Welcome to the 8 Questions, where we ask senior figures in the sector the questions every business leader and ambitious professional wants answered. In this edition, Geoff Collins, Deputy Managing Director at Jenoptik Traffic Solutions UK, is asked about road safety, what skills are needed, what leaders need to be thinking about now and much more.
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The judge's commented on the entry;
"Whilst the scheme was put in place to address anti-social and criminal behaviours, there will be an overall road safety improvement for all road users and workers alongside. This was implemented during a pandemic in fast speeds with superb cost-benefits. The scheme has wider benefits of improved traffic flow, air quality improvements, and reduces the adverse impacts experienced by the local community as a result of antisocial and criminal activity. The installation was elegant, by utilising lamp columns this meant it was quicker, more cost-effective and easier to install, whilst also being conspicuous but not adding to street clutter."
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Clarity of purpose is absolutely key. It is difficult to address a problem if you don't truly understand what you are trying to achieve, and why. Road safety is usually more than just trying to reduce casualties - there is usually a 'bigger picture' that needs to be addressed, and this can vary considerably from project to project. There are typically multiple stakeholders who will be involved in a road safety project, with a wide range of motivations behind them – meaning that an effective solution must take this into account, delivering outcomes that will not only address the known problems, but also engage and involve as many of these stakeholders as possible.
A stand out feature of the A10 scheme was undoubtedly the level of collaborative working that shone through, despite everyone working under the shadow of the rapidly escalating pandemic. There was a real drive to get the project finished as rapidly and effectively as possible, and every single participant was engaged and involved. From this, I learned how important it is for a shared and understood vision, with support from every level. Road Safety projects typically involve many stakeholders with direct and indirect involvement. When working together, this creates an unstoppable force that can overcome virtually any hurdle.
The SPECS installation on the A10 was needed as a ‘quick win’, with the delivery programme compressed down to a matter of weeks. However, through intelligent design, it was possible to come up with a scheme that will continue to deliver benefits at that location for many years to come. Working closely with TfL, who were responsible for the highway and street furniture, a design was proposed that would be rapid to deliver, but would remain operational for years to come.
If an Average Speed Camera (ASC) scheme is well designed, it will quickly have a positive impact on traffic flows and casualty rates, and invariably the majority of drivers will perceive that the system is beneficial to them, through reliable journey times and a reduced risk of collisions. As a result, the travelling public are increasingly accepting of the A10 scheme because they actually perceive a benefit themselves – resulting in a positive legacy both along the route, but also around the wider use of ASC cameras. Rather than being seen as a ‘cash cow’ as older technologies have sometimes been, the public are now increasingly calling for wider use of SPECS cameras where they know they could be beneficial.
A key skill to delivering a successful Road Safety scheme is based around the understanding and awareness for how different approaches can work in a range of situations. There is no ‘one size fits all’, as different road types, traffic flows and environments call for specific solutions, designed and configured around the desired outcomes at that location. This means that the ability to evaluate and select the most appropriate tool(s) is particularly important, using an evidence based approach to delivering casualty reductions.
As mentioned in the response to a previous question, a shared vision and collaborative working was absolutely key in order to deliver this highly effective project. This was assisted by the high level support of TfL and Metropolitan Police staff, all of whom understood that this project had to succeed. When staff were working on the project, they fully understood that there was a clear objective to achieve and support was provided from all directions, which is a very effective way to succeed. For Jenoptik, the project was also an opportunity to demonstrate to a new customer (TfL) that we had the products, staff and appetite to deliver against a challenging programme, despite a number of significant hurdles to overcome. Having a motivated and enthusiastic workforce is certainly a help here.
Average Speed Camera systems have the advantage that they almost immediately demonstrate that they are successful, because they immediately influence driver behaviour – simply by being present at the side of the road. High speeds disappeared almost over night, with the vast majority of drivers understanding that yellow SPECS cameras and ‘Average speed check’ signs mean that they are being monitored over a long section of road. Whilst this is a short term measure, this is a leading indicator for reduced casualties in the long run, thanks to the proven correlation between steady, smooth traffic flows and low incidences of collisions. A further measure of this project’s success was the immediate feedback from local residents, who were delighted that the noisy and dangerous race meetings had largely ceased from happening, which improved their quality of life and made driving along the road feel significantly safer.
It is becoming increasingly important that business needs to take a wider view for how it engages with and impacts upon wider society as a whole. For example, rather than simply addressing a 1 dimensional problem with a 1 dimensional solution, the interconnectedness of things needs to be considered more than it ever was before. Using the A10 as an example, the solution was not simply to reduce speeds at one location on a road – the wider project involved engaging with residents, educating road users and considering how sustainable the solution was going to be, in the long term. Through understanding the many wide ranging factors involved in a problem, it is better to work on holistic solutions that have a beneficial impact for many, rather than simply targeting one
part of the problem.
It is fortunate that the A10 scheme was largely an ‘outdoor’ solution, delivered at the roadside using equipment that is designed for 24/7 use, in all weathers. However, much of the project planning and delivery phase was delivered during the first national lockdown, which demanded the use of remote working and enhanced planning and preparation. For example, rather than holding a large stakeholder meeting with all representatives travelling from multiple locations to be physically in one room, The A10 project was mostly planned remotely, with staff working from home, offices or on site; but not all together at one time. In common with many other industries, this is a way of working that is likely to remain in future, thus reducing the amount of time spent travelling whilst concentrating on the real task in hand.
Geoff is a Chartered Engineer with a wealth of experience around the design and implementation of machine vision solutions. For the last 17 years, this experience has focussed particularly on the SPECS average speed enforcement system, which has developed from being a quirky concept to now being the UK’s most widely implement road safety enforcement solution. During this time, he has been involved in the delivery and subsequent analysis of 180+ permanent installations, providing an unrivalled view for how the technology can be efficiently and effectively applied, to deliver roads that are safer, smoother, greener and fairer.
Jenoptik is a globally operating technology group, which is active in the three photonics-based divisions Light & Optics, Light & Production and Light & Safety as well as with VINCORION for mechatronics solutions.
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors. They do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of the CIHT or its members. Neither the CIHT nor any person acting on their behalf may be held responsible for the use which may be made of the information contained therein.
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