Reducing trauma & saving lives with road lights powered by the sun
A series of car accidents along Koo Wee Rup Longwarry Road prompted the Cardinia Shire Council to take action. Recognising that poor visibility at night was a contributing factor in many of the crashes, Council engaged Leadsun to illuminate the intersection of Taplins Road and Koo Wee Rup Longwarry Road with solar powered road lights.
Client
Cardinia Shire Council
Traditional Custodians
Bunurong & Wurundjeri People
An accident black spot with poor visibility at night
There have been some horrific car accidents on Koo Wee Rup Longwarry Road over the years. Located 70km south-east of Melbourne, this long, flat road was originally a swamp until it was drained in the 1800’s to create farmland for cattle and, more recently poultry.
Since 2012 there have been at least 35 crashes along this deceptively quiet stretch of road. In 2012, a driver was injured when he lost control of his vehicle and veered off the road a few meters from Taplins Road. In March 2019, three people were seriously injured when two cars collided at the intersection of Taplins Road and Koo Wee Rup Longwarry Road. In the early hours of October 2019 history repeated when a driver narrowly escaped serious injury after his vehicle left the road and careered into the darkness.
Recognising that over half of the accidents on Koo Wee Rup Longwarry Road occurred at night, the City of Cardinia engaged Leadsun to improve visibility in low light with the installation of two solar powered road lights at the Taplins Road intersection.
Project Challenges
A rock and a hard place: overhead powerlines, an irrigation channel
and mandatory road light setbacks.
Road safety lighting can become very complicated—projects like this
one must work within the constraints of the site and comply with an array of VicRoads street lighting design guidelines relating to road setbacks and lighting levels.
Powerlines located on the southern side of Koo Wee Rup Longwarry Road meant that the new road lights could only be installed on the opposite side. However, an irrigation channel on this side of the road and VicRoad’s mandated road setback rules meant that only a narrow strip of land could be used for the new road lights.
A fully engineered road light system
Two high-powered 30 watt LED road lights were installed on either side of Taplins Road, between the irrigation channel and Koo Wee Rup Longwarry Road. Each unit is powered by a 400 watt, AE6 series solar engine with onboard battery and operate completely off-grid, even in cloudy weather and at night.
Using the latest CAD lighting software to model simulated light levels, Leadsun lighting engineers were able to precisely calculate pole height, setback and outreach as well as LED luminaire and solar
engine size.
Reducing trauma & saving lives road lights
The two Leadsun solar road lights installed at the intersection of Taplins Road and Koo Wee Rup Longwarry Road have significantly improved visibility and safety at night for all road users, including drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists.
Drivers traveling at night along Koo Wee Rup Longwarry Road at speeds of up to 100kph can now see the Taplins Raod intersection before they approach it.
The project highlights how Leadsun’s innovative products and engineering expertise can overcome challenging site constraints to make the community, and our roads safer.
Reflecting on the project afterwards, Leadsun Business Development Manager, Walter Terella said, “I’m very proud of this project. It really highlights how innovative solutions like ours can make our roads safer for everyone, reducing trauma and saving lives.”
Leadsun Products used
- Solar module series – AE6
- Solar PV size – 400W
- LED output programming: 30W, dusk til dawn
- Pole & footing type – EzyWinch Lowerable Pole, Ragbolt Concrete Footing
Lighting Applications
Acknowledgement of Country
We acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the land on which this project was undertaken, The Wurundjeri and Bunurong peoples. We recognise their continuing connection to land, waters and culture, and we pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging.
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