26/03/2020

DM Roads' NSW ITS team uses Vehicle Activated Signs (VAS) and radar technology as part of an innovative road safety solution to tackle a road black spot.

A rural rest stop located off the Hume Highway in the town of Kyeamba, NSW was fast becoming a problem site for Transport for New South Wales (TfNSW). The rest stop situated on an incline road with a 110 kilometre speed limit was hidden on a bend and  posed significant near misses by many road users travelling in and through the town of Kyeamba.

Safety issue arose when slower moving vehicles exiting the rest area would collide or nearly miss fast moving traffic travelling up the road. The result often ending in serious accidents and on some occasions fatalities.

Seeking some much-needed advice, TfNSW enlisted the expertise of our DM Roads ITS maintenance contract. We advised the use of Vehicle Activated Signs (VAS), strategically placed prior to the rest area which notified cars travelling towards the rest stop that a slow moving vehicle was joining traffic. This initiates in an immediate reaction from drivers to slow down and exercise caution when approaching the rest area around the bend.

The VAS utilises both solar and wireless communication technology which detects vehicle movement through a radar. Information collected from the radar is then transmitted back to the strategically placed VAS. This solution met the desired outcomes of TfNSW, minimising cost and road network disruption.

Since implementation of the VAS in mid-2018, there has only been one accident along the section of the Highway proving it’s effectiveness. DM Roads continues to provide safer road networks for road users travelling within NSW.