Skip to main content

Gatso to participate in German average speed pilot

The idea of average speed enforcement, or section control, in Germany has long been discussed by German authorities following its recommendation in 2009 by the 47th German Traffic Court Day. Interior Minister Boris Pistorius has announced a section control pilot project which is scheduled to be operational in Lower Saxony in spring 2015. Instead measuring speed in the conventional at a single point, section control measures average speed over a longer stretch of road. This method usually results in l
September 11, 2014 Read time: 2 mins

The idea of average speed enforcement, or section control, in Germany has long been discussed by German authorities following its recommendation in 2009 by the 47th German Traffic Court Day.

Interior Minister Boris Pistorius has announced a section control pilot project which is scheduled to be operational in Lower Saxony in spring 2015.

Instead measuring speed in the conventional at a single point, section control measures average speed over a longer stretch of road. This method usually results in lower, more uniform speeds and a harmonisation of the traffic flow which significantly improves traffic safety.

The pilot will use 1679 Gatso’s section control system which utilises radar detection and can be installed on existing street furniture or gantries without the need for in-road sensors. The system’s high matching and detection accuracy make it an effective solution for average speed enforcement, while the high trigger accuracy also makes it suitable for use on short stretches of road such as tunnels or bridges.

Said Pistorius, "Until now we had only technology available that allowed for selective monitoring of speed."

Dietmar Schwalm, sales manager GATSO Germany: “Section control enforcement leads to compliance with the speed limit in the entire danger zone. We hope to establish this effective measuring principle on the German market with the pilot project. It is an excellent addition to our combined red light and speed enforcement system to improve road safety at intersections."

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Give offending drivers credit for good behaviour
    July 27, 2012
    Andrew Rooke and Dave Marples of Technolution B.V. take a look at what can be done to address a long-standing problem: the all-or-nothing approach of automated enforcement. To start, a brief history of speeding: on 14 November 1896, the first Veteran Car Run was staged in England from London to Brighton. It was organised to celebrate new British legislation to raise the maximum speed of vehicles from four to 14mph while also removing the need for a person waving a red flag to walk in front of the car and wa
  • Slow adoption of European VMS harmonisation
    January 31, 2012
    Alberto Arbaiza, ES4-Mare Nostrum Chair, Directorate General of Traffic, Spain and Antonio Lucas-Alba, ES4 Secretariat, INTRAS, University of Valencia, Spain write about progress towards variable message sign harmonisation in Europe . Particularly in Europe, national road administrations have been faster at generating and adopting new road signs than the standardisation process has been at generating them.
  • High-speed WIM moves onto the main highway
    May 24, 2016
    High-speed weigh-in-motion is starting to make its mark on both sides of the Atlantic. As a transit country the Czech Republic experiences a large number of overloaded vehicles, which greatly increase highway maintenance costs. This prompted its Transport Ministry to trial an extension of the capabilities of the existing truck tolling system to allow the dynamic high-speed weighing of cargo vehicles. In effect the tolling enforcement gantries become weigh-in-motion (WIM) locations.
  • Technology advances improve enforcement
    July 26, 2012
    Across the board, technology is being brought to bear to improve the efficiency of enforcement. Bus lane monitoring, parking and controlled access have all benefited from systems introduced in recent months. While speed and red light infringements tend to attract the most attention, there remain several other areas of enforcement where automation can bring significant operational and efficiency benefits. Lane monitoring and access control also continue to benefit from technological development.