Abstract: The invention relates to a road illumination system for forming a low beam in traffic applications comprising a light source and a reflecting surface formed by a multiplicity of reflector segments arranged around a central optical axis. According to the invention, the light source emits light over an angle of at most 180° in a direction facing away from the intersection of the central optical axis and the reflecting surface and the reflector segments are parabolically-shaped and have a segment optical axis parallel to the central optical axis, while the reflector segments are positioned such that the segment optical axis substantially intersects with an edge of the light source. Preferably, the illumination system is provided on poles (5, 5?, . . . ) or on a crash barrier adjacent the traffic lanes 1. Alternatively, the illumination system is a vehicle headlamp. Preferably, the light source (13) is a (white) lightemitting diode.