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

  • Swarco Traffic launches Profectus to control school signs
    September 27, 2017
    Traffic technology specialist Swarco has launched Profectus, a system that allows local authorities to monitor and control the performance of school signs to improve safety. From a simple web browser interface, users can see when a sign is operating, check faults and change configuration for the master and slave signs. Fault notifications including failed LED displays can be sent via SMS or email; this reduces the possibility of a failed sign going unnoticed and potentially putting children’s lives at risk
    Read More
  • ERF urges greater maintenance of Europe’s road signs to save lives
    March 21, 2016
    ERF has launched a position paper to advocate better maintenance of Europe’s traffic signs. Vertical signage is an essential element not only of a modern and well-maintained road infrastructure, but also of a safe and functional road network. Road signs help regulate traffic, provide crucial visual guidance and give drivers important preview especially during night-time conditions. Well maintained and efficient signage becomes even more necessary when taking into account the ageing population of Europe, in
    Read More
  • SWARCO delivers prism signs to Highways England
    December 14, 2020
    SWARCO Traffic has specified and installed 10 of its prism signs, managed by its cloud-based Zephyr solution, along the UK’s M6 motorway in northern England. The signs help to advise drivers of diversion routes and other traffic information and updates for Highways England along the M6 in county Cumbria.
    Read More
  • Swarco inaugurates new glass bead factory in lower Austria
    July 11, 2022
    Glass microspheres are a versatile product. They are used as reflectors to create nighttime visibility of road markings and traffic signs to improve road safety. But they also have multiple uses in non-traffic applications, whether as blasting media in surface treatment, as filler beads for the compaction of plastics, in additive manufacturing / 3D printing, and water filtering techniques, to name just a few.
    Read More

Highlighted Content