Direct Line showcases The Smart Crossing in London

In response to 7,000 incidents taking place at pedestrian crossings each year in Britain, Direct Line has unveiled the new Smart Crossing in London which has been developed by urban design technologists Umbrellium. The Smart Crossing uses research from the Transport Research Laboratory (TRL), which identified many factors that impact the safety of pedestrians on road crossings. These include, the pedestrian’s position and route as they cross the road, the influence of other pedestrians dangerously crossi
October 10, 2017 Read time: 2 mins
In response to 7,000 incidents taking place at pedestrian crossings each year in Britain, 4236 Direct Line has unveiled the new 5062 Smart Crossing in London which has been developed by urban design technologists Umbrellium.


The Smart Crossing uses research from the Transport Research Laboratory (491 TRL), which identified many factors that impact the safety of pedestrians on road crossings. These include, the pedestrian’s position and route as they cross the road, the influence of other pedestrians dangerously crossing the road and the impact of overcrowding at crossing facilities.

The Smart Crossing spans 7.5m x 22m of responsive road surface and uses computer vision technology to see what is happening around it, and an LED road surface to change its markings to keep users safe. It can pre-empt pedestrians’ movement and where the eyeline is most likely to be without manual intervention. The Smart Crossing can also widen to accommodate large groups, which could help reduce the number of crowd-related incidents outside schools or sporting events. In addition, it assists in emergency situations, such as a child chasing a ball into the path of oncoming traffic. Smart warning signals can also be used to ensure pedestrians are not hidden by high sided vehicles which can create a blind spot for other drivers. Finally, the smart crossing can use dynamic road and pavement patterns to urge pedestrians using their mobile phones to look up and focus on the crossing.

Jason Wakeford, head of campaigns at road safety charity, Brake said, “This innovative pilot is a great example of how technology can help to improve road safety. We look forward to seeing the results of this trial and hope Smart Crossings will be rolled out in towns and cities across the country."

Urban Traffic Control

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • IBM and City of Lyon collaborate to create transport management centre of the future
    November 15, 2012
    IBM researchers are piloting a system with the City of Lyon, France which will be used to help traffic operators in its transportation management centre to evaluate an incident and make more informed assessments about which actions would restore traffic flow. Using real-time traffic data, the new analytics and optimisation technology can help officials predict outcomes and analyse ways to resolve problems. The researchers say that, although traffic management centres have sophisticated video walls and colou
    Read More
  • New changes could cut Britain's 4.6 million road signs
    May 2, 2014
    New plans to allow local councils in Great Britain the freedom to cut down the number of road markings and signs have been announced by Roads Minister Robert Goodwill. The changes are included in a new consultation which also contains proposals for clearer road markings and new low-level signals for cyclists which will help improve safety on the roads.
    Read More
  • Rise in number of children in serious road accidents, new report reveals
    June 18, 2013
    Road safety experts are alarmed by increase in road traffic casualties among children under eight, girls in particular, following the release today of the AXA car insurance RoadSafe ‘Facts about road accidents and children’ report. In the ten years since the publication of the AA Motoring Trust report into child accident rates, 32,849 children have been killed or seriously injured on Britain's roads. The AXA report, which is produced in conjunction with RoadSafe - a group of the country's leading authoritie
    Read More
  • The smart in smart parking
    March 29, 2018
    Whether you want to reduce congestion, increase parking revenue or reduce occupancy – or a mixture of all three – there is plenty of technology available. Andrew Bardin Williams considers the pros and cons. Drawn in by the promise of Smart City initiatives, communities across North America are embracing smart parking solutions in an effort to change citizens’ transportation behaviours for the better. They are doing this by using policy and ITS solutions to help de-incentivise parking for most people while
    Read More

Highlighted Content