Energy-efficient LEDs continue to penetrate the market for above-road lighting products, but in-pavement LEDs are also starting to find favour in Canadian communities.
Intelligent Traffic Equipment Marketing (ITEM) Ltd. has been offering in-road warning light (IRWL) systems since 2000.
"We’ve seen a huge advancement in IRWL technology not only in the past 15 years, but significant change in just the past few years," said company director Stephanie Gannon.
"One of the biggest challenges in the Canadian market has been developing robust products that survive heat, extreme cold, road salt, vehicle vibration and snow plows. Putting an LED system in a road is almost like installing it on Mars because the challenges of each installation are unique."
While installing IRLWs in an airport setting generally ensures constant system monitoring, LEDs placed in a public road need to perform without constant observation and maintenance.
ITEM’s current in-road line-up includes: crosswalk systems; left-turn systems; lane, curve and ramp markings; stop bars and wrong-way warnings.
Many of the systems are solar-powered.
The company has installed IRWL systems in numerous cities in the U.S. and Canada.
Canadian installations include Langford and Delta in B.C., and Airdrie and Canmore in Alberta.
"Because of the climate, there’s been a certain amount of trepidation in installing these systems in Canadian roads," says Gannon.
"Eventually a road with an IRWL will be plowed, so the product needs to stand up to that."
Clients typically choose IRWLs because of their increased visibility.
"Anything that helps to increase the attention of drivers is a good thing, especially with so many distractions offered both inside the car and on the road," she said.
"Often they’re selected for locations that have experienced a larger number of traffic incidents."
ITEM systems can be installed by local road crews, or by company personnel.
They’re typically retrofitted into roads and not a part of new construction.
Sections of road surface are cored and cut away to accommodate lights and wiring, then sealed with an epoxy material, which allows flexibility for road expansion and shifting.
The city of Airdrie was an early adopter of a first-generation IRWL crosswalk system in a 2003 pilot program.
"At that time nobody in Southern Alberta had attempted to install one of these systems," said Ken Velcic, an engineer with city engineering services.
"Airdrie council supported the pilot project, which involved a product from England that the distributor said had been tested with snowplows."
A few years later, the system was in ruins, said Velcic.
Snowplows had sheared off lenses and chipped resin, while in-road wiring became corroded.
"However, we were impressed with the original effect of the product," he said.
"Driver compliance with crosswalk lighting signals was amazing, with more drivers waiting for pedestrians to make their entire crossing before proceeding."
While the novelty effect of the system wore off slightly for drivers, compliance levels remained impressive, Velcic said.
Airdrie took a second kick at the can in 2007, this time installing two solar-powered ITEM crosswalk systems.
Installation took about five days, with 14 LED markers installed at each crosswalk.
Each crosswalk was also outfitted with above-ground signage and flashers.
The cost of purchasing and installing the system was about $34,000 per crosswalk.
Velcic reckons that it would have cost about $50,000 to install a traditional crosswalk with overhead lights and signage.
"The system was guaranteed to last five years and it lasted seven," he said.
"We thought that was quite good, especially considering that eventually you’re going to have to do construction work on most stretches of road, which would require removing the system."
Airdrie will consider LED systems for future traffic installations, but is hoping to glean more data from neighbouring communities before committing.
"We were happy to be pioneers in testing the waters for in-road LEDs," said Velcic.
"The price of these systems has come down considerably since 2007, but we’d like to look at the experiences of other communities before installing the next round."
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