Yunex Traffic technology upgrades to help reduce CO2 emissions across Liverpool
Forming part of a Transforming Cities Funding project, Liverpool City Region Combined Authority (LCRCA) has awarded a contract to Yunex Traffic to upgrade over 750 traffic signal sites across the region.
The programme will see existing halogen traffic signals upgraded with Yunex Traffic’s LED central light source (CLS) technology, which consumes less energy while delivering improved visibility and reliability.
This solution is set to deliver energy and cost savings of around 75%, as well as significantly reducing the need for regular maintenance visits to replace and clean lamps. It is estimated that each year, the new traffic signals will generate savings of over 1,300 tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) and energy savings of nearly £400,000.
Wilke Reints, Managing Director of Yunex Traffic in the UK, said: “We are dedicated to making cities better places to live, work and visit, improving safety and caring for our planet. Our retrofit solution will deliver significant carbon savings across the Liverpool City Region, with ongoing energy and cost savings that support environmental, economic and social sustainability.
“As the incumbent traffic signal maintenance provider for LCRCA, we have strong working relationships with all the individual authorities and a detailed understanding of their transport operations and networks. Our field services teams are now looking forward to working closely with colleagues in each Council to deliver this programme.”
Cllr Liam Robinson, transport portfolio holder for Liverpool City Region said: “As we push forward with our plans for recovery, ensuring that we have the right transport infrastructure to drive prosperity for everyone in the Liverpool City Region is absolutely vital, and our road network is a key part of that.
“But faced with climate emergency and public health crises we also need to make sure that we are tackling the carbon emissions which are destroying our environment as well as poor air quality which impacts the health of people across our city region.
“That’s why technology like this, which will help to reduce carbon output – as well as making important cost savings – is going to be so important as we work towards our goal of the Liverpool City Region becoming net zero carbon by 2040.”
The retrofit upgrade will enable the existing roadside infrastructure to be retained, while providing LCRCA with low maintenance, long-life, energy-efficient LED signals that provide improved visibility in all weather and lighting conditions. Yunex Traffic’s LED retrofit solution will allow the authorities to leverage existing investment in equipment and infrastructure, especially with compatible Yunex Traffic assets, and avoid the waste and costs associated with complete refurbishments.
Across the region, the programme will see the retrofit of over 9,000 signal aspects and 2,400 pedestrian crossing wait indicators. 300 controllers will also be replaced.
In the UK, thousands of traffic signals are still fitted with traditional incandescent, halogen signal lamps, which are soon to become obsolete. Yunex Traffic’s work with LCRCA follows similar retrofitting schemes that have been delivered for authorities across the UK, including in London and Greater Manchester, with each solution future-proofing the authority’s traffic signal equipment from halogen lamp obsolescence and any subsequent lamp supply and maintenance risks.
