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 Road Traffic Organization |
In the framework of programme Equipment of traffic safety organization the following actions in 2006 were performed:
1. Road equipment with steel guard rails on state main roads along water bodies in the length of 7150 m for the amount of 402.2 thousand Lats.
2. Renewal of traffic signs on 1st class roads in total 2597 signs were renewed for the amount of 219.8 thousand Lats.
3. Renewal of direction and information signs on state main roads A2, A3 and A11 for the amount of 397.9 thousand Lats.
To improve traffic safety on state roads, the LSR changed its approach and in the nearest years with the available will implement simpler and low-cost solutions instead of large road reconstruction. Each year more than one third of killed in traffic accidents are pedestrians, which are often invisible in dark time on road carriageway or shoulder.
To improve pedestrian safety, it is planned in future also to:
- construct pedestrian crossings in urban areas at schools and crossings;
- install lighting in urban areas at pedestrian crossings and in crossings;
- eliminate pedestrian crossings on state main roads outside urban areas, which are at grade with road carriageway;
- construct one or two pedestrian overpasses each year.
Activities implemented in 2005 and Traffic Safety Improvement Programme
Traffic safety improvement activities on the roads in 2005 were the following:
1. A1 Riga (Baltezers) Estonian border (Ainaži), from km 88.9 to km 90.5 (Salacgrīva);
2. A2 Riga Sigulda Estonian border (Veclaicene), Garkalne;
3. A2 Riga Sigulda Estonian border (Veclaicene), from km 50.0 to km 52.1 (Sigulda);
4. A2 Riga Sigulda Estonian border (Veclaicene), from km 144.8 to km 145.0 (Dzeņi);
5. A3 Inčukalns Valmiera Estonian border (Valka), from km 65.36 to km 65.75;
6. A6 Riga Daugavpils Krāslava Byelorussian border (Paternieki), Skrīveri;
7. A6 Riga Daugavpils Krāslava Byelorussian border (Paternieki), km 89.83, at Aizkraukle Railway Terminal;
8. A6 Rīia Daugavpils Krāslava Buyelorussian border (Paternieki), from km 184.86 to km 186.03 (Jersika);
9. A7 Riga Bauska Lithuanian border (Grenctāle), 59.2. km (intersection with road V1018 Vecsaule Rudzi Code);
10. A8 Riga Jelgava Lithuanian border (Meitene), from km 41.8 to km 42.0;
11. A9 Riga (Skulte) Liepāja, from km 185.5 to km 188.9 (Grobiņa);
12. P43 Litene Alūksne, from km 25.09 to km 26.0 (entry to Alūksne city);
13. P75 Jēkabpils Lithuanian border (Nereta), from km 14.73 to km 15.80 (Birži);
14. P89 Ķekava Skaistkalne, from km 29.875 to km 30.06 (Riga and Līvānu Street intersection in Vecumnieki);
15. P96 Pūri Auce Grīvaiši, from km 34.75 to km 35.35 (Bēne);
16. P103 Dobele Bauska, from km 31.38 to km 31.52 (Vilce);
17. V15 Riga Stīpnieki Vētras, from km 0.0. to km 0.25 (extension of Kantora street of Riga city).
Traffic Organisation Activities Financed from Routine Maintenance Budget
| Works |
Work costs, Lats |
| 1. Road signs in the state road network |
|
| replacement of road signs 9 771 items. |
512200 |
| renewal of road signs 175,8 m² |
6141 |
| replacement of road sign poles 8 626 items |
244207 |
| painting of road sign poles 8 items |
55 |
| 2. Horizontal roadway marking |
|
| painting of horizontal roadway marking 992 m² |
7526 |
| 3. Road guardrails |
|
| replacement of damaged steel guardrails 802 m |
32004 |
| painting of steel guardrails 334 m |
2155 |
| washing of guardrails 2 392 m |
452 |
| treatment of string guardrails 654 m |
1108 |
| 4. Signal posts |
|
| replacement of signal posts 4 753 item |
76289 |
| washing of signal posts 2 301 item |
2362 |
| gluing of reflectors 145 item |
172 |
| 5. Traffic light maintenance |
21293 |
| 6. Road lighting maintenance and road lighting |
74520 |
| 7. Maintenance of bus stops and pavilions |
195669 |
| 8. Other traffic organisation activities |
72062 |
| Total |
1248 215 |
The National Programme for Road Traffic Safety was developed in 2005 within the scope of agreement between the Ministry of Communications and the LSR. It provides for improvement of traffic safety at the most dangerous sections or crossings determined by the road traffic accidents in the programme in order of priority. The Road Traffic Safety Directorate data on the road traffic accidents in the state road network and municipal requests were taken for basis for development of the list of sections and crossings to be reconstructed, as well as audit conclusions of the Road Traffic safety Directorate. To reduce quantity of road accidents, black spots (spots on roads where occur accidents most of all) improvement programme has been commenced already in 1999.
The Programme is developed for 2006 2008 and annual distribution of financing is as follows:
2006 3.532 million Lats;
2007 6.000 million Lats;
2008 6.000 million Lats.
Total costs of the Programme are 15.531 million Lats.
Periodic maintenance of traffic organisation technical devices
Programme of periodic maintenance of traffic organisation of technical devices is developed within the scope of agreement signed in 2005 between the Ministry of Communications and LSR. Objective of the programme is to reduce road traffic accident probability in the state road primary network by renewing the traffic organisation technical devices (road signs, horizontal and vertical marking and steel guardrails).
Fulfilling annual examination of state roads and summarising data for 2003, the following information was generated: 78733 road signs were installed on state roads, of which 20438 road signs or 26 % do not meet LVS 77:2002 standard. Most of road signs, which do not meet the national standards are located on the state 2ndclass roads (16322 or 20,7 % of the total signs). 11928 road signs on state roads are in unsatisfactory condition (15,2 % of the total signs, of which 88,1 % are located on state 2ndclass roads). 8509 road signs on state roads are in satisfactory state their quality does not meet the national standards, however, these road sings still serve for traffic regulation (68,3 % of which are located on state 2ndclass roads).
Information signs and roads signs were renewed on the following roads:
- A1 Riga (Baltezers) Estonian border (Ainaži);
- A4 Riga bypass (Baltezers Saulkalne);
- A5 Riga bypass (Salaspils Babīte);
- A6 Riga Daugavpils Krāslava Byelorussian border (Paternieki);
- A7 Riga Bauska Lithuanian border (Grenctāle);
- A8 Riga Jelgava Lithuanian border (Meitene);
- A9 Riga (Skulte) Liepāja;
- A10 Riga Ventspils;
- A12 Jēkabpils Rēzekne Ludza Russian border (Terehova);
- A13 Russian border (Grebņeva) Rēzekne Daugavpils Lithuanian border (Medumi);
- A14 Rēzekne bypass;
- A15 Daugavpils bypass.
Direction signs and information signs in the network of other roads are insufficient, most of those is old and out of the state standards. According to CM Regulations No. 571 Road Traffic Regulations, road owners (managers) had to replace the road signs inadequate to the standards by January 1, 2006. Since financing for road signs replacement has not been allocated this year, CM requirements have not been met.
National standard-adequate plastic signal posts were installed on all state main roads. Unfortunately, thus road equipment is not completed because most of route signal posts are installed only in pickets in every 100 metres, but are not made in curve in accordance with the standard. Most loss to the installed signal posts is caused by vandals damaging those directly or indirectly as well as negligent attitude of road attendants to shoulder loaning in summer and snow cleaning in winter.
Though, many zinc-plated guardrails have been installed on the state main roads in the previous years, in general, their quality did not improved, these corrode fast. Old steel guardrails, which have been installed 20 years and more ago, are not zinc-coated, their maintenance requires huge financial and material investments, moreover, there are no actually efficient metal protection methods in such aggressive environment, where are installed the road guardrails. In state road network, mostly on the state main roads, there are installed 229589 lane m. of steel guardrails. 88658 lane m or 38,6 % of the total quantity are in unsatisfactory condition, moreover, 53239 lane m, thereof are installed on the main roads. The most important thing to be met in steel guardrail maintenance is straitening thereof and provision of guardrail section connections, because is a road traffic accident, lose guardrails may cause severe consequences.
Horizontal roadway marking sub-programme was fulfilled in the scope of three-year contract (2004 2006). Median lines, bus stops and pedestrian crossing were painted. Contractor has to meet conformity of the horizontal roadway marking for three years continuously (to June 30, 2006). Situation improved in sense of quality, because increased financing allowed increasing of painting amounts.
In 2005 the following works were executed
| No |
Route |
Amount |
| Painting of horizontal roadway marking (three-year contract) |
| 1. |
State main and 1st> class roads |
median line 146702 m2 |
| margin line 83748 m2 |
| manual works 27 68 m2 |
| Road equipment with steel guardrails |
| 2. |
A3 Inčukalns Valmiera Estonian border (Valka), Murjāņi, from km 3.4 to km 4.7 |
1000 m |
Total costs of the Programme are 11.353 million Lats.
Annual distribution of financing is as follows:
2006 4.353 million Lats;
2007 3.500 million Lats;
2008 3.500 million Lats.
Expected results.Due to little financing, amount of the programme is insufficient, however, fulfilling the thee-year contracts and additional covenants on paining of horizontal roadway marking, state main roads and all asphalt paved 1stclass roads will be provided with the horizontal roadway marking adequate to the conformity standards, i.e., median and margin line on the state main roads will be visible all year round. This will improve road visual perception, taking into particular account the horizontal roadway marking in the dark hours in spring and autumn seasons. By executing the road sign renewal sub-programme, Driver Information System in the state main road network will be completed and replacement of road signs (except for direction signs and information signs) on the state 1stand 2ndclass roads.
Traffic counting system
At the end of 2005, LSR Traffic Data Division possessed 14 traffic counting units, which have been installed at stationary points from time to time, and six mobile units, which have been installed in combination with the pneumatic sensors. All state main roads are equipped with stationary traffic counting points, of which 13 are permanent accounting points. Data are transferred via modem. One of these points is additionally equipped with axle load detectors. 20 stationary traffic counting points were equipped on high-intense 1st class roads. As far possible traffic counting points are combined with the road weather stations thereby decreasing the installation costs. All stationary counting points are equipped similarly providing the potential to transform those to permanent accounting points.
Target of traffic counting is to gain data for road network planning, calculation of annual haulage of motor transport, objective and rational allocation and utilisation of the budget funds as well as public information on transport flows and driving speeds.
In the process of traffic counting the following information was gained:
- traffic intensity;
- transport flow speed;
- length of vehicles;
- type of vehicles;
- axle loads and quantity of axles (at one point only).
The gained traffic data are applicable to:
- road network planning (to determine road maintenance class depending on traffic intensity and axle load, pavement repair methods, and forecasts of traffic flows);
- road construction design (determination of plan and profile parameters, and calculations of pavement bearing capacity);
- traffic safety analysis (exceeded driving speed);
- statistics (changes in traffic intensity and vehicles at particular road sections and in the country, in general).
In 2005, traffic counting system was further updated: six new permanent counting points were installed on the main roads and equipment of the first-class roads continued, however, due to limited financing, it was impossible to be done in the necessary amount.
Number of permits issued for heavy and over-dimensional traffic
| Types of heavy vehicles |
Permits issued in 2002 |
% of total number |
Permits issued in 2003 |
% of total number |
Permits issued in 2004 |
% of total number |
Permits issued in 2005 |
% of total number |
| Trucks with trailers |
2999 |
68.13 |
4476 |
66.36 |
4796 |
65.62 |
5653 |
66.37 |
| Trailers |
87 |
1.98 |
252 |
3.74 |
332 |
4.54 |
388 |
4.56 |
| Timber transport |
1226 |
27.86 |
1879 |
27.87 |
1967 |
26.91 |
2190 |
25.71 |
| Special vehicles (fuel transport, cranes) |
90 |
2.04 |
134 |
2.03 |
214 |
2.93 |
287 |
3.37 |
| Total |
4402 |
|
6741 |
|
7309 |
|
8518 |
|
Observance of gross weight admissible for running determined by the Road Traffic Regulations on the state roads. As it follows from the table below, traffic counting equipment can fix also every fact of excessive weight.
| Year |
Gross weight of vehicle, t |
Run trucks, total |
| 3,5 - 44 |
44 - 52 |
With exceeded weight |
| Trucks quantity |
% |
Trucks quantity |
% |
Trucks quantity |
% |
Quantity |
% |
| 2003 |
206504 |
91.48 |
8390 |
3.72 |
10840 |
4.8 |
225734 |
100 |
| 2004 |
370631 |
91.46 |
18472 |
4.56 |
16117 |
3.98 |
405220 |
100 |
| 2005 |
501512 |
90.23 |
37869 |
6.81 |
16404 |
2.95 |
555785 |
100 |
According to the Agreement signed between the LSR and Road Traffic Safety Directorate (RTSD), in 2005 RTSD completed road safety audit in the state road network with the total length of 18.7 km. Conclusions on audit are prepared with respect to the following road sections.
Outside the urban areas:
- road A1 Riga (Baltezers) Estonian border (Ainaži), from km 0.0 to km 6.0;
- road A1 Riga (Baltezers) Estonian border (Ainaži), from km 12.0 to km 22.0;
- road P133 Airport Riga access road, from km 0.9 to km 2.1.
Urban areas:
road P63 Līvāni Preiļi, from km 23.0 to km 24.5.
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Road Traffic Organization
