Birmingham firm looks to tackle ‘bridge strikes’

1 min read

Birmingham technology company Coeval could save lives and taxpayers millions by protecting tunnels, bridges and overhead cables in the UK.

The firm, headquartered in Harborne, believes its 'Intelligent Warning Systems' significantly reduces the chance of overheight vehicles hitting railway bridges and tunnels.

The system uses sensors to track overheight or overweight vehicles well before they get to a potential hazard through a high-definition LED sign that displays a warning message for the driver to stop or divert. Coeval has been supplying this technology to local authorities and highways agencies for over 30 years.

Explains managing director Gary Higgins: “So-called ‘bridge strikes’ continue to cost rail operators, passengers and road users significant time, money and inconvenience with some even proving fatal. Even in the last few weeks, there has been four railway bridges hit by overheight vehicles, with each one estimated to cost £14,000 and take roughly two hours to clear up."

He continues: “Our Overheight Vehicle Detection System doesn’t try to change driver behavior, we prefer to focus on preventing collisions before they happen by taking human error out of the equation. We’ve fitted these systems to the Dartford Tunnel, a number of high profile roads in Edinburgh and in cities in Brazil, Hong Kong, Singapore and Greece."

Coeval was acquired by Higgins in November 2013 and has more than doubled its sales to over £1.5 million in the following four years. Additional new products are set to come to market shortly.