to ments with the smallest aggregate and for sed from the road surface, air is sucked develop noise reducing thin layer pave- Class 2 pavements with the largest possible in again. These quick movements in the ments. Thin pavements are divided into voids. The noise reduction is in general air result in high frequency noise over two classes depending on the voids in the somewhat greater for cars than lorries. 1000 Hz. If the road pavement has an pavement mix. They have a thickness of 20- open structure the air will to a greater 30 mm. Also a type of ultra thin pavement Hans Bendtsen extent be pressed into the pavement is being considered with a thickness of 15-

and be sucked up again, which reduces 20 mm. In order to obtain an efficient sea- Literature: the level of noise produced. ling, an emulsion layer is usually put under- 1. The DRI-DWW Noise Abatement Programme — When comparing noise levels, it is neath the thin pavement. Modified bitu- Project description. Technical Note 24, 2005. always necessary to have a reference pave- men is used in places where there is a risk Danish Road Directorate, Danish Road Institute 2. International experiences with thin Iayer pave- ment against which the noise level can be of shear forces. According to the French ments. Technical Note 29, 2005. Danish Road compared. Road Research Laboratory, LCPC, thin Directorate, Danish Road institute The layer thickness has in fact no direct pavements are resistant to rutting, they 3. French experience on noise reducing thin Iayer. influence on the noise level from noise reduce splashing from rain and have a high Technical Note 28, 2005. Danish Road Directorate, Danish Road Institute reducing pavements. But as mentioned friction. It would seem that pavements with above, there is an indirect effect by using a 6 mm aggregate have a better friction than Article specially written for Nordic Road & little maximum aggregate size of 6 or 8 pavements with 10 mm aggregate. Transport Research by Senior Researcher Hans mm. Since as a rule of thumb, pavements Noise reductions were measured in Bendtsen, Road Directorate Danish Road Institute [email protected]. usually are constructed three times the size France in relation to a dense asphalt

NORDIC NO. 2 2006 | 29 Recycling of Oil Installation

In our millennium the petroleum activities have provided an economic and technological basis for innovation and opportunities for large and bold projects. Concrete substructures with technology that keeps pushing the limits are some of the boldest structures in more recent times.

orwegian oil and gas produc- The proposal is as follows: Ntion has passed through • By using one or more various production phases during concrete substructures as "islets" the last three decades. in a fjord, the bridge span may be • The 1970s are known for being halved compared with traditional the infancy of the Oil Age with bridge constructions. This will allow American expertise and develop- for greatly reducing the necessary ment of the first oilfields on the steel and concrete volumes. Visible col- Norwegian and British sides. lision buffers are built between the • The 1980s for large projects and relati- foundation and the tower to avoid boat vely extensive Norwegian participation. collisions with the bridge tower. This will • The 1990s for increased pressure and prevent accidents. injection into the reservoirs to extend A platform or installation on the open • By bringing steel platforms to land, the lifetime and improve recovery from seas represent a limited environmental these may be used for several smaller the fields. problem. A large number of platforms and transportation projects across Norway. • The 2000s for field cessations, deep fields scattered across large areas of open Flare stacks, gangways, platform decks, water technologies and increased inter- sea represent a major environmental and etc. can be scrapped for reuse. national focus. safety problem for the North Sea. What is The 1990s phase with focus on prolon- the best way to handle this issue? ged lifetime initiated research within seve- International and national authorities ral fields. In addition to reservoir technolo- work diligently, but there are still many gy, studies were carried out on maintenan- unresolved issues. What is done to remove ce and exact lifetime calculations for facili- gravity base concrete structures? ties. The studies concluded that the Over the last 4-5 years an idea based on Title: R&D: Reuse of concrete and steel sub structures from the petroleum industry concrete quality and technology far excee- reuse of concrete substructures from the Author: Bjørn Martin Alsaker ded the other marine structures we are North Sea for bridge foundations have Language: English familiar with in quay facilities and bridge come up among several professionals. Also Contact: [email protected] structures. reuse of steel constructions is relevant.

30 | NORDIC NO. 2 2006 www.vti.se/nordic ANNOTATED REPORTS

Drugs Cause High Accident Risk risk and pure crossing risk. Construction of Norwegian Air Travel Survey in Road Traffic cycle paths reduces the section risk, but the combined section and crossing risk may Title: 2005 Norwegian Air Travel Survey Title: The prevalence and relative risk of drink and increase if crossing measures are not Authors: Jon Martin Denstadli, Arne Rideng, Jon Inge Lian drug driving in Norway brought about simultaneously. Finally the Author: Terje Assum TØI report no: 828/2006 TØI report no: 805/2005 report indicates how to include non-recor- Language: Norwegian with summary in English Language: English ded accidents and the issue of section risk/ Available on www.toi.no Available on www.toi.no crossing risk into a tool for cost-benefit analysis of measures towards cycling. This report presents results from the 2005 The relative risk of road trauma associated Norwegian Air Travel Survey (ATS). with psychoactive substance use was deter- Information from 91,581 passengers travel- mined by comparing the prevalence of ling on scheduled international and seven substances between a sample of kil- domestic flights have been collected and led and seriously injured drivers and a sam- analyzed. During recent years the number ple of the general driver population. Due of international passengers travelling to to data collection problems both samples and from Norwegian airports has increa- obtained were smaller than planned, a fact sed substantially. Results from the ATS which limits the conclusions of the study. show that approximately 1.4 million Nevertheless, the prevalence of five of the Norwegians made one or more internatio- seven drugs studied is higher among the nal flight in 2005, an increase by 300,000 in PHOTO: PHOTOS.COM killed and injured drivers than among the two years. The growth has primarily taken general drivers. 32 per cent of the killed or place within the leisure market. Leisure tra- injured drivers had taken at least one of Cycling Against Red Light - vel constitutes 60 per cent of the market, the seven drugs studied, whereas only one Extent and Causes compared to 56 per cent in 2003. Increased per cent of the general drivers had taken competition and fare reductions are one or more of these drugs. This is an indi- Title: Cycling against red light - extent and causes important factors behind these changes. cation that these drugs cause high acci- Authors: Torkel Bjørnskau Passengers travelling on domestic flights dent risk in road traffic. TØI report no: 821/2006 have also experienced price reductions Language: Norwegian Available on www.toi.no during recent years, in particular within Bicycle Injuries and the Risk of the business segment. Cycling On average, bicyclists ride against red

Title: Bicycle injuries, risk of cycling and the tool lights in one out of three cases. Men do so for cost-benefit analysis of measures towards cyc- more often than women, but there are no ling differences between age groups. The pro- Authors: Knut Veisten, Kjartan Sælensminde, bability of riding against red increases (i) at Karl-Erik Hagen TØI report no: 816/2005 right hand turns; (ii) when signals are loca- Language: Norwegian with summary in English ted at the bottom of a downhill trajectory; Available on www.toi.no (iii) when signals are slow to change to green; and (iv) when others walk or ride This report provides an estimate of the against red. The probability of stopping total extent of cyclist injuries in Norway. By increases (i) when one rides together with means of hospital data, the non-recorded children; (ii) when children wait for green accidents are split according to injury seve- light; (iii) at left hand turns; and (iv) when rity. Approximately 13 per cent are police the crossing road has more than two lanes. recorded out of a total annual injury num- A majority think that those who ride aga- ber of slightly less than 6,000. In discussing inst red lights are law abiding in other the risk of cycling, we show how important areas and that the best countermeasure is

it is to distinguish between pure section to better arrange for bicycling in general. PHOTO: PHOTOS.COM

NORDIC NO. 2 2006 | 31 ANNOTATED REPORTS

Deliberate Offences in Traffic • believes that his/her nearest accept his/her behaviour Title: Traffic violations – a review of the literature • overestimates the inclination of other Author: Sonja Forward and Catharina Lewin drivers to commit deliberate offences Series: R534 Contact: Sonja Forward, [email protected] • does not feel that his/her behaviour is Catharina Lewin, [email protected] anything be ashamed of. Increased knowledge of what induces a Traffic safety research previously focused driver to commit deliberate offences may on describing the cause of accidents with form the basis for various measures that reference to various types of shortcomings aim to change his/her behaviour. The of the driver, which has resulted in attempts longest lasting effect is achieved when the to improve driving ability and to change internal motivation is modified, i.e. the the traffic environment. In recent years, individual’s assessment of his/her behavio- PHOTO: PHOTOS.COM researchers have begun to understand that ur is changed. the solution to the problem does not always Measures addressed to target groups are ticles and to the ways in which the pro- lie in what the driver can or cannot do, but preferable, but campaigns directed at all blems can be tackled. But the problem has in what he/she actually intends to do. citizens have also had good effect. It is pos- also been noted above ground. Human errors are of three types: sible to change people’s behaviour, but this Over a period, VTI has made measure- • deliberate offences such as speeding, requires good knowledge of the target ments of particulate contents at several pla- drink driving group, which, in turn, is also a help in for- ces both above and below ground. The • mistakes such as erroneous assessment mulating the message. This work demands results show that, during the periods of of their own or others’ speed, and well thought-out methods and patience. A measurement, particulate contents in rail- defective sight conditions behaviour that has taken years to form can- way environments above ground do not • routine offences that are due to care- not be changed in one day. exceed the environmental quality stan- lessness or forgetfulness. dard. On the other hand, the average 24- As regards traffic accidents, it has been Respirable Particles in Railway hour concentration on the platforms of the found that it is deliberate offences which Environments underground stations is considerably hig- are the principal cause, rather than mista- her than the limit value. However, under- kes or routine offences. Deliberate offen- Title: Inhalable particles in railroad environments ground railway environments are exempt ces have been described as a deliberate Author: Mats Gustafsson, Göran Blomqvist, from the environmental quality standard at departure from routines which, in the Andreas Dahl, Anders Gudmundsson, Erik present. usual case, can protect the individual from Swietlicki The measurements in the underground danger. Research has shown that people Series: R538 Contact:Mats Gustafsson, environments also give some interesting who commit deliberate offences often [email protected] results associated with measures against think that they are better drivers than Göran Blomqvist, [email protected] particulates. It was found, for instance, that others, which means that they feel traffic flushing the tunnels had no effect at all on rules need not apply to them. The environmental quality standard for the particulate contents, which was rather The following are the typical characteris- respirable particles (PM10) came into effect unexpected. tics of a person who deliberately takes risks in January 2005. This standard has increa- The results of the studies show that tra- in traffic: sed interest also in particulates in railway ins give rise to high concentrations of iron- • has an overweening belief in his/her environments. containing respirable particles, especially capacity as a driver and believes that Particulate pollutants from rail traffic in underground railway environments. In he/she can handle the car even in a dif- have been noted as an air pollution pro- station environments above ground, which ficult situation blem, especially in underground railway are mostly of a very open character, the • overestimates the advantages and unde- environments. In many underground rail- emissions are ventilated away quite effecti- restimates the risks ways all round the world, emissions from vely, and therefore high concentrations • has difficulty in controlling his/her brakes and high particulate contents have persist for only short periods. During jour- behaviour drawn attention to the sources of these par- neys by rail, particulate concentrations are

32 | NORDIC NO. 2 2006 www.vti.se/nordic ANNOTATED REPORTS

generally low but rise when the train stops than the signed speed limit. The drivers evaluated in the light of operational con- at stations and, most of all, when the train who were unfamiliar with the traffic envi- cepts, viewpoints of potential operators drives into the investigated tunnels. ronment drove faster on some sections and financial and operations models. The sources of PM10 from the railway are than those who were familiar with the envi- Terminal facilities include offices, flow- probably the wheels, tracks and brakes, but ronment. The variation in speed between through terminals, warehouses (palette an allocation to various sources could not the traffic environments can to the greatest places) and enlargement capacity. be made in this project. The concentra- extent be explained by the variation in traf- Operations include the handling of parcel tions of both PM10 and ultrafine particles fic environments and, to a considerably les- goods, storing, crossdocking, and value- vary greatly for different trains. The ultrafi- ser extent, by the variation between drivers. added services. Three possibilities of ope- ne particles, in particular, appear to be Factors that influenced the speed chosen ration were identified for the Riihimäki ter- associated with certain trains, but it has not by drivers were road width, visibility and minal: been possible to determine their source. the amount of traffic. 1. Terminal for combined transport, e.g. For the construction and operation of The results of the study are relevant for, intermodal terminal, serving mainly rail existing and future railway and under- and bring to the fore, the issue of more transport ground railway tunnels and for their traffic, flexible speed limits in towns. 2. Nationwide distribution centre ser- it is important to investigate the significan- ving both truck and rail transport ce of the sources, the health hazard posed Riihimäki Inland Port 3. Local terminals serving the logistics by the particles and the measures that can of local enterprises. be taken to reduce their concentrations. Further information: [email protected] Based on the study the Riihimäki termi- or [email protected] nal appears to have good potential. Speed is Governed by the Traffic Because the new Helsinki Port will not Environment cater for loading or unloading of contai- ners, this must be done elsewhere. The Title: Car drivers’ spontaneous speed choice in location of Riihimäki (70 km North of urban areas Helsinki on the main railroad line) is excel- Author: Jan Törnros, Sven Dahlstedt and Gabriel The growth of unitised transport and the Helmers construction of a new unit port in Helsinki lent from the viewpoint of road and rail Series:N9-2006 have given rise to several feeder terminal transport to and from all the other main Contact: Jan Törnros, [email protected] planning projects. This study looks at inter- ports in southern Finland, and it has a modal terminal planning in Riihimäki. The good central location for nationwide distri- Drivers do not bother too much about biggest container ports in Finland are bution. speed limits; it is the traffic environment Helsinki and Kotka, representing a volume The driving force in the Riihimäki– that determines speed. of 400,000 TEUs each. Hyvinkää area is the combination of diffe- VTI has performed a test in which some The aim was to draw up a general plan rent terminals, including intermodal traf- twenty drivers drove along roads with 30, for an intermodal terminal. The potential fic to and from ports, container 50 and 70 km/h speed limits in a town in and possibilities of the new terminal were loading/unloading, transport connections Sweden, with the speedometer covered. to Russia, and an otherwise optimal loca- The test group consisted of experienced tion. The main challenge is to find the first drivers; one group had at least five years’ operators and end customers for the termi- experience of driving in this town, while nal. The terminal will need marketing and the other group had little experience of dissemination of information, not only in driving in this town. This experiment was Finland but elsewhere in Europe and used in comparing the drivers’ spontane- Russia as well. ous choice of speed in an urban environ- ment with the signed speed limits. The measured speed was found to vary greatly between the traffic environments. On some sections, the test subjects drove Figure 1. Illustration of the planned terminal. faster, and on other sections more slowly, Source: Pöyry Infra

NORDIC NO. 2 2006 | 33 ANNOTATED REPORTS

Public Authorities as Providers of end users as possible Traffic Management Services • Private service provision can not be expected to occur Title: Public authorities as providers of traffic • Costs of service provision can probably management services not be reduced via outsourcing Authors: Risto Öörni, Risto Kulmala Series: Finnra Reports 18/2006 • It is easier to maintain the trust of users (http://alk.tiehallinto.fi/julkaisut/pdf/4000515-v- and other players viranom_liikent_hall_palv_toteut.pdf) • Expertise is better maintained in the Language: Finnish with English abstract long term • It is difficult to create the required regu- The main objective of the study was to lation framework for private players. identify what services should be provided The obvious conclusion from a non- by public authorities, and why. The work increasing budget and the necessity of qua- was carried out as an international literatu- lity for service benefits is that the authori- re and interview study for the Finnish Road ties should focus on providing only services Administration (Finnra). of good quality. National legislation already Efficient markets do not exist for traffic indicates which services necessarily have to management and information services in be taken care of by the public sector. For Finland. The markets are biased, service Finnra, these are: demand is quite low, and there are few ser- • Traffic control, vice providers. • Authority co-operation in incident Factors favouring outsourcing and pri- management, vatisation include: • Authority alerts of safety hazards on the • Legal responsibilities can be considered road network, with specific contracts and regulations • Real-time overseeing of winter and road • Service provision is more efficient and maintenance contractors, PHOTO: PHOTOS.COM service quality is better in competitive • Monitoring and information systems markets required by the activities above. Directorate has a long tradition for develo- • Authorities are under less pressure to ping and using cost-benefit evaluation met- make developments hods, which include external costs such as • With privatisation, public sector budget noise, and recently the Ministry of needs are reduced unless there are increa- Cost-benefit Analysis on Noise- Transport has published guidelines on how sed resources for regulation. With out- reducing Pavements to carry out such evaluations. These met- sourcing, budget needs diminish unless hods and guidelines are presented as a the supplier has an actual monopoly. Title: Cost-benefit analysis on noise-reducing pave- ments basis for presenting actual assessments. In • Authorities are averse to risk taking Author: Lars Elleberg Larsen 2003 a working group with members from Factors favouring authority-provided Series: VI report 146 six ministries published a suggestion for a services include: (http://www.vejdirektoratet.dk/publikationer/VIrap strategy to reduce road traffic noise, which • Service provision requires public autho- 146/index.htm) Language: English focuses on the cost-effectiveness of various rity responsibility means of noise abatement. These means • Authority responsibility is evident and This report presents the Danish results of include barriers, various types of pave- easily verified the project on cost-benefit analysis under ments, less noisy vehicles and planning ini- • Equality and non-discrimination is more the DRI-DWW noise abatement program. tiatives such as reduced speed. In 2004 the easily achieved This program is a co-operation between Danish Road Institute did a technical and • Ensuring sufficient quality and effects the Danish (DRI) and Dutch (DWW) road socioeconomic evaluation of using various are the primary objectives of the service institutes and is a part of the large Dutch pavements - including noise reducing pave- provider Noise Innovation Programme, also called ments - on a widening of the Motorring 3 • Maximum service effects with as many the IPG research programme. The Road in Copenhagen.

34 | NORDIC NO. 2 2006 www.vti.se/nordic ANNOTATED REPORTS

Noise Reducing Pavements in SMA6, and a reference AC8d were inclu- emission of between 0 to 1.3 dB from year Japan ded in the experiment. Noise measure- 0 to year 1. Relative to the reference pave- ments were carried out according to the ment, there was a noise reduction of betwe- Title: Noise reducing pavements in Japan international standardized SPB (Statistical en 0 and 3 dB in year 0 and year 1, with a Authors: Carsten B. Nielsen, Hans Bendtsen, Bent Andersen, Hans Jørgen Ertman Larsen PassBy method) measurement method. trend for lower noise reduction in year 1. Series: Technical Note 31 (http://www.vejdirekto- Noise measurements were also carried out The noise reduction of one of the tested ratet.dk/publikationer/VInot031/pdf/not31vi.pdf) on the old pavement (AC11d/HRA). A pavements turned out to be of no signifi- Language: English comparison between the results of the refe- cance. The total expanded uncertainty of rence and the AC11d/HRA pavement, and the results is around ±0.4 dB. 1/3-octave A Dutch/Danish delegation visited Japan the reference pavements at Kongelundsvej frequency analyses were also performed 14-18 November 2005 to analyse the recent and Søren Frichs Vej were also carried out. which showed a significant increase in Japanese developments in the field of The references at Kongelundsvej and noise at one pavement in the frequency Durable Silent Roads. It is aimed that this Søren Frichs Vej were the same as the refe- region 400 to 1000 Hz. Additional Close analysis will help the Dutch Noise rence at Tesdorpfsvej. Proximity (CPX) measurement results in Innovation Program in implementing Compared to the reference pavement, year 0 showed the same tendency as results silent roads. The goal of the scanning tour an insignificant noise reduction of 0.1 dB by using the SPB-method. The Medium was to obtain the latest Japanese experien- was measured on the SMA6 pavement, and Profile Depth (MPD) was around 0.9 mm, ces with the use and maintenance of 0.3 dB on the TP6c pavement. The noise except for the reference layer and one of porous pavements as well as new concepts levels measured on the reference pave- the tested layers which was around 0.4 to and ideas in the field of noise abatement. ments at Kongelundsvej and Søren Frichs 0.5 mm. All pavements fulfilled the requi- The focus was on the following topics rela- Vej were respectively 0.8 dB and 0.6 dB hig- rements for the friction stated in the ted to porous pavements: her compared to the noise level measured highway standards. • Improvements in the structural durabili- on the reference pavement on Tesdorpfs- ty vej. Noise Reducing Thin Layers • Improvements in the acoustic durability The noise level measured on the old – Promising Concepts • The paving of two layer porous pave- pavement was about 6 dB higher compared ments in one application to the noise level on the reference pave- Title: Noise reducing thin layers, Promising con- • Performance based contracts including ment. cepts tire/pavement noise Authors: Hans Bendtsen. Erik Nielsen Series: Technical note 36 (http://www.vejdirekto- The current situation in Japan on these Test of Thin Layers on Highway ratet.dk/publikationer/VInot036/index.htm) topics is summarized in the report inclu- Language: English ding the prospective for the use in Japan Title: Test of thin layers on highway, Year 1 mea- and the possible implementation in surement report On the background of the latest internatio- Authors: Sigurd N. Thomsen, Hans Bendtsen, Europe. nal knowledge, suggestions for optimized Jørgen Kragh Series: Techical note 35 (http://www.vejdirektora- noise reducing thin layers are developed in Traffic Noise Measurement tet.dk/publikationer/VInot035/index.htm) this technical report. In 2006, the Danish Language: English Road Directorate will construct a test road Title: Trafikstøjmåling Tesdorpfsvej (Traffic noise north of Herning in Jutland where around measurement, Tesdorpfsvej) The aim of this project is to investigate Authors: Jørgen Kragh, Sigurd N. Thomsen 8-10 thin layer pavements will be tested on Series: Technical Note 34 (http://www.vejdirekto- the noise reducing effect, and on a long a highway under real traffic conditions. ratet.dk/publikationer/VInot034/index.htm) term basis, the acoustical and structural This report is also a project description of Language: Danish lifetime of thin layers. Five different pave- the full scale testing project in Herning. ments including a reference pavement This is a part of the DRI-DWW noise abate- In the EU research project (SILVIA) about were tested. Noise measurements were per- ment program. noise reducing pavements, experiments formed according to ISO 11819-1 have been carried out at Tesdorpfsvej in (Statistical Pass By, SPB-method), characte- Frederiksberg (Copenhagen). Two noise rizing road surface influence on traffic reducing thin layer pavements, TP6c and noise. Results showed an increase in noise

NORDIC NO. 2 2006 | 35 NORDIC

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