Rural Junction Active Warning System (RJAWS) at Chalk Hill Road, Olivers Road and Field Street, McLaren Vale.

The Rural Junction Active Warning System (RJAWS) at this location has now been decommissioned. It will be removed from this intersection and will be installed at the intersection of Communication Road & Bayliss Road, Tatachilla later in 2024 following an upgrade of some components to be consistent with other RJAWS treatments being installed at other intersections throughout McLaren Vale.

Previous information

The Rural Junction Active Warning System (RJAWS) became active on Monday, 31 October 2022 following the successful completion of the testing and calibration phase.

We will be performing ongoing evaluations of the system, including monitoring of battery life and changes to vehicle speeds. We welcome any feedback on the system now that it is operational.

We are also now planning for the installation of a roundabout at this intersection as part of a program funded by the State Government to improve safety at 21 intersections throughout McLaren Vale. This upgrade would involve relocating the new RJAWS equipment to a different intersection that would benefit from this treatment.

Our evaluation of this RJAWS treatment will inform our selection of other potential intersections that can benefit from this technology.

Background

We will be installing a road safety device called a Rural Junction Active Warning System (RJAWS) at the intersection of Chalk Hill Road, Olivers Road and Field Street in McLaren Vale. This will improve the safety at the intersection which experiences a history of motorists unintentionally ‘overshooting’ the intersection. An example of this can be viewed here.

RJAWS involves an intelligent warning system that detects when vehicles are approaching an intersection, and then activates flashing warning lights installed to signs to improve awareness for drivers.

This system detects when vehicles are approaching on a side road and activates flashing warning lights for drivers on the main road. This will increase their awareness of the potential for a collision and improve reaction times should a side road vehicle accidentally run through the intersection. In addition, if the system detects that a vehicle approaching on a side road is not slowing down for the intersection it will activate flashing lights on the Stop or Give Way sign to warn drivers of the presence of an upcoming intersection.

The following is a link to the Department for Infrastructure and Transport’s (DIT) website which has a short YouTube video showing an example of an RJAWS system they have installed. A local example of this RJAWS system has been installed by DIT at the intersection of McLaren Flat Road and Bakers Gully Road at Kangarilla.

Examples of what the Rural Junction Active Warning System may look like at each intersection in McLaren Vale can be viewed here.

While the DIT example of RJAWS is based on changing the enforceable speed limit on the major road when a vehicle approaching from the side road is detected, our system will be different in the following ways:

  • Flashing lights are activated on enhanced warning signs on the major road, rather than changing the enforceable speed limit.
  • In addition, lights on Stop or Give Way signs will flash if system detects vehicle not slowing down to stop or give way to draw the attention of motorists.
  • The system is solar powered so would still work during a blackout.
  • The system can be relocated to another site at minimal cost if required as there are no underground cables.
  • The system reports information back to base in real-time reducing response times should any operational issues with the system require attention.

The installation of the RJAWS is currently programmed for September 2022. When the signs are first installed, they will be covered until they have been properly calibrated and tested. After this they will be uncovered, and the system will become active.

This safety upgrade aims to reduce the potential for crashes. In the long term, we are also continuing to investigate and scope a holistic intersection treatment in collaboration with DIT.