Swarco signs for slower Swansea speed limit

In March, the Welsh government passed a law which from September will see the default speed limit on restricted roads in Wales reduced from 30mph (50kph) to 20mph (32kph).
By David Arminas June 30, 2023 Read time: 2 mins
The signs are all being manufactured and rigorously tested at Swarco’s factory in Melsonby in the English county of North Yorkshire (image courtesy Swarco UK & Ireland)

Swarco has signed an agreement with the Welsh city of Swansea to design and install signage to support the new 32kph (20mph) urban speed limit.
 
In March, the Welsh government passed a law which from September will see the default speed limit on restricted roads in Wales reduced from 30mph (50kph) to 20mph. To support the upcoming changes to the speed limit, local authorities in Wales are working to make the necessary alterations to existing highway signage to ensure drivers are aware of the changes.
 
Following an open competitive tender process on Sell2Wales in late 2022, Swansea Council entered into a commercial contract with Swarco to replace its existing vehicle speed activated signs (VAS) with new electronic sign units that dynamically display the approaching vehicle’s actual speed. These signs will display the vehicle speed in ‘GREEN’ if the vehicle is complying with the new default speed limit and in ‘RED’ if not. This new contract is designed to work in co-ordination with an existing service and maintenance contract which was already in place.
 
The new agreement will see Swarco install 120 bespoke vehicle activated signs throughout Swansea. The signs, which are all manufactured and rigorously tested at Swarco’s factory in Melsonby in the English county of North Yorkshire, feature Swarco’s EPIX lens technology system to ensure the lowest power consumption.
 
The signs use a radar to detect vehicle speeds and use an energy efficient LED display to clearly show messages to oncoming drivers, as well as being equipped with highly intelligent internal data logging, which is stored within the signs, to provide statistical feedback and data on the number of activations, vehicle speeds and volumes. The council will be able to easily monitor changing driver behaviour.
 
“We are pleased to further extend our working relationship with Swansea Council,” said Derek Williamson, business development manager at Swarco UK & Ireland. “We have worked closely with them to fully understand their requirements and have designed a high quality, reliable, durable and energy efficient solution that delivers a low lifetime cost.”

Highway & Network Management

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • French infrastructure to be privatised?
    July 4, 2012
    How will the deep cuts hitting France's national budget affect French roads and highways? Gordon Feller discusses France has one of the most modern transport systems in Europe, the result of decades of public spending on the sector as well as other infrastructure. The government historically has awarded contracts to build infrastructure to French construction and engineering companies, some of which are now among the world's largest contractors. Among other achievements, France's infrastructure programme re
    Read More
  • Sophisticated GNSS system
    February 9, 2012
    Leica Geosystems says that its new GR10 unit is a sophisticated GNSS reference station receiver and features ease of use, reliability and performance. The GR10 is said to help streamline system installation, day to day operation and administration. The system can be commissioned quickly and features its own receiver hostname while DHCP support means there is no need for pre-configuration of the IP address.
    Read More
  • Increased use of reclaimed asphalt, reduced emissions
    February 10, 2012
    Reducing emissions and increasing the use of reclaimed asphalt pavement is among the key aims of plant manufacturers. Patrick Smith reports. Lower emissions and the use of recycled materials coupled with reduced costs are the aims of manufacturers of modern asphalt plants.
    Read More
  • New dozer from Komatsu includes more experience, technology
    April 15, 2016
    Komatsu’s European leadership at bauma told the media that the company is at a new stage of incorporating technology into its products – including its latest dozer. “We’re trying to increase the value in our machines,” said Peter Howe, chairman of Komatsu Europe. “We’re connecting all the data we collect from the machines and are making processes easier.” The latest machine to incorporate that technology is the D85EXi/PZi-18 dozer, released at bauma. The technology is installed in the factory and beco
    Read More

Highlighted Content