Country / Region:
South Africa, Durban, Kwazulu-Natal Province
Application:
Night delineation and fog guidance
Location of installation(s):
R66 between Melmoth and Ulundi
Astucia Products:
F series solar powered bi directional studs
Locals lighten the way
A high level of success by a provincial authority in using technology to reduce road deaths is having its effect on national policy in South Africa.
The provincial government of Kwazulu-Natal, centered in Pietermaritsburg, has led the way in reducing what Department of Transport, Head of Department, Doctor Kwazi Mbanjwa recently described as "carnage on our roads".
Announcing the results of a major 2 year pilot project on one of the country's most notorious routes, the R66 north of Durban, Dr Mbanjwa said that the introduction of solar-powered Intelligent Road Stud technology from Astucia had reduced the number of serious accidents and road deaths in the twelve months since the original installation.
“88 serious accidents that claimed 27 lives and 15 less serious accidents happened on that stretch in the seven months before the new studs were installed. Since their installation in January, there have been no accidents reported on that stretch of road. The 103 accidents cost us R27 million while the studs cost R5 million.” (Extract taken from the Natal Witness on Wednesday 4 June 2003). Such was the impact of the trial that consideration was, he said, now being given by the national government to extending the technology to other 'red spots' throughout the country.
The two-stage trial had involved the initial installation in 2003 of 7,800 intelligent road studs from Astucia's range of solar-powered products on a 34 kilometre stretch of the popular but dangerous route between Melmoth and Ulundi. Stage 2 extended the coverage to a total of c20,000 studs on 100 kilometres of the R66, with the results of the trial being announced in July 2004.
Speaking at the launch of Stage 2, Logan Maistry of the Kwazulu-Natal DOT said, "Some of the benefits of the (Intelligent Road Stud) include improved road delineation (which is) particularly effective in poor weather conditions. (They also) increase driver visibility and awareness to hazards such as sharp bends, stationery vehicles or lane changes."
The R66 installation uses Astucia F series solar powered bi-directional studs that emit a light from an LED during the hours of darkness or in low ambient light conditions. The ultra-bright LED within each stud is visible for up to a kilometre away.
Driving forward the political commitment to the introduction of ITS technologies like Astucia's intelligent road stud, are a number of factors including South Africa's position as having the fourth highest rate of road deaths on the continent. But another major factor is the expected influx of visitors to the country when South Africa hosts the football World Cup in 2010. Various initiatives by the DOT had, said Dr Mbanjwa, failed to address the 'carnage' on the roads. The latest initiative, using advanced technology, had proved effective in improving road safety and resulting in a dramatic reduction in accidents and causalities.
