Photo: Hull City Council
Hull deploys intelligent road studs to improve safety
22 August 2023
by Sarah Wray
Hull City Council has installed new road traffic technology in what it claims is the first scheme of its kind in the UK.
Intelligent road studs, journey time monitoring and a new infrared system are among the technologies that have been installed along a major route in the centre of the city.
The council has worked with technology company Clearview Intelligence on the project, which aims to reduce congestion and collisions on Stoneferry Road.
Councillor Mark Ieronimo, Portfolio Holder for Transportation, Roads and Highways, said: “We hope that by making this area more appealing, it will encourage people to cycle and walk more.”
Intelligent road studs, which have been installed at five intersections, detect cyclists approaching the junction and illuminate and flash to alert motorists. The studs, which are located at the top of each intersection with Stoneferry Road, aim to “help ensure cyclists and motorists look out for each other”.
Intelligent road studs have been used before in other schemes, such as for lane delineation and demarcation. A spokesperson for the council said: “This is the first time the technology has been deployed for the purposes of crossing a bell mouth opening of a side road at a junction with a raised table to prioritise the vulnerable user, as per the latest updates to the Highway Code.”
Real-time information
Journey time monitoring systems have also been activated along the route to provide motorists with real-time information, displayed on 18 variable message signs, about traffic flows and alternative routes to avoid congested areas.
In addition, an over-height vehicle detection system that uses infrared sensors has been installed to warn heavy goods vehicle drivers of the low bridge on Stoneferry Road and advise them of other routes available.
“The railway bridge is struck on average about six times a year and this will avoid that happening, the clean-up costs, and the congestion that causes,” said Ieronimo.
He added: “All in all these improvements will make the roads safer. They’ll also reduce congestion and they show the council’s commitment overall to improving the road network for motorists, cyclists and pedestrians.”
The project cost £1.36million (US$1.74 million), which was funded as part of a wider £15 million scheme of improvements to the Stoneferry Road corridor.
