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

  • October 26, 2017
    Section speed enforcements gains global converts
    As the benefits of section speed enforcement are becoming clearer, the technology is gaining converts worldwide. Colin Sowman reports. America’s National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is calling for urgent action from both road authorities and the federal government to combat speeding which has been identified as one of the most common factors in motor vehicle crashes in the United States. This new call follows the publication of a safety study which found that between 2005 through 2014, 31% of all
    Read More
  • December 3, 2018
    Polarisation is glaringly obvious, says Sony
    Glare from the sun is a factor in a large number of road accidents – many of them fatal. But there is a solution at hand: using polarisation can mitigate the effect of glare and improve ITS camera enforcement, explains Stephane Clauss The effect of glare on driver safety has been well documented. A 2013 UK study by the country’s largest driver organisation, the AA, calculated sun glare was a contributing cause in almost 3,000 road accidents in 2012 alone. This represented one in 33 accidents on Britain’s
    Read More
  • March 7, 2018
    Europe’s road safety record suffers as austerity bites hard, traffic police chiefs are told at TISPOL 2017
    Europe’s leading traffic police chiefs are struggling with the challenge of how best to manage the region’s road network in an era of austerity. Things are changing fast, and not for the better, reports Geoff Hadwick. Europe’s road safety record is under threat. Police budgets are being slashed, staff numbers are falling and a long-term trend towards ever-fewer road deaths has ground to a halt. The line on the graph has flat-lined. Does Europe’s road network face a far more dangerous future? Lower and
    Read More
  • March 7, 2018
    Europe’s road safety record suffers as austerity bites hard, say traffic police chiefs
    Europe’s leading traffic police chiefs are struggling with the challenge of how best to manage the region’s road network in an era of austerity. Things are changing fast, and not for the better, reports Geoff Hadwick. Europe’s road safety record is under threat. Police budgets are being slashed, staff numbers are falling and a long-term trend towards ever-fewer road deaths has ground to a halt. The line on the graph has flat-lined. Does Europe’s road network face a far more dangerous future? Lower and
    Read More

Highlighted Content