Improvements made to Variable Message Signs for car parks in High Wycombe
The Variable Message Sign on Marlow Hill, High Wycombe.
Improvements have been made to the Variable Message Signs (VMS) for car parks in High Wycombe.
The previous car park guidance systems had fallen into disrepair due to being old and and inability to be maintained cost effectively. To rectify the problem Transport for Buckinghamshire (TfB) have funded a maintenance contract to keep the signs working for at least the next two years.
The new and refurbished signs went live in the middle of December 2018 and were part of a six week project undertaken by Transport for Buckinghamshire (TfB). There are six VMS signs around High Wycombe along major transport routes.
The project cost £32,000 and was paid for by funds collected from developers to help address traffic issues. The signs will now be able to display real time spaces for the majority of the car parks around High Wycombe. TfB also have online access to be able to remotely control the signs and the messages they display.
As part of the project an entirely new communication system has been implemented, which improves how the systems communicate with the surrounding car parks. This change in technology is much more economic to maintain and has increased the intelligence of the systems in use.
Mark Shaw, Cabinet Member for Transportation and Deputy Leader of Buckinghamshire County Council said: ‘The newly-working signs will have a positive impact on local traffic by informing and directing vehicles to car parks with spaces available. This will reduce time spent searching for parking spaces, reducing overall travel. It will also allow drivers to be better informed about parking availability in and around High Wycombe.‘
TfB worked closely with their supply chain partner, Swarco, and the car-park operators to complete this project. It is hoped that this is only the start, as there are future opportunities with the new technology that can be applied to car parks and various businesses on a wider scale.
