Metro adapts to a challenging comms environment in a popular tourist spot in Edinburgh.
Our first Scottish UTC deployment, the Chambers Street project was the perfect example of successful collaboration between Authority, Contractor and System Provider.
The Challenge
As part of the North Bridge Refurbishment project, a temporary traffic management plan was required to manage an increase of traffic flow along Chambers Street and George IV Bridge, located in Old Town, Edinburgh.
City of Edinburgh Council were looking for a UTC integrated system that did not impede on the public in a historical part of the city and popular tourist spot.
With a desire to avoid cabled systems, the environment presented a challenging location for radio congestion, with double-decker buses, cranes and nearby portable traffic signals causing conflict on the air waves.
The Solution
In partnership with Contraflow Traffic Management, we deployed a Metro temporary traffic signal system, controlled wirelessly over UTC from the master controller.
The location of the outstation, situated on a pedestrian island, meant the master controller occasionally became ‘blocked in’ by double-decker buses. This caused the communications to break and led to a UTC conflict.
In collaboration with City of Edinburgh Council, our technical team acted swiftly to address the UTC conflicts and installed a new antenna, which returned the site to full operation with no further issues.
The Results
Commissioning of the site went smoothly and UTC control was established easily. Contraflow were pleased with the overall performance of the system and the runtime performance, which meant the system could be left unattended during the Christmas period, minimising disruption to the public.
