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

  • ODOT implements weather-activated speed signs
    November 18, 2016
    Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) has implemented digital variable speed limit signs over a thirty-mile stretch of Interstate 84 between Baker City and La Grande, replacing the standard speed signs in that area. The new signs will use traffic, road, weather and visibility sensors to lower the legal speed limit when ice, snow, fog or a wreck ahead requires drivers to slow down. Along with identifying the current legal speed limit, the digital displays can also show the reason for a reduced speed,
  • Options abound for road weather sensing
    September 6, 2017
    Meteorological organisations invest millions in super-computers to crunch data for ever-more accurate forecasts but inherent unpredictability means that other methods of alerting drivers and road authorities to fast-changing weather and highway conditions are essential. For years, static weather sensors to measure factors such as surface water, ice or high roadway temperatures have been embedded in highways to provide such data. But that is changing.
  • European tunnel safety steps up a gear
    September 19, 2017
    David Crawford reviews the latest safety systems installed in European tunnels. Blueprints for the safer road tunnels of the future are emerging fast as European operators invest in technologies to enhance travellers’ prospects of surviving an accident. Central to modern emergency planning is the principle that, following an incident, drivers should be enabled to rescue themselves and their passengers with the aid of prompt and correct identification and communication of the hazard. Roles for cooperativ
  • Connected offers free I2V connectivity
    November 1, 2016
    A new system could reduce the cost of implementing I2V communications across a city to less than that for a single intersection, as Colin Sowman hears. It may seem too good to be true but US company Connected Signals is offering city authorities the equipment to provide infrastructure to vehicle (I2V) communications for free. The system enables drivers to receive information about the timing of signals they are approaching via the EnLighten smartphone app (or connected in-vehicle display).