Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council has renewed Yunex Traffic’s traffic signal maintenance contract for up to a further five years. Having held the contract for 25 years, Yunex Traffic will continue to be responsible both for maintaining all the permanent traffic signal and ITS (intelligent traffic systems) equipment across the borough, and installing new infrastructure as required.
With the contract spanning both traffic signal and ITS systems, Yunex Traffic will support a complete suite of fully integrated, turn-key solutions and services, including traffic management and control, asset management, and air quality monitoring systems, as well as design services and all civils works.
Barnsley’s road users will benefit from well-maintained traffic signals and associated roadside equipment, with these optimised assets providing the quality and timely data needed to help inform and implement effective traffic management strategies, reducing congestion, delays and emissions and improving safety, journey times and air quality.
Cllr James Higginbottom, Cabinet Spokesperson for Environment and Highways, said: “I’m pleased to see that we are working to reduce emissions and improve safety, journey times and air quality in our new traffic management contract. The automatic system upgrades will support our traffic management team with enhanced usability and functionality features, ensuring that our network remains at the forefront of technological advancements.”
Under the integrated contract, the Council will also receive automatic system upgrades, with for example, Yunex Traffic’s latest release of its hosted urban traffic control (UTC) solution being seamlessly upgraded, allowing the traffic management team to benefit immediately from the new useability and functionality features that are included.
When required, the company will also design and install new traffic signal schemes, including all civil engineering and fibre communications works. This new work will feature Yunex Traffic’s new Plus+ traffic control solution, which delivers a range of performance, sustainability, and cost-saving benefits, particularly at complex junctions, where significant reductions in carbon, installation time and cost can be realised.
Barnsley Council has also become the first authority in South Yorkshire to have upgraded its entire network of traffic signals, with Yunex Traffic’s field services team replacing all the existing halogen lamps with LED units. The result of this work will be reductions in both carbon emissions and energy consumption of around 78%.
Wilke Reints, Managing Director of Yunex Traffic in the UK, said: “Having worked so closely with Barnsley for more than 25 years, we have built a wealth of experience as well as a great understanding of the borough’s road network.
“Bringing together traffic signal maintenance and ITS systems under one contract will help ensure that sustainability goals are met, congestion and emissions are minimised, and road network efficiency is fully optimised. I know that our locally-based team is now looking forward to delivering our full suite of maintenance and installation services over the coming years.”
In addition to the contract deliverables, the company will also continue to support Barnsley Council with a range of social value activities. In the past this programme has seen Yunex Traffic volunteers install and maintain a pedestrian crossing at a school for children with special needs, to help them learn how to safely use such crossings, and to maintain and improve a country park in the borough.
