Design class

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Design classes serve to classify the routing elements and operational forms of roads. The aim is to create typical, distinguishable appearances of the streets. In Germany, roads in the AS ( Autobahn ) and LS ( Landstrasse ) category groups are built and planned according to design classes.

Basics

Modern roads that are driven on at high speeds should be designed in such a way that unexpected situations are avoided as far as possible and the driver is relieved while driving. At the same time, they have to be recognizable and self-explanatory, so that the driver's behavior increases and road accidents are effectively avoided.

It has been shown that these requirements can be met better if the design features are standardized and roads that can be clearly distinguished from one another are created. For this reason, various design classes were introduced in the course of the new version of the German planning guidelines.

application

Category group AS (Autobahn)

Allocation of design classes to street categories, location and street legal dedication
Street category Location outside or
inside localities		 dedication Design class
AS 0 / AS I outside or inside BAB EKA 1 A
AS II outside or inside BAB EKA 1 B
AS 0 / AS I outside or inside not BAB EKA 2
AS II outside not BAB EKA 2
AS II within all EKA 3

When the guidelines for the construction of motorways were announced in 2009, various design classes were defined for the first time. When selecting the design class, the road category according to the RIN , the location of the motorway (outside or inside built-up areas) and the road legal designation are taken into account. The table opposite provides an overview.

The design class determines:

  • the standard cross-section
  • the limit and guideline values ​​of the alignment elements
  • the basic shapes and distances between the nodes
  • the maximum permissible speed (if necessary)

Category group LS (country road)

Assignment of design classes to road categories
Street category Design class
LS I EKL 1
LS II EKL 2
LS III EKL 3
LS IV EKL 4

After the successful introduction of design classes for motorways, the concept was also adopted for the design of roads in the LS (country road) category. The guidelines for the construction of country roads published in 2013 therefore also contain various design classes (EKL 1 to EKL 4). The basis for the selection of the design class is the road category to be aimed for according to the RIN (see adjacent table). If the road category is disproportionate to the existing or calculated traffic volume , a higher-ranking or lower-ranking design class can also be selected. In contrast to the highways, the planned or existing road legal dedication does not play a role in determining the design class for country roads.

The design class determines:

  • the planning speed
  • the type of operation ( motor road or general road)
  • the standard cross-section with the overtaking principle
  • cycling on the open road
  • the routing elements
  • the form of management of traffic in the intersection area
  • the road equipment (especially longitudinal marking)

literature

  • FGSV: Guidelines for the construction of motorways. Cologne, 2008, ISBN 978-3-939715-51-1 , page 16 ff.
  • FGSV: Guidelines for the construction of country roads. Cologne, 2012, ISBN 978-3-86446-039-5 , page 18 ff.
  • Christian Lippold (ed.): The Elsner. Road and Transportation Handbook . Otto Elsner Verlagsgesellschaft, 2018, ISBN 978-3-87199-222-3 , page E / 663 ff.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ FGSV: Definitions. Part: traffic planning, road design and road operation. Cologne, 2012, ISBN 978-3-86446-024-1 .