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. Implementation of the system on the busy Perimeter Road at Heathrow Airport in west London has brought about a 70 per cent reduc tion in collisions and a three per cent reduction in average traffic speeds.
Westcotec’s success was announced at the ITS UK Awards on Thursday 7 November September at the Millennium Gloucester Hotel, central London.
There was previously concern about the use of illegal speeds by a number of vehicles on the road, as well as at 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 do their work with the lowest possible risk of incident or injury. One key way for this to be achieved was to ensure that drivers and vehicles were compliant with the rules.
Westcotec’s technological solution provides accurate, GDPR-compliant data for identification of both the offending driver and the time, date and location of the offences. The technology consists of 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, housed in a small yellow box at the roadside and set to identify and record any vehicle that is still speeding after it has passed the sign. The cameras all do this by capturing images of speeding vehicles and their registration numbers.
According to the Metropolitan Police, the installation of the matrix speed signs and ANPR cameras has led to a three per cent reduction in average traffic speeds on the Perimeter Road, with an impressive 70 per cent reduction in collisions. Another benefit of the installation is that high levels of compliance encouraged by the signs have allowed a single 30mph limit to be introduced along the entire Perimeter Road.
Westcotec managing director Chris Spinks 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 so 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.”
PIC-WESTCOTEC
