Driving in the right direction is less obvious than many think

We are all road users, some more than others. To get from A to B safely and comfortably, we make massive use of traffic measures. Do we actually ever stop to think intensively about the road markings, the arrows on the road, the signs that tell us something and the traffic engineering installations that tell us when we can and cannot drive? Almost never. Yet roads would be impassable if not for these traffic measures.

At Traffic & More, they specialize in temporary traffic measures.

Traffic & More specializes in the above. In fact, the company may call itself "the silent friend" of every road user, for with their designs they ensure that the traffic measures that send us in the right direction are not even noticed by us, because they are logical. That there is enormous expertise behind this is obvious. For example, Traffic & More ensured that the temporary traffic measures during the work on the RijnlandRoute ensure optimum traffic flow. Robin Berendsen, project manager, tells us more about it.

Smart solutions

"We came up with some clever solutions for temporary traffic measures for COMOL5 to promote safe and proper traffic flow on the braided diamond junction, or DDI," Berendsen opens the conversation. "Key points in the plan were 'minimal traffic disruption' and a road design in accordance with the Motorway Design Directive (ROA). Maintaining 100 km per hour on the roads was a must."     

Traffic & More's input at the DDI included the temporary traffic facility.

Geonis was commissioned by COMOL5 during the tender phase to create the final road design based on Traffic & More's plans. "We then worked with MAP traffic management to translate the final road design, which ultimately resulted in the Diverging Diamond Interchange, the DDI," Berendsen continued. "With this solution we were able to relieve the underlying road network, there was less disruption for local residents and we were able to create safe access and exit ramps for construction traffic."

Temporary measures with maximum effect

In addition to traffic engineering advice, Traffic & More's input at the DDI included temporary signage, temporary marking, advice on screens to prevent glare, a lighting plan, temporary signage, temporary RVV signage and temporary traffic installation. "In short, everything you need as a road user to get through traffic smoothly," Berendsen explains.

"Traffic & More obviously also participated in the virtual tests that were done and the traffic safety audit by a traffic psychologist. We monitored what the results were and issued advice based on the results. Based on the final recommendations, we put everything into practice. What was on the final drawings was therefore operationally realized by us," Berendsen said. Practice is still the best school of learning to "fine tune" things even further. "There were still a number of mutations in the traffic engineering installation, following findings in real life. Among other things, we adjusted the 'green and red times' of the traffic lights. We wrote the software for that," Berendsen outlines. "Further adjustments were also made to the configuration of the arrows and (RVV) signage during the work. That ultimately brought us to a completely well-configured and accepted DDI that was accepted by the client and road authorities."

The right traffic measures allow everyone to follow the right path, in this new situation.

Overview and organization as added value

The role Traffic & More has played in the whole thing is significant. "Keeping overview and organization are spearheads of our company. Realization manager Mark Willemsen has taken all disciplines within COMOL5 by the hand, monitored the planning, ensured a smoothly running organization and thus ensured that all measures could be realized integrally and on schedule. Therein lies a large part of the added value."

Finally, when asked what Traffic & More is working on now, besides the DDI, Berendsen replied, "We are doing all the temporary traffic measures for COMOL5 for the junction of the N434 with the A44 and A4, in addition to the DDI at the Leiden-West junction. We are also working for Boskalis, which is carrying out another part of the RijnlandRoute project, the N206 ir. G. Tjalmaweg. The connection of the N206 to the A44 is also part of our job, when it comes to traffic measures."