Section Control begins operating in Pfänder Tunnel

Average-speed enforcement has begun in the Pfänder Tunnel, where one lane is closed during safety upgrades, ORF reported. The system was activated on Monday morning after months of delay caused by a missing regulation from the Transport Ministry.

Section Control records a vehicle’s number plate at the beginning and end of a monitored stretch. It then calculates the vehicle’s average speed based on the time between the two readings.

The system was presented in February, when the speed cameras were calibrated using public funds. Signs warning drivers about the Section Control have been in place at the tunnel since spring, but no one had been fined because the monitoring was not yet operational.

The required regulation was completed and published at the beginning of August. The ministry said that preparing the regulation required a certain lead time, including an examination and a coordination process before it could be issued. The text consists of two paragraphs that largely correspond to regulations for similar systems.

Regulations for Section Control define the stretch of road where monitoring takes place. However, the Constitutional Court has imposed certain requirements for this form of speed enforcement, including a justification showing why the stretch is particularly dangerous.

The system will operate in the Pfänder Tunnel for less than a month. It is due to be dismantled once the tunnel work is complete and the second lane reopens, ending the condition of particular danger required for the monitoring.

The Arlberg Tunnel on the S16 has had permanent Section Control since 2018. It is Austria’s longest road tunnel, and dangerous overtaking manoeuvres had repeatedly occurred there because traffic travels in both directions.