Rumble strips between Zella-Mehlis and Oberhof: Buses severely affected!

Rumble strips between Zella-Mehlis and Oberhof: Buses severely affected!

In recent weeks, complaints about the rumble strips on the road between Zella-Mehlis and Oberhof have been increasing. These not only cause unpleasant vibrations, but also loud noises in the buses. The bus drivers and passengers affected agree: the journeys are unpleasant. According to [insuedthueringen.de]. that motorcyclists in particular remain unimpressed by these rumble strips.

The unfortunate arrangement of the rumble strips means that screws in the passenger compartment of a five-year-old bus have already come loose. Gröschel is worried that the vibrations could not only affect ride comfort, but also cause significant damage to the buses, which would ultimately result in high costs.

Origin and use of rumble strips

Rumble strips are a proven means of warning vehicle drivers of dangers and preventing accidents. As Wikipedia explains, these stripes produce vibrations and noise when vehicles drive over them. They are not only used to reduce speed at intersections or tight curves, but also to combat fatigue.

Interestingly, rumble strips are a concept that is widespread in many countries such as the USA and Austria. In the Netherlands, they have helped to significantly reduce the number of road deaths since the early 1990s - by around a third by 2007.

Negative experience in the Feldberg area

But not all experiences with rumble strips are positive. A mixed picture emerges in the Feldberg area, where rumble strips were installed around October 2008 due to the increasing number of accidents. The number of accidents continued to rise despite the rumble strips in the applause curve, as [ak-sam.blogspot.com](https://ak-sam.blogspot.com/2012/10/ruttel stripes-in-der-applauskurve.html) reports. In order to counteract this trend, an accident commission recommended the installation of rumble strips in dangerous curve areas.

The rumble strips in the Feldberg area are approx. 50 cm wide and up to 1.5 cm high and are intended to raise awareness among drivers. However, whether this actually has the desired effect remains to be seen. The effectiveness of the rumble strips is closely monitored, while at the same time the rumble strips raise a great deal of debate about their optimal placement and effectiveness.

Local and regional actors are called upon to take the feedback from citizens and road users seriously in order to sustainably improve the situation for both bus drivers and car drivers.