Exclusive: Highways England using GIS to coordinate the UK’s biggest ever bicycling investment
Oringinal artical from:
http://traffictechnologytoday.com/news.php?NewsID=69601
GIS (geographic information systems) are ensuring that Highways England’s £100m (US$154m) investment in improving bicycling infrastructure on its strategic road network is not only the country’s biggest ever such spend, but is also its most carefully coordinated.
The investment was announced late last year as part of a record £214m (US$329m) cycling program, with £114m (US$175m) going to improve infrastructure in Bristol, Birmingham, Cambridge, Leeds, Manchester, Newcastle, Norwich and Oxford, and the remainder allocated to the newly formed Highways England to help make major roads safer for vulnerable road users (with improvements such as the scheme pictured above).
However, with a shortlist of around 600 locations and only sufficient funding to improve 200 of them, Highways England needs to ensure the money is spent in the most effective way possible, by targeting the sites that will benefit from improvement most. So they have now, for the first time on a national bicycling project, employed GIS technology to help them make the decisions, the primary software for this project being Esri UK’s ArcGIS (below).
“This is the first time we’ve used GIS to this level for cycling,” says Highways England’s regional intelligence team leader Daisy Smith (left). “This is a national project, in the past we might have had regions looking at it independently of each other, but this has been more coordinated. We really need to make sure we are spending our funding in the right way.”
Highways England tactical analyst Bruce McDaniel (below) oversaw the technical side of the project, layering multiple data sets onto the GIS. “I looked at things like the percentage of the population more than a mile away from bus or rail and KSI (killed and seriously injured) and slight-injury data,” explains McDaniel. “It was all mapped spatially using GIS, and it was one of those things that I simply couldn’t have got the values required if I hadn’t done it with our GIS.
“For example I got validated KSI and slight-injury data from the police over a five year period, which I then plotted using the supplied easting and northing coordinates, and I was able to get a count of the total number of injuries by grade of severity within that 2.5km buffer of each location and that’s just using the safety data as an example.”
Government guidance indicates that 5km (3.1 miles) is a reasonable distance to regularly cycle, which is why McDaniel concentrated on a 2.5km radius from a proposed location, to get an idea of the likely number of beneficiaries from the development.
Some projects identified as requiring investment, due to commence in the next few months, include: the M53 junction 4 near Bebington on the Wirral (£0.47m to improve shared cycle/footways and direct access a nearby hospital); the A38 Branston Junction near Burton-on-Trent in Staffordshire (£0.46m to allow safe crossing of the busy A38, significantly improving access to local leisure facilities); and the A12 in Lowestoft, Suffolk (£1.8m to deliver a range of improvements to benefit pedestrians and including providing better links to the National Cycle Network Route 1 and provide a new to the schools and amenities).
May 29, 2015
Solar cycleway markers / delineators is need indeed for UK cycleroutes.
Cycleway Solutions B05
Cycleway Solutions B05 Purpose:
Cycling had been proved the best living life and most economical transport way to work and normal life.
More and more cycle ways are under construction all over the world.
Accordingly, cycle way safety is an urgent issue for all projectors and the governments.
Benedrive’s solar guidance marker is particular design for cycle way safety guidance purpose.
And we supply a large range of products according to different areas and actual situations.
The solar guidance markers could give a clear view ahead of the cyclists from a long distance over 500 meters, which could give the
cyclist much longer reaction time to the dangerous points.
Benedrive’s solar guidance markers could also be used to separate the motorway and cycle ways in the city.
Many projects had been proving that our guidance markers not only improve the cyclists’ safety, but also could be architectural lights
on the road.
Why Benedrive’s is a better design:
1. Safe to the cyclings
Only 3.5mm above the road surface, nearly no effect to the cycle wheel.
Other designs: 8-30MM, will be a bad experience tot he cyclist. Big bump too dangerous.
2. Easier road surface meantainence after installation
3. Long use life over 5 years
Cycleway Solutions B05
Item No: B051 Solar Delineator Markers
Key Feature:
1. Easy installation
2. No maintenance cost
3. Absolutely Safe design (Embedded design, only 3-5mm above the road surface,
much lower than standard raised pavement markers. Raised pavement marker
is over 20MM above the road surface, too high and too dangerous to the cyclist. )
Item No: B051 Solar Delineator Markers Product Specifications:
Item No.: SRS0150A
Item No.: SRS0180A
Item No.: SRS01100A
Size: Dia.50MM, Dia.80MM, Dia.100MM.
Light source: Supper bright LED
View distance over 500 meters
Power supply: Solar system and rechargeable batteries inside
Full recharge time: 5-8 hours
Working time: 50hours (Dia.50mm), 72 hours (dia.80mm), 100hours (dia.100mm)
Activate mode: Automatically turn on when getting dark, (lower than 500lux)
Work mode: Constant (flashing model available)
Use life: over 5 years.
Item No: B0521 Active Safety Warning Signs
Purpose:
The bicycle warning sign alerts drivers that a cyclist is coming through the
area by lighting up a LED bicycle. It can dramatically reduce the risk of
cyclists not seen by passing motorists.
Key Feature:
1. Intelligent detective and remote activated
2. Solar system and long life time
3. Easy installation
4. Solar module can be adjusted to the most effective recharge position
Product Specifications:
Size: Dia.200mm
Light: Supper bright LED
Brightness: optional
Power supply: Solar system and rechargeable batteries inside
Battery type: Li-on batteries
Full recharge time: 8 hours
Working time: over 200 hours when fully recharged (Optional)
Activate mode: Radar detector inside, activate other signs in the same area by remote
Work mode: all signs flash 30 seconds when activated
Installation: have installation accessories for dia.40mm tubes, no need other tools
How to order:
One set includes 2 warning signs at least, the q’ty depends on the area need
Package: 2 pcs/ carton, carton size: 220mm X 220mm X 125mm,
G.W.: 3.5kgs/ctn
Other model available:
B0522 Active Solar Warning Signs
With detectors for Both Motorway and Cycleway
Detector’s Angle adjustable
2 pcs flashing warning lamps Dia.100mm
Item No: B053 Solar Sensor Lighting
Purpose:
The Solar sensor lighting alerts cyclist that a there is a dangerous
area must be noticed, and also could be used as a break post
light and emergency power charging station for cell phones ,
lights and other electronics. It includes a USB adapter tobe easy
connected to standard electronics.
Key Feature:
1. Intelligent detective
2. Solar power and environmental friendly
3. Easy installation
Product Specifications:
Size: Dia.200mm
Light: Supper bright LED
Lighting angle: 120 degree
Power supply: Solar system and rechargeable batteries inside
Battery type: Li-on batteries 3.2V 5Ah
Activate mode: Movement sensor inside, activated working when cyclist comes closer with 6-10 meters range
Work mode: 30 seconds lights after activated
Easy installation onto standard post with 2 screws
Package: 2 pcs/ carton, carton size: 220mm X 220mm X 50mm,
G.W.: 2.2kgs/ctn
Applications:
1. Bad road surface situations
2. Obstacle and hazard working ahead
3. Bridge and Changing Tracks warning