During the modernisation of provincial road no. 297, which was carried out on the section from the northern boundary of the municipality to Trzebień, growing concern was caused by the lack of a design solution improving safety at the road crossing located next to a housing estate in Trzebień.
This is a special road crossing connecting the two sides of the road at a location with a bus stop, and it provides access to the village centre, where there is a school, health centre, shops, a children’s playground and a sports field. The crossing is located almost at the entrance to the village from the north, and most vehicles only slowed down after passing the crossing, at a bend in the road with limited visibility.
Because visibility at the bend was improved as part of the road modernisation (by demolishing buildings), the village residents were rightly concerned that cars travelling through the village would be moving too fast. This led to the idea of installing traffic signals at the crossing that would not only make it possible to cross safely, but would also slow down approaching vehicles.
Our applications for the construction of traffic signals were not accepted by the road administrator, who justified the refusal precisely by the modernisation and the building permit currently being implemented. The road administrator explained that traffic signals could not be added to the road modernisation project and that a second task (the construction of road lighting) could not be introduced into a single investment project.
The municipal authorities disagreed with the second argument and, following repeated discussions with the road administrator, a decision was finally made in August last year that the traffic signals could be built.
The municipality took responsibility for constructing the traffic signals. Since they were intended to slow down approaching vehicles, Tomasz Nowak, the traffic-signal designer, designed a solution whereby the crossing remains red and changes to green only when an approaching vehicle is not exceeding the speed limit. Experience shows that drivers do not always comply with the speed limit, but most drivers obey traffic signals.
In December, Witold Cybertowicz’s company from Lubań installed the traffic signals, and they were put into use on 20 December. The short period of operation has already confirmed that insisting on their construction was worthwhile, as pedestrian safety has improved significantly and the speed of vehicles travelling through Trzebień has been reduced.
A project to improve road safety on road no. 297 in Nowe Jaroszowice is currently being prepared at our request. A pavement, bus bays and traffic signals at the intersection of the provincial road and a municipal road are being designed.
(commissioned information: Bolesławiec municipality)