As part of Transport Scotland’s strategic trunk road management programme, Scotland TranServ has completed the installation of adaptive lighting technology in the Charing Cross underpass.

TranServ and Transport Scotland engineers have been working in collaboration with industry experts from SPIE UK and Signify (Phillips) to design and install the new energy-efficient system.

The new lighting system will deliver an improved energy performance, saving around 60 percent on the previous high pressure sodium system that was in place. The lighting is also future-proofed, allowing for the integration of new monitoring and performance products as and when they become available.

Aled Davies, Scotland TranServ’s Principal Lighting Engineer added:

“The adaptive SMART LED lighting technology allows for lighting levels to be automatically adjusted by photometer control adapting the underpass lighting levels to the brightness of the day. Future adaptations are also expected to adjust to traffic volumes, delivering further energy efficiencies.

“Built-in remote monitoring will allow our engineers to monitor the system on their laptops, tablets or smartphone devices. This advanced remote monitoring of energy usage is essential as we look to further drive efficiencies and meet and exceed Transport Scotland and Scottish Government environmental targets.”

The system has this week been commissioned following a calibration process involving our industry experts SPIE and Signifiy. All construction lighting has since been removed, and the underpass is operating as normal. Scotland TranServ and Transport Scotland will continue to monitor the lighting solution in the weeks ahead.

The advanced LED system will also deliver substantial savings on long-term maintenance costs. With our engineers requiring fewer visits to site to replace or repair lanterns, the potential disruption to drivers through traffic management installation is also reduced. The solution incorporates an Uninterruptable Power Supply back-up, thus enhancing the security and durability of the lighting solution.