A pilot project by the Ministry of Infrastructure and the Slovenian Infrastructure Agency is being concluded, whereby special road markings have been put on the pavement of the regional road between the villages of Podpeč and Rakitna to improve traffic safety for motorcyclists and other road-users. The pilot project has been designed and coordinated by a team of experts at DRI - within the scope of consulting services in the area of traffic safety, performed for the Slovenian Infrastructure Agency.
The reason for the implementation of the measure was a constantly increasing number of motorcyclists in this section. In the summer months, motorcyclists represent about 7% of all motorised traffic participants; at weekends their proportion of the whole even exceeds 10%, which means up to 200 motorcyclists a day. On other comparable roads, the motorcyclists usually represent no more than 1-2% of all traffic. Apart from the increased number of motorcyclists, there was another reason for the deterioration of traffic safety, namely the fact that certain motorcyclists used the road as a race track, thus further endangering themselves and other road-users.
The purpose of the road markings is to direct motorcyclists in the blind left curves (in the direction of driving) away from the median line and at same time to slow their driving speed and thus reduce the risk of collision with another road-user.
The pilot project is a result of cooperation with traffic experts from Austria, where such measures have been implemented and have already yielded positive outcomes. If the measure on the section between Podpeč and Rakitna proves to be effective, similar road markings will also be implemented elsewhere in Slovenia.
