Skip to main content

Vital sign of the times

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
June 18, 2013 Read time: 2 mins
Vital's Tri-Sign VMS
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 7324 Vital Technology’s Vital Tri-Sign variable message sign has been installed at key locations in the area.

The 503 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 predicted diversion, exceptional weather conditions, congestion etc. Tri-Sign can even operate in conjunction with temperature sensors and advise motorists of dangerous driving conditions.

Control mechanisms are wired or wireless and based on open architecture and protocols, with operation by GSM and radio transmission fobs being common options. An integrated timer5 enables standard changes of face, such as bus lane status in and out of peak hours.
 
The signs are used to advise road-users of heavy traffic during events at the National Exhibition Centre or traffic congestion around Birmingham airport airport, and provide motorists with alternative routes and diversions. The signage is being used in conjunction with CCTV and video analytics.

Harold Trunley, managing director of Vital Technology, said: “The Anita scheme has delivered demonstrable improvements to public transport services in this hub of the West Midlands.  Managing congestion caused by events at the NEC and LG Arena is crucial. Assisting in provision of a real alternative to the car for employment and social trips is part of Vital’s green agenda.”

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Wireless technology aids workzone communications
    June 7, 2012
    Need for a temporary communication fix during a construction project has led to rapid deployment of a permanent but simplistic wireless broadband network in Chandler, Arizona When a major construction project was expected to disrupt highway communications in the city of Chandler, Arizona, the city’s engineers went looking for a simple solution. They needed a way of maintaining data connections with three consecutive intersections along Arizona Avenue in Chandler while construction necessitated the severin
  • Freeway management system for Sydney's M4 motorway
    August 28, 2012
    In a bid to improve Sydney's roads and congestion, Australia's Federal and New South Wales governments are to jointly fund a project to equip the full length of the state's M4 motorway with technology which will improve traffic flows and ease congestion along this vital part of Sydney's road network. The US$17 million project will provide the M4 with an electronic freeway management system consisting of variable speed limit sign, entry ramp signalling, CCTV, digital traveller information signs, and signs ad
  • Plug and play approach unifies workzone ITS
    July 18, 2012
    Caltrans District 7 is finalising a ConOps document which will detail a plug-and-play to work zone ITS operation. The organisation's Allen Z. Chen elaborates. Before August is out, on current planning, the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) District 7 (which covers Los Angeles and Ventura Counties, with a combined population of close to 11 million people) intends to have finalised a Concept of Operations (ConOps) document dealing with Work Zone Transportation Management Systems (WZTMS). The
  • Single system simplicity for smarter city transport
    February 23, 2017
    All encompassing, city-wide transport monitoring and control systems are beginning to make their way onto the market, as Colin Sowman hears. The futuristic vision of cities where everything is connected and operated with maximum efficiency by a gigantic computer remains a distant prospect but related sectors and services are beginning to coalesce: transport monitoring and control for instance.