'Smart' Road studs at Five Mile Lane, Barry, win top
award
The installation of solar-powered road studs – part of a
package of road safety measures undertaken by the Vale of Glamorgan
Council at Five-Mile Lane – has helped a company win a top industry
award.
Astucia, who installed the 'smart' studs, won
the “Road Marking Project of the Year” in the prestigious 2008
Highways Excellence Awards. The safety measures on the A4226
between Barry and the A48 have led to a 72 per cent reduction in
accidents compared with the previous three years.
Vale council senior traffic officer, Ian
Johnson, said: “We are continually striving to reduce the number of
accidents on our roads and are, therefore, highly pleased that the
installation of the road studs, along with the other safety
measures that we have put in place, have significantly reduced the
number of accidents on this busy stretch of road.”
Cabinet member for visible and building
services Cllr Geoff Cox said: “I am pleased the council is involved
in the development and use of products that will, hopefully, make
our roads safer.”
In addition to the road studs, which were
installed after an analysis showed an increasing number of the
accidents were taking place at night, the measures undertaken by
the council to improve road safety have included the introduction
of a 40mph speed limit, deployment of a mobile speed camera and,
more recently a permanent speed camera, additional road markings,
increased signage and resurfacing with high skid resistance
material.
The analysis suggested that drivers were
failing to take account of some of the notorious bends in the road
as a result of limited views provided by conventional
retro-reflective road markings and vehicle headlight beams. The
studs use ‘smart’ technology, storing solar energy during the day,
and, in contrast to conventional studs, provide drivers with 10
times greater illumination of the road ahead. The positioning of
the studs was carefully designed to provide drivers with advanced
indication of the road layout. White studs provide definition for
the centre line, while, on the most severe bends, the carriageway
edges are enhanced with red studs.
Astucia is part of the Clearview Traffic
Group, whose sales and marketing director Martin Rodgers said: "We
are delighted that both Vale council and Astucia’s achievements
have been recognised in this way. This road marking project, with a
proven track-record of reduced accidents and casualties, is one of
many in which we are contributing to improvements in highway
safety."