APT Controls has installed two automatic rising bollard systems for Warwickshire County Council in Nuneaton and Bedworth town centres.
The aim: to prevent unauthorised motor vehicles from gaining access to pedestrian zones and to create a more pleasant and safer environment for visitors.
The pedestrian zones in Nuneaton and Bedworth were introduced in 1991 and 1995 respectively but Warwickshire Police was finding it hard to enforce them, as Gafoor Din, Team Leader for the Traffic Control and Information Systems Team for Warwickshire County Council says: "Prior to the installation of the bollards, Blue Badge holders were permitted to park in the restricted area and relied on street signs to stop other drivers from entering, but we experienced extensive problems with other drivers persistently abusing the system. We sent out a tender, detailing our specification and short-listed two potential candidates. We chose APT Controls as they offered the most operational benefits and catered for all our requirements. One of our major concerns was access for the emergency services. Although we wanted to keep unauthorised vehicles out, we did not want to compromise the access routes in case of emergencies within the zone. APT Controls’ system is entirely automated and is centrally controlled, so if the police is responding to an emergency call and need to get into the town centre they can call a telephone number which automatically dials into the central computer system and the bollards are lowered within seconds."
Entry, exit points
The automatic rising bollard system was introduced in April with six in Nuneaton and two in Bedworth. They are positioned at all the entry and exit points of the town centres. Although they are centrally controlled at Warwickshire County Council?s traffic control centre, each set of bollards has its own local computer and micro processor located within the hydraulics unit, which is timed to raise the bollards at 10am and lower them again at 4pm. At these times a beeping sounds five seconds before it rises or lowers alerts passers-by and drivers.
"The bollards also have an activation panel with an immediate release facility, which can allow for essential access during the day whilst the bollards are raised," Gafoor adds. "If, for example, maintenance vehicles need to visit a site within the pedestrian zone they must seek permission from the council. For temporary access they are issued with a swipe card to use at the panel to lower the bollard. The red light turns to green to indicate that it is safe to drive over the bollard and a special sensor determines when a vehicle has cleared the bollard before it rises again. It is a very good solution to enforce our pedestrian zones and the system is specifically tailored to our needs. It not only makes our town centres much more pleasant but also lessens the burden on the police for enforcement."
Tony Girard, Managing Director of APT Controls adds: "Automatic rising bollards are an easy system to operate and require minimal works to install and so only cause minor disruptions. They are a very effective means of enforcing pedestrian zones and are fast becoming an inoffensive addition to many town centres. We are very pleased to have made such a dramatic difference to the Nuneaton and Bedworth town centres and to have made things easier for Warwickshire County Council?s Traffic Control and Information Team."
