Case study. Redvision at Luton Busway. March 2015

Redvision protects passengers on the Luton-Dunstable Busway.|Redvision CCTV has played a significant role in protecting passengers using the innovative, new Luton-Dunstable Busway. The 6.1 mile busway operates separately to all other traffic and is designed to ease congestion, halve journey times and reduce pollutio|The Busway is the result of 20 years of meticulous work from planning to implementation. It represents a £91m investment, part-government funded by Luton and Central Bedfordshire Councils and part-funded by the Luton Town Centre Transport Scheme. Security integrator Secure Engineering was essential to the scheme’s planning and installation process, with a brief to protect passengers and manage safety.

Passenger safety and security were paramount. Secure Engineering provided CCTV coverage for the Busway at each of its eight passenger shelters and intercom help points. Additional CCTV coverage was provided at the Luton Bus - Train Interchange, where passengers transfer for fast rail links to Luton airport and London. The CCTV system is monitored by a standalone CCTV system at Arriva’s bus depot in Luton and operates in conjunction with Luton’s existing Town Hall CCTV system.

Buses using the route are modified with two small wheels which allow them to travel through a 4.8-mile, specially designed concrete guide-way section. The guide-way has lanes in each direction, with buses travelling safely and smoothly in the metropolitan area at speeds of up to 50mph. The modified buses are free to leave the Busway at designated access points and travel on roads as normal.

Secure Engineering is a trusted, high quality security integrator operating in Southern England and London. It has extensive public space security experience, including many government and local authority clients. “We have used Redvision’s X-SERIES™ PTZ dome cameras in the Luton-Dunstable Busway because they are affordable, reliable and have engineering support in the UK.” explained Clifford Corne, director of Secure Engineering. “Intuitive pan, tilt and zoom functionality allows CCTV operators to respond immediately to any incidents and take appropriate action. Camera features, such as a wiper for keeping rain and dirt off the camera view, and infra-red (IR) illumination for night time and low-light operation, ensure we always capture high-quality images day and night. The camera is also rugged-looking and suits the architectural design of the busway.”

Paul Hucker, MD at Redvision continued, “Redvision cameras are used at the bus - train interchange, passenger shelters, intercom help points and at each of the bus access junctions along the route. Secure Engineering required a robust PTZ camera with low-light and night time operation. As a UK manufacturer we were also able to allocate engineering support during the project to ensure the installation ran smoothly.”

“Our X-SERIES™ PTZ dome cameras are popular with local authorities and those responsible for public space and transport sites. They have low power consumption ratings, so work well in projects designed to actively cut carbon emissions – essential to this scheme. They can be installed on buildings and poles, so no part of a site is missed. They can also be finished in any required RAL colour to blend in with the environment. Above all they offer a very high performance solution to protect people and places.”

Three bus companies, Arriva, Centrebus and Grant Palmer, operate the busway routes. Together they provide core services between Dunstable and Luton, running every eight minutes at peak times, linking the two town centres in just 15 minutes. The buses receive priority at junctions, bypass congestion ‘hotspots’ and deliver the shortest possible journey times for passengers. They have improved access to the more deprived areas around Luton; reduced congestion on roads; reduced car usage in the area; reduced journey times for the public; and as a result have reduced traffic pollution and increased road safety.

The Busway has been a great success. The combination of reduced journey times and a safe environment for passengers, including commuters, has seen a steady increase in its use. This represents a quicker return on investment for stake holders Luton and Central Bedfordshire Councils and Luton Town Centre Transport Scheme. Fast, frequent and reliable services linking Dunstable, Houghton Regis and Toddington with Luton town centre, Luton Airport, the capital, regional, national and international destinations should also help secure continued and future investment in the area.

Redvision and Secure Engineering are pleased to have played such a pivotal role in protecting an installation that has reduced environmental damage and provided a long-term, effective transport solution for the public.

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