JPCS Groundscrew® is an innovative alternative to traditional concrete foundations for traffic signs and marker posts. The system negates the need for excavation and concreting making a valuable contribution to sustainability within the highways sector.
Traffic management requirements for schemes are significantly reduced, minimising disruption for road users and improving the safety of the public and the workforce. |
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Benefits
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Case Study
Staffordshire Casualty Reduction Partnership is an organisation that works with several agencies, including Staffordshire County Council, Staffordshire Police and Stoke-on-Trent City Council.
The Problem
The organisation was looking for ways at changing the behaviour of road users but without incurring the substantial cost of installing fixed speed cameras in multiple locations.
In 2007, working with JPCS, the decision was taken to invest in 12 speed indication devices (SIDs) but rather than permanently fix them into the ground, Groundscrew® was used, largely because of the flexibility it offered.
The devices are attached onto hinged posts which are then fixed into the Groundscrew® foundation. Melanie Langdown, the performance and operations officer for Staffordshire Casualty Reduction Partnership, explains the background, "The SID devices are primarily an education tool in that they encourage drivers to reduce their speed by displaying how fast they're going.
Initially we looked at the traditional method of concreting posts into the ground but as we always planned to be able to move the devices around the county, this approach would have meant that, when they weren't in use, there would be fixed posts littering the county."
The Solution
JPCS installed 108 Groundscrew® foundations around Staffordshire, a straightforward process that took just under 2 weeks, "Putting in the foundations was quick and easy" said Melanie, "compared to concrete foundations there is much less disruption for road users, fever vehicle movements around the area and it's a quieter operation".
Immediately after the foundations were in place, the SIDs devices were installed at their initial locations.
Summary
Once the Groundscrews® are in place, it's a simple job to move the device and post, to the next location. A specially designed hinged post allows the sign and post to be moved from location to location in a small van.
JPCS handle the management of the signs on behalf of the Casualty Reduction Partnership. Every three weeks JPCS downloads the data from the machines and moves them to the next area. The decision on where to move them is taken by Melanie Langdown and her team and JPCS then re-site the SIDs at their next location.