Swarco installs 34 VAS signs to calm speeding in Brent

Swarco Traffic has installed 34 vehicle-activated signs (VAS) at key locations in the UK borough of Brent to support its council in reducing collisions, road danger and accidents that involve powered two-wheelers (P2Ws) such as motorcycles and mopeds. Motorcycles account for 19% of all road user deaths despite representing 1% of total road traffic, according to the National Think Road Safety Campaign. VAS are activated when an approaching vehicle is travelling over the system’s pre-set threshold.
June 26, 2018 Read time: 2 mins

129 Swarco Traffic has installed 34 vehicle-activated signs (VAS) at key locations in the UK borough of Brent to support its council in reducing collisions, road danger and accidents that involve powered two-wheelers (P2Ws) such as motorcycles and mopeds. Motorcycles account for 19% of all road user deaths despite representing 1% of total road traffic, according to the National Think Road Safety Campaign.

VAS are activated when an approaching vehicle is travelling over the system’s pre-set threshold. They display the speed with either an instruction to slow down or a sad face in red. A happy face or thank you is shown in green for drivers travelling within the speed limits.

Most of the VAS are fixed to existing light columns while some are solar powered. The signs are Conformité Européene (CE)-marked for quality and safety and are built with the latest Swarco LEDs, which are said to provide optical output for increased reliability as well as reduced power consumption.

Chhaganlal J Dabhi, project engineer for Brent Council’s Highways and Infrastructure Service, said: “One of the most common causes of accidents involving P2Ws is high speeds. And high speeds can cause severe injuries and fatalities, particularly for a motorbike rider who is the most exposed and vulnerable. However, we also know that one of the most effective measures to reduce accidents can be to inform all road users of the hazards and prevailing dangers, and advise them accordingly.”

Urban Traffic Control

Related Content

  • Speed cameras yield long-term safety benefits, IIHS study shows
    September 2, 2015
    A speed-camera program in a large community near Washington, DC, has led to long-term changes in driver behaviour and substantial reductions in deaths and injuries, a study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) shows. Automated speed enforcement is gradually becoming more common around the country but remains relatively rare, with only 138 jurisdictions operating such programs as of last month. According to IIHS, if all US communities had speed-camera programs like the one IIHS studied in
    Read More
  • Knowing when to slow down
    August 8, 2018
    Level 2 driver assistance vehicles have little problem reading fixed metal signs at the roadside - but it’s a different story with VMS in tunnels, finds Alan Dron. Following a series of hands-free driving tests in tunnels, an Australian road authority believes that car manufacturers have to up their game before vehicles have the required levels of competence to consistently perform ‘assisted driving’ tasks. The trials, in the state of Victoria late last year, tested the ability of several vehicles to stay
    Read More
  • Red light cameras ‘reducing intersection deaths’ in Toronto
    September 4, 2017
    The city of Toronto, Canada has seen an average drop of 40 per cent in the number of collisions causing a death or serious injury at intersections equipped with red light cameras, according to the Toronto Star. At some locations, there have been no deaths or serious injuries caused by collisions since the cameras were installed.The city has almost doubled its red light cameras as part of a plan it says is aimed at eliminating traffic death and serious injuries.
    Read More
  • Mexico improves road safety with speed enforcement programme
    June 7, 2012
    A programme of road safety education and enforcement in the State of Jalisco in Mexico has reduced speed related fatalities by 40% in nine months Speed enforcement equipment will appear in greater number and visibility around the city of Guadalajara over coming months, as the Mexican State of Jalisco expands its road safety campaign. This comes hot on the heels of an initial programme of traffic speed education and enforcement in Guadalajara, which has yielded remarkable results, reducing speed related fata
    Read More

Highlighted Content