Skip to main content

Bus gate access control system to combat congestion

One of a number of recent improvements and developments that have been carried out in Wellingborough town centre as part of Northamptonshire County Council’s Highways initiative is the installation of an access control gate system that gives public transport vehicles sole access to a designated town centre route during peak times. The council hopes that the system, which uses long-range vehicle identification technology to allow only buses and taxis to enter the specified route between the hours of 0900 to
February 25, 2013 Read time: 3 mins
One of a number of recent improvements and developments that have been carried out in Wellingborough town centre as part of Northamptonshire County Council’s Highways initiative is the installation of an access control gate system that gives public transport vehicles sole access to a designated town centre route during peak times.

The council hopes that the system, which uses long-range vehicle identification technology to allow only buses and taxis to enter the specified route between the hours of 0900 to 1630, will combat congestion in the town centre and cut down carbon emissions by encouraging more people to travel using public transport.

A single directional triple rising bollard system was supplied and installed by UK security solutions integrator 7182 APT Security Systems.  Explains Chris Rowlands, managing director of APT Security Systems: “We supplied three bollards integrated with APT’s Passmaster technology at a strategic point on the route, and vehicles authorised by the council to use this route were fitted with a tag.

“The Passmaster system emits a signal that triggers the lowering of the bollard when it recognises an authorised tagged vehicle as present, and traffic indicators advise drivers when they can proceed,” he continues. “We also installed an intercom as a back-up to safeguard the system, as well as ensuring that the council can operate the bollards manually from its CCTV control room.”

APT’s Passmaster readers can recognise tags at distances ranging from one to eight metres and are available in a range of formats to suit different applications and environments, including readers mounted on walls, posts and barriers or housed in a roadside pedestal.

Andrew Lunn of highway service provider MGWSP, a joint venture between 6665 May Gurney and 6666 WSP, was Design Manager for the Wellingborough bus gate element of the Public Realm project and decided to specify APT technology: “We received quotes from a number of suppliers and APT was able to offer the most competitive, cost-effective solution for the job. Furthermore, I had worked with the company on a previous project and knew that it could meet my needs satisfactorily.”

The Wellingborough bus gate system is now operational and has enabled Northamptonshire County Council to enforce its Traffic Regulation Order much more easily, without the need to prosecute drivers who ignore the restrictions.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Hard shoulder running aids uniform traffic flow and safer driving
    January 23, 2012
    David Crawford detects a market for European experience. Well-established now in at least three European countries, Hard Shoulder Running (HSR) on motorways is exciting growing interest in the US. A November 2010 Report to Congress by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), on the Efficient Use of Highway Capacity, notes the role of HSR in the European-style Active Traffic Management (ATM) strategies now being recommended for implementation in the US where, until recently, they were virtually unknown.
  • Long-range RFID
    January 27, 2012
    APT Skidata has further enhanced its portfolio of parking technologies with the introduction of a new longrange Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tag and reader solution to complement its existing Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) capabilities. The company says a low-cost long-range RFID technology is ideal in certain scenarios where the full cost of an ANPR solution cannot be justified.
  • Vital sign of the times
    June 18, 2013
    Part of Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council’s Anita Scheme to improve traffic management as well as accessibility and information for cyclists, pedestrians and bus passengers, UK company Vital Technology’s Vital Tri-Sign variable message sign has been installed at key locations in the area. The Highways Agency-approved Vital Tri-Sign is a series of rotating prisms; one face of the prism advises vehicles of normal running conditions, the other faces give information on unusual circumstances such as a predi
  • Videalert launches civil enforcement as a service
    June 23, 2015
    UK enforcement supplier Videalert has launched a civil enforcement as a service (CEaaS) solution. Using the company’s Department for Transport Manufacturer Certified hosted platform, CEaaS enables councils to significantly change the way they specify and procure CCTV–based enforcement systems. It introduces the ability to purchase CCTV traffic services on demand with installations taking place in days rather than months. Available for a fixed monthly cost per location or on a fee-per-PCN basis, CEaaS