Bendy Lamposts !

Innovative ‘Flexible’ Street Lighting Could Save Lives

Hounslow Council, in partnership with TfL, could use Chiswick to pilot revolutionary road safety idea.

In a bid to save lives on local roads, Hounslow Council, in conjunction with TfL, are discussing plans to install innovative new lampposts in a bid to reduce the large number of fatal accidents that arise from cars smashing into streetlights.

The new lampposts, made from a compound as tough as metal but with flexibility due to the incorporation of strong glass fibres, are designed to bend to allow cars to drive over them, therefore reducing the risk of serious or fatal injuries.

TfL have already installed a number of these new streetlights along the A40 and Chiswick is earmarked for the next phase.

According to statistics provided by the AA, 2,300 drivers in the UK hit lampposts last year and many of the crashes proved fatal.

Hounslow has been working in close partnership with TfL and the police to reduce the road accident injuries rate, stating “We are interested in any measure that can help us to reduce injuries further and I'm sure we'll be fully informed by TfL of the results of the A40 pilot."

January 9, 2004