Easy and safe automatic cone placing

Tasks that should always be undertaken using the protection of a truck or trailer-mounted attenuator, but frequently aren't. That's why Dutch company Trafiq attracted so much international attention last year when it developed and launched the Mobile Automatic Roadblock System (MARS). Not only does the system provide complete safety for highway workers, it automates the entire process. And on top of that, because of the speed at which it deploys and collects cones, MARS provides substantial cost savings com
January 31, 2012 Read time: 2 mins
Road cones are laid and retrieved by MARS by the driver/operator from the safety of his cab

It could be argued that the most dangerous job in work zones is probably cone laying and removal.

Tasks that should always be undertaken using the protection of a truck or trailer-mounted attenuator, but frequently aren't. That's why Dutch company 1913 Trafiq attracted so much international attention last year when it developed and launched the Mobile Automatic Roadblock System (MARS). Not only does the system provide complete safety for highway workers, it automates the entire process. And on top of that, because of the speed at which it deploys and collects cones, MARS provides substantial cost savings compared to conventional and labour-intensive methods.

On arrival at a section of road to be coned, MARS first automatically places a rumble strip, a light arrow and attenuator to mark the start of the road works, before beginning to lay the miles of cones required. Everything is controlled from within the cab by the driver/operator.

One of the first users of the system was T&M, the traffic management company involved in highways maintenance work on Amsterdam's A9 and A10 motorways. As T&M's Peter Jan Hendricks commented, "The speed and safety aspects demonstrated by the MARS system far exceeded our expectations." Since then T&M has continuously rented the MARS for other projects, while other Dutch competitors are now also using the system.

According to Peter van Nes of Trafiq, in addition to its use in the Netherlands, MARS is now also being used in the US, France, and Switzerland. "Because of actual requests coming from users interested in buying specific versions, we are actually in the process of developing and building a smaller version to fit the southern European roads and hard shoulders. At the same time, we are also developing and building a larger version, capable of carrying a bigger volume of cones in order to work in longer tunnels or longer distances, with tighter spacings," he says. Also, because of numerous requests for a rumble strip layer as a separate unit, Trafiq has developed a standalone version which can be mounted on any truck by a DIN-plate.
Urban Traffic Control

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • No in-road equipment for Queensland's free flow toll bridge
    February 1, 2012
    By May this year, the new Gateway Bridge in Brisbane, which is being built alongside an existing bridge, will be open. With it will come an end-to-end free-flow tolling system. Interview with Sue Caelers, Queensland Motorway Ltd. Queensland Motorways Ltd owns and operates 61km of roadway in the area around Brisbane, Australia. This includes the Gateway Bridge and the Gateway Extension, Logan and Port of Brisbane motorways.
    Read More
  • Bob Karr: 'I want to coin the term T2X'
    October 7, 2021
    Star Systems International focuses on providing transponders, readers and consulting services for Smart City initiatives and tolling operations. Adam Hill talks to SSI founder Bob Karr
    Read More
  • Positive incentives an alternative to road user charging?
    February 1, 2012
    The Netherlands has been looking at incentivising rush-hour avoidance. The intention is to better understand road users' motivations and find alternatives to congestion charging. Something significant needs to happen if we are to adequately address the traffic congestion and other issues caused by the ever-rising numbers of vehicles on our roads. Congestion or distance-based charging is seen as one way of managing demand and raising revenue for improvements to transport infrastructure. However, charging is
    Read More
  • Car to car communications a step closer
    December 14, 2012
    Vehicle manufacturers have targeted 2015 for the first cars to roll off European assembly lines fitted with operational V2X technology. They and their partners in the Car 2 Car Communications Consortium are confident of meeting the target, reports Jon Masters. Around three years from now vehicles should be appearing in showrooms boasting the capability of communicating with each other. Manufacturers will have started fitting the first proprietary car-to-car driver-aid safety devices and deployment of ‘vehic
    Read More

Highlighted Content