Motorway road signs are crucial for the safety of everyone driving, working, or passing by a road. Road signage design can vary between countries, even from one state to another. Yet, they’re there for the same purposes: to advise drivers about speed limits, driving conditions, and eventual obstructions on the way.
Temporary traffic lights and road signs are a very flexible and cost-effective way of telling drivers about sudden changes ahead. Such changes could be maintenance work, accidents, and bad weather. Typically, temporary traffic lights remain installed for about three months or the duration of the work on the road. In this article, we’ll talk about how temporary signage works in two-lane rural areas and its importance for road construction site safety.
When to Use Temporary Road Signage
Although road construction safety doesn’t always depend on temporary traffic lights, they’re required for specific types of maintenance. Maintenance projects on two-lane roads usually require the use of this kind of sign since one of the lanes must be closed.
Such is the case with pavement repairs, bridge and roadside maintenance, emergencies, and special events. Portable road signs are ideal for replacing flaggers on any occasion.
Typically, portable signs take about 45 minutes to be installed. It means they’re most useful in projects that take half a day, at least. So, portable signs aren’t cost-effective for projects of shorter duration since they couldn’t be set up fast enough to be of any help. That’s why these signs are mostly used for projects that take half a day or longer.
As a rule of thumb, portable road signs are a worthwhile investment if they’re going to be used between eight and ten working days monthly. In terms of investment, portable road signage pays for itself in about two years, although this time can be shorter the more the signs are used. There are specific guidelines for nighttime closures when lights and signs must be powered by emergency power batteries.
Where to Install Portable Road Signage
Portable signs are amazing for their flexibility and easy installation. Yet, they shouldn’t be installed just anywhere. To ensure road construction site safety, these signs should be placed no further than 800m away from the work zone or place to avoid. Ideally, the traffic should be managed within shorter distances, and signal timing should be adjusted considering the extension of the work zone. Also, these signs should always be placed on clear zones and stable shoulder areas.
While setting the limits of a work zone, one should consider intersecting driveways and streets before installing mobile traffic signal systems. These signs must be placed where they’re clearly visible. Additionally, the positioning of such lights and signs should always respect the distances provided by the guidelines and adjust the signage when it’s not possible.
In any case, it’s essential to observe at what speed drivers approach the work zone and the traffic conditions as a whole. As a rule of thumb, traffic volume can be measured by counting the number of vehicles crossing a determined point at 4-minute intervals. Such counting should be done on both lanes. By doing so, it’s possible to have an idea of the length that a cue formed by temporary traffic lights can cause during 4 minutes of red light and estimate overall traffic volume over a period of time.
How to Use Temporary Road Signage
Temporary traffic lights are mostly used to ensure the safety of those working in maintenance and other functions. It’s also among the most common road construction safety signs, advising drivers between 100m to 300m before the working zone. They also help manage the traffic around it, preventing unnecessary delays. Above all, these lights are essential in intersecting highways and streets, where they help manage temporary traffic changes.
This kind of signage presents considerable advantages over flaggers. Traffic signals are a more straightforward way of communication, as red and green lights mean the same everywhere. Additionally, using flaggers means fewer workers working on the project and exposes workers to accidents and conflicts.
So, using temporary traffic signage increases safety for workers and overall performance since the team on site no longer needs to spare workers for this task. This kind of sign can be operated remotely from within the work zone, allowing more adaptability to any change in driving conditions.
Why Portable Road Signage Is Important
Poorly signalled roads and highways are among the leading causes of car accidents. Such accidents take a human toll of 1,3 million lives every year worldwide. Most of these fatalities came from underdeveloped countries (about 93%), where most roads lack maintenance. Although permanent signs play a vital role in traffic management, they can’t communicate sudden changes on the road, like accidents, urgent repairs, or extreme weather conditions.
A portable sign is also an essential road construction safety equipment for managing traffic under low visibility driving conditions; it could happen on rainy, foggy, or snowy days. For this reason, investing in portable signalling is mandatory for safe and efficient program management. Typically, it’s an investment that pays itself off quickly since it saves human resources and ensures safety on the roads.
Portable Road Signage from Premel
Premel is a Swiss company with renowned expertise in mobile traffic signal systems, power engineering, and safety performance. Indeed, this company has been a dominant name in management services engineering industries since 1947, and you can tick every box of your road construction site safety checklist here.
Premel has built a solid reputation for providing top-quality hydropower solutions, industrial automation, and emergency power systems over the years. The outstanding quality of its products and services is guaranteed by its best quality policy, which follows ISO 9001 standards.
Contact our team for more information about the range of solutions we can offer. Learn more about Traffic Light Systems and Road Signage Services from Premel.
