Description of Works
FM Conway has been commissioned by the London Borough of Bexley to identify and convert a number of bollards from illuminated to de-illuminated, to achieve an energy and maintenance saving for the Borough.
FM Conway’s Lighting division carried out a survey of all the existing bollards in the London Borough of Bexley to conduct a review of the suitability of installing non-lit bollards.
Following a review of the borough’s bollard inventory, a business case identifying the key areas for energy and maintenance savings could be established.
The majority of bollards were in poor condition and were a mixture of first-generation LED gear trays with some bollards using fluorescent lamps with everything burning 24/7.
Careful consideration was given to various bollard manufacturers and it was decided that Traffic Management Product’s (TMP) Retro-reflective Self-righting bollard (RSRB) was the most suitable because of their proven ability to rebound after a collision, able to deliver clear driver communication day and night and needing no external power.
The bollard displays a highly visible 300mm diameter traffic sign made from 3M retro-reflective material, ensuring both the bollard and traffic instruction is visible day and night.
A key part of the innovation is in the versatility of the bollard’s installation methods: base light conversion plates, retention socket compatibility and case-in foundation cages make installation easy no matter if it’s a new installation or a replacement.
Installing the TMP Evo-Max was very efficient as it involved removing the old base lit bollard and isolating the existing power supply to the base light, as it was no longer needed. The new Evo-Max bollard can then be secured to the existing base light with the attached conversion plate.
This installation method created a strong foundation for the bollard and at the same time reduced groundwork costs and increased safety for the installation team by reducing the time needed on the highway.
The project required strict adherence to the Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions (SRGD) 2016, giving particular attention to known accident black spots, poor sight lines and conflict areas; this required a survey and discussions with Bexley Council Traffic section.
By utilising a TMP non-lit bollard, it would also reduce the yearly gear tray replacements and reduce the level of maintenance required for the next 10 years.
Due to some locations of the works, stakeholder engagement was also vital before works could be carried out since some bollards were on refuge islands and were agreed through committee.
The findings of the survey showed that approximately 900 (80%) of the 1060 bollards could be de-illuminated and replaced with a non-lit bollard from the manufacturer TMP.
The remaining 20% of bollards were identified as being in areas as either black spots, on brows of hills or locations with bad sight lines. Therefore, it is recommended that these remain lit.
With such a large number of existing bollards in the area, it is also time consuming and costly to provide regular maintenance across the individual units, stretching to costs of almost £90K.
Therefore, a survey of the existing inventory could demonstrate the potential savings to the client in both maintenance and energy across a successful conversion scheme.
After installing approximately 900 non-lit bollards, Bexley has been able to reduce the bollard energy bill by 60% and dramatically reduce maintenance costs due to not having to replace bollard gear trays and attend to other electrical based maintenance including electrical testing and cable faults.
The successful roll-out of the non-lit bollards reduced the annual spend on maintenance from £30K to £6K, plus there were further savings of £36K from reduced annual gear tray replacements and £4K from reduced energy consumption.
In total the switch achieved a saving to the client of over £64K in maintenance and energy costs, whilst providing a safer and more sustainable environment for the London Borough of Bexley.