Working Groups 18
[Publication Date: May 2018]
On the May 30th 2018 the second meeting with the “Environmental Sustainability” and “Socio-Economic Observatory” working groups was held.
The project team presented the results of the second questionnaire addressed to users as well as the outcome of the Phase 1 tests (which ended in April 2018) concerning the dynamic speed limits reduction both for environmental purposes and for the increase in the motorway capacity.
During the meeting all participants were asked to provide feedback on what they experienced in Phase 1, and in particular:
1. a general feedback on the dynamic speed limits applied in the two test sections (Egna / Ora - S. Michele and Trento Sud - Rovereto Sud)
- a feedback on the perception of users and / or their associates, both in terms of compliance with speed limits and changes in travel habits
3. proposals on how to improve the management of the pilot tests.
In general, the participants stressed the need to work on users and local population’s information, emphasizing the added value of the project for the environment and to extend the experimentation section of the speed limits reduction in order to increase the effectiveness of the measures implemented. From the point of view of safety, it has been highlighted that reducing the speed gap between heavy goods vehicles travelling on the transit lane and light vehicles travelling almost exclusively on the overtaking lane could represent a danger, because it makes overtaking maneuvers more difficult (an aspect which, however, was not detected during the tests).
The overall feedback was positive and some stakeholders expressed their interest to organize in the near future moments of in-depth discussion with their associates on the topic and to publish articles on the first results of the project.
