Technology to deter wrong-way incursions

[cpzilliacus]

WTSP-TV (Channel 10): Safety experts hunt for wrong-way crash fixes

Tampa, Florida -- In a Safety Summit on Tuesday morning, experts will work on ending the Tampa Bay area's epidemic of wrong-way drivers.

Wrong-way crashes killed at least twelve people in Tampa Bay last year. It's a scary safety concern for your family.

The state says it's serious about looking at every suggestion to fix this. They've told me they've even had folks suggest they install pop-up nets to stop wrong-way cars.

FDOT unveils new technology to help wrong-way drivers

TAMPA, Florida -- Wrong-way crashes killed at least 12 people in Tampa Bay last year. In a Safety Summit on Tuesday, experts discussed how to combat the wrong-way driving epidemic, which they said is worse than they imagined.

According to the Florida Department of Transportation, the answer lies in technology. The department is looking at innovative ways to prevent wrong-way driving with new technology on the market being considered. The newest high-tech system is being tested on the Florida Turnpike right now: it's a sign that detects a driver before they turn onto the ramp.

Florida's Turnpike press release (with illustrations) from 2014: Wrong-way vehicle detection pilot project under way on Turnpike roadways in South Florida (.pdf)

[dfwmapper]

Related topic: https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=14055

[hubcity]

It's a scary safety concern for your family.

As an aside: I hate that the news does this. "Here's a problem, and here's why YOU should be VERY VERY SCARED and stay tuned for news of other things that should scare you."

[KEK Inc.]

Why is it a big issue in Florida and nowhere else?  Is it due to design issues with the intersections or a higher density of incompetent motorists and poor driver's education?

If it's the latter, the technology is not the issue. 

[NE2]

Why is it a big issue in Florida and nowhere else?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Folks_at_Home

[Brandon]

Why is it a big issue in Florida and nowhere else?  Is it due to design issues with the intersections or a higher density of incompetent motorists and poor driver's education?

If it's the latter, the technology is not the issue. 

It seems to happen a lot in Chicagoland as well.  Usually the culprits are drunk.

[roadman]

It seems to happen a lot in Chicagoland as well.  Usually the culprits are drunk.

BINGO!!!  Impairment, whether it be due to alcohol, drugs, medication, or physical/medical condition, is the principal cause of wrong-way crashes.  Short of a ten foot high solid steel barrier that magically rises from the roadway when a wrong way entry is detected, no "high tech" solution will solve this problem.

[hotdogPi]

It seems to happen a lot in Chicagoland as well.  Usually the culprits are drunk.

BINGO!!!  Impairment, whether it be due to alcohol, drugs, medication, or physical/medical condition, is the principal cause of wrong-way crashes.  Short of a ten foot high solid steel barrier that magically rises from the roadway when a wrong way entry is detected, no "high tech" solution will solve this problem.

Actually, it could be solved by adding a road (from the wrong-way ramp to the right-way ramp, in a way that it does not require much of a curve) so that the the "wrong way" people end up going the right way unless they intentionally want to go to the wrong way.

[KEK Inc.]

It seems to happen a lot in Chicagoland as well.  Usually the culprits are drunk.

BINGO!!!  Impairment, whether it be due to alcohol, drugs, medication, or physical/medical condition, is the principal cause of wrong-way crashes.  Short of a ten foot high solid steel barrier that magically rises from the roadway when a wrong way entry is detected, no "high tech" solution will solve this problem.

Actually, it could be solved by adding a road (from the wrong-way ramp to the right-way ramp, in a way that it does not require much of a curve) so that the the "wrong way" people end up going the right way unless they intentionally want to go to the wrong way.

No.

[Billy F 1988]

It seems to happen a lot in Chicagoland as well.  Usually the culprits are drunk.

BINGO!!!  Impairment, whether it be due to alcohol, drugs, medication, or physical/medical condition, is the principal cause of wrong-way crashes.  Short of a ten foot high solid steel barrier that magically rises from the roadway when a wrong way entry is detected, no "high tech" solution will solve this problem.

Actually, it could be solved by adding a road (from the wrong-way ramp to the right-way ramp, in a way that it does not require much of a curve) so that the the "wrong way" people end up going the right way unless they intentionally want to go to the wrong way.

No.

Pretty much impossible. Too much taxpayer money would be wasted on such instance.

[hotdogPi]

It seems to happen a lot in Chicagoland as well.  Usually the culprits are drunk.

BINGO!!!  Impairment, whether it be due to alcohol, drugs, medication, or physical/medical condition, is the principal cause of wrong-way crashes.  Short of a ten foot high solid steel barrier that magically rises from the roadway when a wrong way entry is detected, no "high tech" solution will solve this problem.

Actually, it could be solved by adding a road (from the wrong-way ramp to the right-way ramp, in a way that it does not require much of a curve) so that the the "wrong way" people end up going the right way unless they intentionally want to go to the wrong way.

No.

Pretty much impossible. Too much taxpayer money would be wasted on such instance.

And taxpayer money is not wasted on what they are doing right now?

[cl94]

I remember there was a big issue with these incidents in the mid-2000s when I lived in Columbus. ODOT installed an insane amount of wrong way signage at several heights along with much reflective red tape.

Back to the Technology, NYSTA put a wrong-way detection system at I-190 Exit 9 (SB exit ramp) a year or 2 ago. When a vehicle enters the ramp going the wrong way, flashing lights and VMSes on the ramp activate, while VMSes back to Niagara Falls immediately display a "wrong way driver" warning. This ramp in particular had several issues because of its length.

[jeffandnicole]

It seems to happen a lot in Chicagoland as well.  Usually the culprits are drunk.

BINGO!!!  Impairment, whether it be due to alcohol, drugs, medication, or physical/medical condition, is the principal cause of wrong-way crashes.  Short of a ten foot high solid steel barrier that magically rises from the roadway when a wrong way entry is detected, no "high tech" solution will solve this problem.

Actually, it could be solved by adding a road (from the wrong-way ramp to the right-way ramp, in a way that it does not require much of a curve) so that the the "wrong way" people end up going the right way unless they intentionally want to go to the wrong way.

Draw that for us. You would basically have to duplicate every movement for entire interchanges. And with extremely long overpasses to boot. And remember, the ramps would need to be built for almost no one to use.

[KEK Inc.]

It seems to happen a lot in Chicagoland as well.  Usually the culprits are drunk.

BINGO!!!  Impairment, whether it be due to alcohol, drugs, medication, or physical/medical condition, is the principal cause of wrong-way crashes.  Short of a ten foot high solid steel barrier that magically rises from the roadway when a wrong way entry is detected, no "high tech" solution will solve this problem.

Actually, it could be solved by adding a road (from the wrong-way ramp to the right-way ramp, in a way that it does not require much of a curve) so that the the "wrong way" people end up going the right way unless they intentionally want to go to the wrong way.

No.

Pretty much impossible. Too much taxpayer money would be wasted on such instance.

And it doesn't solve the problem. 

It's an issue with people who shouldn't carry a drivers license, not infrastructure. 


iPhone

[cpzilliacus]

It's an issue with people who shouldn't carry a drivers license, not infrastructure. 

There are plenty of drivers that should not be licensed, or driving with (or without) a license.

[Pete from Boston]

We have solved this problem.

[roadfro]

We have solved this problem.

That works well in parking lots, not so much on freeway off-ramps...

[Pete from Boston]

We have solved this problem.

That works well in parking lots, not so much on freeway off-ramps...

How do you know?

[KEK Inc.]

We have solved this problem.

That works well in parking lots, not so much on freeway off-ramps...

How do you know?

Tiger teeth are designed to be driven forward at a max speed of 15 MPH.  Generally, you're supposed to stop before driving over it. 

It's a control device that will cause more issues than the rare idiot going the wrong way. 

[cl94]

We have solved this problem.

That works well in parking lots, not so much on freeway off-ramps...

How do you know?

Tiger teeth are designed to be driven forward at a max speed of 15 MPH.  Generally, you're supposed to stop before driving over it. 

It's a control device that will cause more issues than the rare idiot going the wrong way.

Except the concept still applies. Replace the tiger teeth with a spring-loaded steel plate that can only be driven over in one direction. Theoretically, it could work. Don't know if it's practical, but it's simple enough.

[Pete from Boston]

We have solved this problem.

That works well in parking lots, not so much on freeway off-ramps...

How do you know?

Tiger teeth are designed to be driven forward at a max speed of 15 MPH.  Generally, you're supposed to stop before driving over it. 

It's a control device that will cause more issues than the rare idiot going the wrong way.

Except the concept still applies. Replace the tiger teeth with a spring-loaded steel plate that can only be driven over in one direction. Theoretically, it could work. Don't know if it's practical, but it's simple enough.

Yes.  There are check valves in all kinds of networked systems.  Why not roads?

[cl94]

We have solved this problem.

That works well in parking lots, not so much on freeway off-ramps...

How do you know?

Tiger teeth are designed to be driven forward at a max speed of 15 MPH.  Generally, you're supposed to stop before driving over it. 

It's a control device that will cause more issues than the rare idiot going the wrong way.

Except the concept still applies. Replace the tiger teeth with a spring-loaded steel plate that can only be driven over in one direction. Theoretically, it could work. Don't know if it's practical, but it's simple enough.

Yes.  There are check valves in all kinds of networked systems.  Why not roads?

I actually thought of that when I was in Washington and saw all of the barriers that retract into the road. Just have to add a fail-safe so it can't pop up into the bottom of a car.

[cpzilliacus]

As an aside: I hate that the news does this. "Here's a problem, and here's why YOU should be VERY VERY SCARED and stay tuned for news of other things that should scare you."

Agreed.  "If it bleeds it leads" is another favorite of TV news shows, especially at the local level.

[UCFKnights]

Why is it a big issue in Florida and nowhere else?  Is it due to design issues with the intersections or a higher density of incompetent motorists and poor driver's education?

If it's the latter, the technology is not the issue.

Its a combination of a lot of issues. Another thing I've noticed quite a bit in the Central Florida region not mentioned here is the diluting of the meaning of the DO NOT ENTER signs that usually indicate not to go down a street. I've also noticed they're used in place of a NO LEFT TURN or AUTHORIZED VEHICLE ONLY very frequently. There is also a lot of poor placement, such as directly in the center of the median so its hard to tell which direction it is for.

[KEK Inc.]

Why is it a big issue in Florida and nowhere else?  Is it due to design issues with the intersections or a higher density of incompetent motorists and poor driver's education?

If it's the latter, the technology is not the issue.

Its a combination of a lot of issues. Another thing I've noticed quite a bit in the Central Florida region not mentioned here is the diluting of the meaning of the DO NOT ENTER signs that usually indicate not to go down a street. I've also noticed they're used in place of a NO LEFT TURN or AUTHORIZED VEHICLE ONLY very frequently. There is also a lot of poor placement, such as directly in the center of the median so its hard to tell which direction it is for.

That's a genuine issue.  In the West Coast, we do use 'DO NOT ENTER' for authorized vehicle use, but there's usually a supplementary 'EXCEPT ...'. 

In Washington, we put a DO NOT ENTER sign right at the intersection, and then up the off-ramp, there's a couple of 'WRONG WAY' (reassurance?) signs.  California groups the 'DO NOT ENTER' sign and 'WRONG WAY' signs together, but also puts 'ONE WAY' signs pointing towards the intersection.  Apart from that, on one way streets in the Pacific Northwest, we actually use DO NOT ENTER sparingly.