In order to reduce its energy and maintenance bills, the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham (LBBD) is replacing nearly 16,000 streetlamps with LED units and a ‘smart cities’ control system.
VolkerHighways has been awarded a £4.7m (US$5.7m) contract with LBBD to perform the LED upgrade. Beginning in January 2017, the program is scheduled to run for two and a half years and will include the replacement of 15,890 street lights with new LED lanterns. The upgrade process will include 2,500 streetlamp column replacements, inclusive of ICP transfers. The contract will also see the first full UK borough-wide installation of Urban Control’s UrbanMaster central management system (CMS). UK company Urban Control aims to help organizations harness the power of smart-city technology, by equipping them with the knowledge and tools to build energy and money-saving solutions, based around their communities’ needs.
The UrbanMaster CMS offers one single software platform to both monitor and control any smart city or Internet of Things (IoT) device. From street lighting systems and traffic cameras to electrical vehicle charging stations and smart meters, the UrbanMaster platform allows city authorities and agencies to monitor, analyze, control, manage and, ultimately, optimize both their energy use and budget at the same time.
LBBD’s CMS will offer it the ability to monitor and control the LED lanterns remotely, resulting in energy, carbon and monetary savings. As the current provider for Barking and Dagenham’s street lighting term maintenance contract, VolkerHighways has already installed 1,000 LED lanterns within the area. An additional 18,000 LED lanterns have also been installed in the neighboring borough of Havering.
“We are delighted to have been awarded this contract, building on the successful relationship we have had with the borough since 2011, through our current lighting maintenance contract,” commented Alistair Thompson, managing director of VolkerHighways. “The introduction of a fully controlled LED street lighting system across the borough will enhance the lighting of the borough’s streets, and reduce energy costs for the council.”
Councillor Lynda Rice, cabinet member for environment and street scene at the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham, said, “Replacing street lamps with newer, better lights demonstrates why this borough has a positive future. The new lights will help make our streets safer for pedestrians and motorists, and will be more cost effective and environmentally friendly too.”
VolkerHighways is also part of the CVU joint venture with Colas and AECOM, which is currently delivering the Central London Highways Alliance Contract (LoHAC) for Transport for London (TfL). CVU provide a fully integrated highways service, including traditional highways maintenance services, emergency response, inspections, design services, and the delivery of capital investment and existing asset renewal schemes. The innovative new alliance was the first of its kind in the UK, and sees TfL and the London boroughs working together to procure highways works from a pre-priced, standard list of services from chosen contractors covering the four main areas of London (north east, north west, central and south).
