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| Intelligent road studs improve traffic flow in Scotland.
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10/1/05 |
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A novel pilot scheme is under way along a 3Km stretch of Scotland's busiest motorway as part of a national road traffic management system that has seen the introduction of the UK's first national traffic control centre in Glasgow and the deployment of a range of advanced intelligent transport systems (ITS).
Intelligent road studs fitted with microprocessors and LED technology are helping to reduce accidents and improve traffic flow. Focussing on the need to find a flexible and cost effective alternative to the inductive loop as a means of monitoring traffic conditions, the Scottish Executive has implemented a two year trial designed to provide a vehicle monitoring and hazard warning facility that can not only be integrated into but enhance the existing network provision. The trial site, on the approach to Junction 6 on the west-bound section of the M8, is a busy and fog-prone route connecting Edinburgh to Glasgow.
The new, hard-wired, Intelligent Road Studs from the Kent-based R&D company, Astucia, are each fitted with 14 ultra-bright red LEDs and have been installed between the hard shoulder and the inside lane of the motorway providing a clear delineation that can be seen up to a kilometre away.
The trial site also includes a number of innovative camera and vehicle detection studs positioned in the centre of the carriageway and hard-wire connected to a series of roadside control cabinets. As soon as fog or mist or heavy surface spray is detected or the speed of traffic falls below a pre-set limit, the red LEDs within the Intelligent Road Studs increase their level of brightness.
"The whole idea of the M8 system," said Ian Owen, one of Astucia's team of engineers who have been engaged on the M8 trial, "is to provide motorists with advance warning of a problem. The increased brightness guides motorists safely through the reduced visibility caused by the fog or mist."
Only mid-way through the trial, a decision on extending the system to other parts of the road network is not expected until early 2006.
"But for the record," said Owen, "not a single problem has been reported. There have been no breakdowns or breakage and because the studs are where they are, there have been no thefts and no acts of vandalism either. Best of all, there is anecdotal evidence of a drop in accidents and traffic flows more easily."
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