MARLOW GETS SAFER - AND GREENER

Road safety and the environment in Marlow have been boosted by the inventive application of an environmentally sound product. Transport for Buckinghamshire, working on behalf of Buckinghamshire County Council, has installed six-foot high Mobilane Green Screens on the central reserve area of the A4155 Marlow Road, on the east side of the roundabout at the junction with the A404. The new sustainable walls have already proved effective in the safety-critical aims of reducing both driver distraction and roundabout approach speed.


The local authority acted to improve safety at the junction following analysis of reported injury collisions in the last three years. Trevor Bonsor, Transport Specialist at Casualty Reduction for Transport Buckinghamshire, commented; "As a result of collision analysis, excessive approach speed towards the roundabout was identified as a contributory factor. We identified that restricting visibility on the approach could prove an effective countermeasure. We are pleased with the installation of these Green Screens which instantly provided the desired effect and an aesthetically pleasing barrier which is sustainable and environmentally sound."


The addition of the screens serves to restrict drivers' views of traffic to their right as they approach the roundabout, encouraging them to reduce their speed. Initial results from speed flow data show an average total speed reduction of 4mph in approach speeds* and also a significant reduction in the number of vehicles approaching the roundabout at higher speeds.


Sean Farrell, Director of Mobilane, said: “It is gratifying to see our green screen concept being more widely adopted as a solution to real life problems such as traffic safety, whilst adding all the environmental benefits that are missing from traditional methods such as walls and fences. This is the sort of joined-up thinking that most people would wish their Local Authorities to employ.”


Green Screens are a simple yet remarkably effective concept, featuring a biodegradable pot which holds a wire mesh 'fence' onto which vegetation, usually ivy, is grown. The screens are cultivated offsite and delivered ready to install. As soon as they are installed the Green Screens provide an attractive barrier solution with aesthetic, environmental and maintenance benefits over traditional walls and fences. They also provide an acoustic barrier which reduces the traffic noise in the surrounding environment. Unlike hedges the vegetation in the screens does not grow significantly above the height of the wire fence, so they do not require regular pruning, and they are much narrower yet more dimensionally stable than hedges


Green Screens have a wide range of uses, including encouraging biodiversity, improving air quality and tackling graffiti. Local authorities are increasingly adopting innovative uses of the screens as they continue to see their versatility, sustainability and low maintenance costs.