26 February 2019 | Brussels, Belgium

On 21 February, negotiations between the European Parliament and the European Council on the new Road Infrastructure Safety Directive achieved a milestone with the agreement on the future scope and the inclusion of good condition for markings and signs in order to facilitate the deployment of new mobility trends.

Regarding the scope, the main improvement relies on the extension beyond the current TEN-T network and covering all “primary roads” as well as all non-urban roads built using EU funding. This decision was welcomed by the ERF and other road safety organisations stressing the necessity to reduce accident rates in those sections.

Another key element in the discussions was the condition of road markings and signs. Legislators stressed the importance of these elements especially to ensure safe driving conditions both for humans and vehicles with automated driver assistance systems.

In order to formalise the interinstitutional agreement, the document will be endorsed by the Council and the Transport Committee of the European Parliament before final adoption in the coming weeks.

 “The outcome of the negotiations is welcomed by the ERF, as these positions reflect efforts completed by the road infrastructure sector to improve road safety in the EU” says Christophe Nicodeme, Director General of the European Union Road Federation. “Proper road conditions are extremely important not only for the development and deployment of autonomous driving, but for the overall safety of European road users. We are pleased to witness the EU is heading to the right direction.”

Currently, the ERF is preparing a set of recommendations on minimum performance for road markings which will offer guidance to regulators in order to ensure effective readability and detectability of the infrastructure by humans and vehicles.

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