A casualty reduction system installed by Norfolk-based road safety technology firm Westcotec has won this year’s ITS UK ‘Changing behaviour with Technology’ award.
The scheme, on the busy Perimeter Road at Heathrow Airport in west London, has brought about a 70% reduction in collisions and a 3% reduction in average traffic speeds.
Westcotec’s success was announced at the ITS UK Awards on Thursday 7 November at the Millennium Gloucester Hotel in London.
The new scheme was introduced following concern about illegal speeding on the road, and the number of collisions occurring.
Heathrow’s safety culture requires the drivers using the Perimeter Road, as well as other roads into and on the airport, to carry out their work with the lowest possible risk of incident or injury. One way to achieve this was to ensure that drivers and vehicles were compliant with the speed limit.
Westcotec’s technological solution provides accurate, GDPR-compliant data to identify the offending driver and the time, date and location of the offence. The technology comprises a network of 50 matrix speed signs covering the entire Perimeter Road – a distance of approximately seven miles.
These signs, positioned at the roadside, display a vehicle’s speed with an additional ‘Slow Down’ message if the vehicle is travelling above the speed limit. Approximately 100 metres past each speed sign is an Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) camera, which records any vehicle that is still speeding after it has passed the sign.
The Met Police says matrix speed signs and ANPR cameras have led to a 3% reduction in average traffic speeds, and a 70% reduction in collisions.
Chris Spinks, Westcotec managing director, said: “There was a record of low compliance on the road – and several collisions as a result. Average speeds were well above the 30 or 40mph posted limits at the start of the installation.
“However, since then speed limits along the majority of the perimeter road have been reduced to 30mph and average speeds have dropped to between 30 and 33mph.
“Repeated speed warning signs along a stretch of road can lead to sustained speed reductions as drivers become more aware of their speed.
“Dynamic speed display signs that show drivers their current speed have been shown to increase compliance with speed limits. The presence of speed enforcement warnings makes drivers more likely to stay within the speed they perceive as unlikely to result in a penalty.
“Once again this year I’m full of pride for our team. We have taken on much bigger companies and come away with a national award. The project has delivered outstanding results and made a significant contribution to reducing collisions and injuries on the Perimeter Road, meaning a safer environment for the thousands of people who work at or near the airport.”
Comment on this story