Wanted to make pedestrians of all abilities safer at intersections with more accessible lighting.

With communities needing to make places more accessible to people of all abilities, and rising pedestrian and cyclist injuries and deaths, innovative safety measures like the Vivacity LED Safety Tactile improve the visibility of vital visual safety messages.

Several clients in Australia and New Zealand wanted a solution that would not only enhance safety but also be easy to install and maintain while meeting the local guidelines and standards for Tactile Ground Surface Indicators (TGSI) at busy intersections and crossings.

The intersections and crossings in question are frequented by a diverse group of pedestrians, including children, the elderly, and individuals with disabilities. This diversity required a solution that would cater to the needs of all users, providing clear and reliable guidance and safety features, ensuring people get home safely every day.

Furthermore, the solution needed to be robust enough to withstand the wear and tear of daily use and the harsh Australian weather conditions, which can include intense sun, heavy rain, and strong winds.

Vivacity has provided an effective solution with the installation of 228 Vivacity LED Safety Tactiles across 7 sites in Victoria, Queensland and New Zealand.

A typical project installation with similar problems experienced by all the clients to date was the Bendigo and Trafalgar installations done for Regional Roads Victoria (Department of Transport & Planning).

64 Vivacity LED Safety Tactiles were installed at a busy intersection in Bendigo in its central shopping precinct, and 20 were installed in Trafalgar where school children cross one of the State’s busiest highways and freight routes, when walking from Trafalgar Railway Station to the local school.  

Elsewhere, LED Safety Tactiles have been installed where pedestrians cross a bikeway, and to warn pedestrians entering a truck loading area.

Innovative Vivacity LED Safety Tactiles are designed to supplement the small red or green ‘man’ Walk / Don’t Walk light on the far side of the road, with a large and easily visibile light where they are standing.

The Vivacity LED Safety Tactiles were easily retrofitted to existing traffic signals or included in road upgrade projects. Low-voltage wiring connects the Vivacity LED Safety Tactiles to a control box, ensuring they change in sync with the standard pedestrian lanterns.

The LED Safety Tactile blocks are 24VDC, embedded into the pavement at the kerbside crossing of the intersection, they are connected to the pedestrian traffic lights and shine the same colour as the pedestrian lights to create awareness of signal change at the intersection. These tactiles are daylight viewable and dim down at night.

The tactile surfaces are engineered for durability and ease of maintenance, allowing for quick replacements if needed, thus minimising disruption and maintenance costs.

Vivacity’s unique LED technology used in the tactiles provide bright, consistent illumination, so they are easily noticeable by pedestrians, even during night-time or low-visibility conditions. The brightness can be adjusted to meet local requirements.

The installation process for all 7 projects was streamlined to ensure minimal disruption to the daily flow of traffic and pedestrian movement, demonstrating Vivacity’s commitment to providing practical and efficient safety solutions.

The deployment of Vivacity LED Safety Tactiles resulted in notable safety improvements:

• Reduction in Crashes, Injuries and Deaths: There is credible evidence that Vivacity LED Safety Tactiles reduce the number of crashes, injuries and deaths.
• Improved Night-Time Visibility: The LED tactiles enhanced visibility during night-time and low-visibility conditions, ensuring that pedestrians could safely navigate intersections regardless of the time of day.
• Community Feedback: Positive responses from the local communities and stakeholders underscored the effectiveness and acceptance of the new safety measures.
• Addressing mobile phone and other distractions: The use of highly visible Vivacity LED Safety Tactiles address mobile phone and other distractions that are more common today than ever before. These distractions reduce awareness and significantly increase risk.

• Enhanced safety: Vivacity’s LED Safety Tactiles provided increased visibility and guidance, improving safety for all pedestrians, including the visually impaired and distracted walkers.
• Easy maintenance: The modular construction of the tactiles allowed for quick replacements, minimising downtime and maintenance costs. The robust design ensures long-term durability, reducing the need for frequent repairs.
• Compliance: The tactiles met local guidelines and standards for TGSI, ensuring full regulatory compliance. This compliance is crucial for maintaining the safety and reliability of pedestrian infrastructure.
• Environmental and financial sustainability: By incorporating LED technology, the solution also contributed to energy efficiency and long-term sustainability goals, demonstrating how to reduce the environmental impact of construction.
• The use of durable materials also represents efforts to improve financial sustainability with reduced replacement and maintenance costs.