Skip to main content

McCain wins California DMS tech award

Company is long-term supplier of dynamic message signs to Caltrans
By Adam Hill June 4, 2021 Read time: 2 mins
McCain dynamic message signs: award winner

McCain's dynamic message signs (DMS) have been recognised by the California Transportation Foundation (CTF).

The portfolio won the CTF's Advanced Technology Program / Project of the Year Award for 2020. 

Part of the Swarco Group, McCain has been providing signs to California DoT (Caltrans) for 16 years.

Starting in 2017, Swarco/McCain worked closely with Caltrans District 11 in San Diego to introduce new DMS that incorporate Swarco's precision optic technology, which has just been recognised by CTF.

They have been deployed in Caltrans District 7 (Los Angeles) in 2019, Caltrans District 3 (Marysville/Sacramento) last year, and in San Jose City and at the San Jose Airport.

The company says its signage "offers greatly reduced power consumption" than other models, as well as lower operating costs and more sustainability.

It requires less power to drive the LEDs, "and by narrowing the angularity, the light is more focused and redirected toward the road which also results in less energy usage".

"By driving the LEDs at only 3-14% of their capacity, the Mean Time Between Failures (MTBF) is greater than 15 years, eliminating the need for redundant drivers," McCain continues. "Power supplies are driven at only 30% of maximum rated wattage with all LEDs on full power."
 
Other CTF award winners included the 22-mile South Bay Bus Rapid Transit Project (2020 Bus Rapid Transit Project of the Year), which stretches from the southern part of San Diego County, near the Otay Mesa crossing of the US-Mexico border, to downtown San Diego.
 

Related Content

  • July 27, 2012
    Delivering accurate bus information
    John C. Toone, King County Metro, describes the transition to an IntelliDrive-led approach to communication and information sharing in line with the introduction of a new bus rapid transit service. King County Metro (KC Metro), which serves Seattle, Bellevue and over 20 suburban towns, has been active in the development of intelligent transportation systems for many years. It has operated a signpost-based AVL system for more than a decade and has used this to provide bus location information to the public o
  • May 16, 2012
    McCain adaptive signal control reduces congestion on busy San Diego arterial
    McCain has announced results measuring the effectiveness of its adaptive signal control software deployed on the city of San Marcos's new 'smart corridor'. The study revealed the system significantly improved traffic flow on San Marcos Boulevard, the second busiest arterial in San Diego County, California.
  • January 17, 2020
    LA Metro seeks to attract more bus riders
    Transport authorities in Los Angeles are trying to attract more people to bus services in a bid to halt falling ridership and entice drivers out of their cars.
  • October 5, 2021
    Perch supplies chargers to LAZ Parking 
    Customised recycled shipping containers have been modified to deliver up to 250kWh per day