“ It has been a real privilege to investigate a measure with such an immediate and important impact on the transport network , and with great potential for wider implementation . I ’ m extremely thankful to our industry partners and look forward to building on the work with them over the next few years .”
DR RICHARD LLWEWLLYN
Interested in this project ?
Dr Richard Llewellyn Transport Research Institute
r . llewellyn @ napier . ac . uk
The project at the six-arm Sheriffhall roundabout , which has more than 40,000 vehicles a day threading their way through its spiral markings , has scooped a string of national awards .
The University , working with project partners Transport Scotland , Clearview Intelligence , BEAR Scotland and Amey Highways , monitored a system which saw embedded studs illuminate in sync with traffic lights and guide drivers into the appropriate lane when the signal turned green . As the signal turned red , all the studs on that section switched off .
Video cameras were installed in four places at the busy junction so drivers ’ behaviour could be studied . They showed that the studs , installed during winter 2015 , reinforced lane discipline and reduced collisions by guiding motorists all the way around the roundabout in their clearly defined lanes .
Richard says : “ There was a high degree of anecdotal evidence to suggest that drivers felt more comfortable driving through the roundabout , and positive comments were also received from Police Scotland .”
The work on the A1 in Berwickshire has involved installing solar powered LED road studs to highlight nine key junctions and turning areas between the village of Grantshouse and the Border , a stretch which is mostly single carriageway .
Motorists had reported difficulty seeing some junctions after dark . However , the LED studs , installed in the winter of 2015 / 16 , can be seen from 700 metres away , almost seven times the range of traditional cat ’ s eyes .
Another problem faced by motorists is that , when making a right turn , darkness robs them of reference points like trees and road signs to gauge the speed of oncoming traffic , leaving them looking only at a pair of headlights .
Data has been gathered from new video recordings of drivers manoeuvring at junctions and this will be analysed along with radar gun spot speed surveys to build up a picture of motorists ’ behaviour in the area .
A questionnaire-based survey is also being sent to 10,000 homes near the A1 with the aim of gauging drivers ’ awareness of the new studs and their attitude to them .
Winner of
SEVEN national awards
for highways , safety , engineering and transport
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