Road with an optical kinetic retarder and a method of reducing speed of vehicles passing through

Abstract

 The roadway (1) with an optical-kinetic speed bar for reducing speed of passing vehicles the roadway (1) comprises at least one driving lane, in which a system of grooves (2) is milled, the grooves (2) being transversal to the direction (X) of travel in the lane, wherein the distance in between them is constant, the width of the transversal grooves (2) decreases gradually in the direction (X) travel, and the milled grooves (2) are at least partly filled with flexible material (3) having a colour contrasting with the colour of the roadway (1).
The method of adapting of a roadway (1) to reduce speed of passing vehicles includes the step of milling a system of transversal grooves (2) in at least one lane of the roadway (1), wherein the transversal grooves (2) are perpendicular to the direction (X) of travel in the driving lane and the distance in between them is constant and their width decreases gradually in the direction (X) of travel in the lane and it further includes a step of filling the milled grooves (2) at least partly with flexible material (3) having a colour contrasting with the colour of the roadway (1).

Description

Field of the art

[0001] The invention relates to a roadway with an optical-kinetic speed bar and a method of adapting a roadway to reduce the speed of passing vehicles.

Prior art

[0002] The road network comprises many critical areas such as pedestrian crossing or intersections, or many confusing places with poor range of vision for the driver. Also most of the entrances to the village are critical places, because often the approaching driver does not realise his high speed and does not slow down below the maximum speed limit until later in the village. Currently these places are usually marked with vertical traffic signs warning of the dangers or regulating the maximum speed limit. Less frequently a so called optical psychological brake, i.e. an optical speed bars system is used, which is a horizontal traffic sign consisting of a number of bright stripes which are perpendicular to the direction of travel of the vehicles and which are spaced at gradually decreasing distances. The disadvantage of such an optical-psychological speed bar is that it is only of an optical type, and therefore the drivers passing this place repeatedly may get used to the presence of such an optical speed bar and they may start to ignore it, which stakes away the efficiency of this speed bar. Another possible solution is the use of speed bumps which due to its shape forces the drivers to slow down to a speed at which they can safely cross the bump, otherwise they risk a vehicle damage. The disadvantage of the speed bumps is however their relatively high price, increased noise level during a passage of the vehicles and a negative impact on the technical condition of the vehicles. The aim of the invention is therefore to provide a device that eliminates these deficiencies of the prior art.

Summary of the invention

[0003] This aim is solved according to the invention by means of a roadway with an optical-kinetic speed bar for reducing speed of passing vehicles wherein the roadway comprises at least one driving lane, in which a system of grooves is milled, wherein the grooves are tranversal to the direction of travel in that lane, the width of the transveral grooves decreases gradually in the direction of travel, while the closest walls of neighbouring grooves with the roadway in between them form a system of ribs transversal to the travel direction, wherein each rib separates two neighbouring grooves from each other, and the width of the ribs is constant in the entire system of ribs, and the milled grooves are at least partly filled with a flexible material having a colour contrasting with the colour of the roadway.

[0004] Preferably, the depth of the transversal grooves is 2 to 6 cm, especially 3 to 5 cm, and the depth of the grooves is same as or up to 2 cm greater than the height of the flexible material in the transversal groove.

[0005] The flexible material may be a silicon-based material, having a which is white or yellow colour.

[0006] According to an especially preferred embodiment of the invention the side walls of the transversal grooves form an angle of 30 to 60 degrees with respect to a plane which is perpendicular to the roadway nails.

[0007] The disadvantages of prior art are also eliminated by a method of adapting of a roadway to reduce speed of passing vehicles, wherein according to the method a system of transversal grooves is milled at least in one driving lane, the transversal grooves being perpendicular to the direction of travel in that driving lane and having a constant spacing between each other, while their width decreases gradually in the direction of travel, and then the milled transversal grooves are at least partly filled with a flexible material having a colour contrasting with the colour of the roadway.

[0008] Preferably the transversal grooves are milled to have a depth of 2 to 6 cm, preferably a depth of 3 to 5 cm.

[0009] Preferably, the step of filling the milled transversal grooves is carried out by pouring a silicon-based flexible material in the grooves, the material having a white or yellow colour.

[0010] Considering the level of noise it is advantageous to make the depth of the milled transversal grooves the same or up to 2 cm greater than the height of the flexible material in the transversal groove. Considering the optical characteristics it is advantageous when the mutual spacing between neighbouring transversal grooves is 5 to 7 cm and the width of the transversal grooves decreases gradually from 100 to 10 cm To prolong the lifetime of the adapted road it is advantageous to lock the flexible material in the milled transversal grooves (2) by means of festeners, especially screws or nails.

Brief description of the drawings

[0011] An exemplary embodiment of the invention is schematically illustrated in Fig. 1, which shows a cut through the roadway with the optical-kinetic speed bar according to the invention.

Description of preferred embodiments

[0012] As shown in Fig. 1 a preferred embodiment of the invention comprises a system of transverse grooves 2 milled into the roadway 1 wherein the grooves 2 are perpendicular to the direction X of travel in the respective lane of the roadway 1. The depth of these transverse grooves 2 is preferably 3 to 5 cm, their length can in fact match the width of the lane of the roadway 1 or it can be shorter. The width of the transverse grooves 2, which is their dimension in the direction of travel in the lane of the roadway 1, is 10 to 100 cm, and said width is gradually decreasing in the direction of travel, which is the direction leading to the critical or the risky area. The parts of the roadway 1 that are not milled and that are in between the transverse grooves 2 form transverse ribs 4, wherein their width is in fact constant therefore the mutual distance of the transverse grooves 2 is in fact constant and it is preferably 5 to 7 cm. The milled transversal grooves 2 are partially filled with flexible material 3, for example silicon-based material, preferably of white or yellow colour. In any case, the colour of the flexible material 3 that is poured into the milled transverse grooves 2 should be in a contrasting colour when compared to the colour of the roadway 1. The purpose of the flexible material 3 is to reduce the strain on both shock absorbers and axles of the passing vehicles, to reduce noise when vehicles are passing and also to act as a standard optical speed bar, consisting of transversal contrasting stripes, with mutual distance gradually decreasing in the driving direction X. The invention has many advantages when compared to the current devices. Milling of the transversal grooves 2 into the roadway 1 is less expensive than building speed bumps. The disadvantage of physical wear of vehicles caused by their crossing of the speed bumps is mostly eliminated, because the difference between the lowest point of the flexible material 3 and the highest point of the adjacent part of the roadway 1 is a few centimetres at the most. Also the noise level is lowered in comparison to the plastic speed bumps. The transition from the roadway 1 level, which is also the level of the ribs 4, to the bottom of the milled transversal .grooves 2 does not have to be perpendicular, it may be even slightly beveled, so that the entry into the transverse grooves 2, or the exit from it is less sharp. In the cross-section of the roadway 1 with such milled transverse grooves 2, the transverse grooves 2 show a trapezoidal shape. The angle between the entering and exiting side walls of the transverse grooves 2 and the plane that is perpendicular to the plane of the roadway 1 or to the plane of the bottom 2 of the transverse grooves is preferably 30 to 60 degrees. The flexible material 3 should have an anti-skid surface, therefore it should meet the similar requirements as for example the artificial surface of sport fields does. To increase durability this flexible material 3 may be fixed to the roadway 1 with nails or with screws etc. It is obvious that Fig. 1 does not show the optical-kinetic speed bar in the correct scale and that the figure is only schematic The width of the transverse grooves 2 is gradually decreases in the travel direction that leads to the critical place, but it is also possible to arrange at the end of the system of the transversal grooves 2 a few transversal grooves 2 with the same width, in other words a few transversal grooves 2 with the minimal width in row. By adding the third dimension to the standard psychological bar a long lasting efficiency is increased. Namely, the bar involves a third dimension of physical perception for the driver, who entering the uneven surface applies the brakes subconsciously.

Claims

1. A roadway (1) with an optical-kinetic speed bar for reducing speed of passing vehicles characterized in that, it comprises at least one driving lane in which a system of grooves(2) is milled, wherein the grooves (2) are transversal to the direction (X) of travel in that lane, the width of the transversal grooves (2) decreases gradually in the direction (X) of travel, while the closest walls of neighbouring grooves (2) with the roadway (1) in between them form a system of ribs (4) transversal to the travel direction, wherein each rib (4) separates two neighbouring grooves (2) from each other, and the width of the ribs (4) is constant in the entire system of ribs (4), and then the milled grooves (2) are at least partly filled with a flexible material (3) having a colour contrasting with the colour of the roadway (1).

2. The roadway (1) according to claim 2, characterized in that, the depth of the transversal grooves (2) is 2 to 6 cm, especially 3 to 5 cm, and the depth of the grooves (2) is same as or up to 2 cm greater than the height of the flexible material (3) in the transversal groove (2).

3. The roadway (1) according to claims 1 or 2, characterized is in that, the flexible material (3) is silicon-based material, which is white or yellow.

4. The roadway (1) according to any of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, the side walls of the transversal grooves (2), which form a transition from the roadway level to the bottom of the transversal groove (2), form an angle of 30 to 60 degrees with respect to a plane which is perpendicular to the roadway.

5. The roadway (1) according to any of the claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, the mutual distance of neighbouring transversal grooves (2) is 5 to 7 cm and the width of the transversal grooves (2) is 10 to 100 cm.

6. The roadway (1) according to any of the claims 1 to 5, characterized in that, the flexible material (3) is locked in the transversal grooves (2) by means of fasteners, especially screws or nails.

7. A method of adapting of a roadway (1) to reduce speed of passing vehicles, characterized in that a system of transversal grooves (2) Milled at least in one driving lane, and the transversal grooves (2) are perpendicular to the direction (X) of travel in the driving lane and their width decreases gradually in the direction (X) of travel, while the closest walls of neighbouring grooves (2) and the roadway (1) in between them form a system of transversal ribs (4) in the direction (X) of travel, wherein each rib (4) separates two neighbouring grooves (2) from each other, and wherein the width of the ribs (4) is constant in the entire system of ribs (4), and the milled grooves (2) are at least partly filled with a flexible material (3) having a colour contrasting with the colour of the roadway (1).

8. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that, the transversal grooves (2) are milled to have a depth of 2 to 6 cm, preferably a depth of 3 to 5 cm.

9. The method according to claims 5 or 6, characterized .in that, a silicon-based flexible material (3) having a white or yellow colour is poured in the milled transversal grooves (2).

10. The method according to any of claims 5 to 7, characterized in that, the depth of the milled transversal grooves (2) is the same or up to 2 cm greater than the height of the flexible material (3) in the transversal groove (2).

11. The method according to any of claims 5 to 8, characterized in that, the width of the transversal ribs (4) is 5 to 7 cm and the width of the transversal grooves (2) is 10 to 100 cm.

12. The method according to any of claims 5 to 9, characterized in that, the flexible material (3) is locked in the milled transversal grooves (2) by means of fasteners, especially screws or nails.

Drawing