Countdown to safe crossing
1 min read
New traffic signals to make it easier for pedestrians to judge how much time they have to safely cross the road are being introduced by two German companies to London in an 18 month trial.
The digital timers – the first of their kind to be used in the UK – are the product of a recent collaboration agreement between the engineering services company Telent, which employs one of the largest engineering field forces in the UK, and Swarco.
The digital timers feature a display unit which counts down to zero, so that pedestrians know exactly how much time is left before the lights switch to green and traffic will begin to move.
With around one in five of all fatal and serious pedestrian injuries in London occurring at pedestrian crossings, the timers will also help cut down on the number of road traffic accidents by filling the 'black-out' period between the green man symbol going out and the red man appearing.
During an 18 month trial, the digital countdown timers will be monitored at eight junctions across London to assess their impact on traffic flow and road safety.
"Digital timers have been used in other cities around the world with great success," explained Telent's Keith Higginbotham. "We've been looking for the right opportunity to showcase our digital countdown timers here in the UK and are excited about the role they will now play in keeping London moving, safely.
"Collaborating with Swarco on this project was an obvious choice because of their vast experience in the development of traffic products and systems. This, coupled with Telent's systems integration and service strengths provides a quality and reliability beyond compare in the marketplace."
