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Traffic lights have been on Aussie roads for the better part of a century. With population growth and urban sprawl peaking, the need for safely regulating the increasing volume of vehicles is of utmost importance. You’ll find traffic lights at major intersections, along the same length of congested roads, as well as railway crossings and bridges. Less obvious places, though with the same significance, are car parks and depots, industrial and construction sites, roadworks, warehouses and public areas like airports and bus terminals. Lights work as part of a controlled and automated network. This is a complex system also consisting of traffic light modules and controllers, loop detectors and sensors, combined with a wide array of traffic signs. Each state regulates their own network within the Department of Transport.
Traffic Lights on the Jobsite
The purpose of traffic lights on construction sites, manufacturing and warehousing facilities and other areas with high traffic flow other than conventional roads, is to ensure workplace health and safety. Injuries and fatalities need to be avoided at all costs. These are areas that include pedestrians as well as vehicles. On-site visitors and employees operating various equipment and vehicles need to be kept apart. The goal is to create separate pedestrian and vehicle routes, pedestrian-only areas as well as exclusion zones. Where pedestrian walkways cross roadways intended for vehicles, there need to be clear markings to raise visibility, or in the case of heavy traffic flow, traffic lights.
Types of Traffic Lights
There’s so much more to the red, yellow and green setup that you’d see at the next set of lights. Traffic lights differ in their configuration, the number of individual lights or modules, the type of traffic they control and how they function within a specified setting.
Single aspect lights are configured to signal in a single colour or arrow. Red, amber, green, blue and white colour modules, as well as red, amber and green arrow modules, can be used on their own, or stacked within a single unit. To restrict access to a given area, there is also a red X module. Modules can be sourced with or without a flash module to indicate a warning and impending change in traffic flow.
Two aspect lights have two modules within the same unit. There are various colour and arrow combinations, the most common being that with red and green modules designed to allow or restrict traffic within a given area. Units can be bought bare or with a background target board for better visibility. These are what you’d find in car parks and vehicle depots, warehouse loading bays, mines, weighbridge applications, race tracks and more.
Three aspect lights are in the typical red, amber and green setup. They too can be optioned in different configurations. In a workplace setting, the transition between red and green with a flashing amber module is used to safely transition between traffic flowing in altering directions, typically where both vehicles and pedestrians are involved.
Other traffic lights are designed for lane control purposes to restrict or allow traffic to access particular lanes. These can be single aspect lights signalling a red x, or a two-aspect light with an included green arrow. These are also used in high vehicle traffic settings, particularly loading bays and warehouses with several vehicles working at a single time. Pedestrian lights can be used to single out pedestrians with defined areas or enclosures, along with barriers, fencing and gates and where routes cross those of vehicles. Amber wig wag lights are often installed around machinery and equipment to signal operation status.
Controllers, Sensors and Signs
Traffic lights can be manually or automatically controlled and regulated with control boxes. These will either require input from staff to manually control varying traffic conditions, for instance in a construction site or during roadworks, or can be set to set with time frames in which lights change. Manual units may have turn switches, or are remotely controlled up to distances of 100 metres. Automated systems rely on a network of loop detectors, sensors and signs to regulate traffic and switch traffic lights accordingly. In fast-paced environments, with heavy traffic flow, an automated system needs to ensure the safe movement of both vehicles and pedestrians, while not impeding efficient workflow.
Build and Materials
LED arrays are the most efficient, and the ones to look for in industrial and commercial premises. They’ll use less power and will outlast other bulbs types, with most rated at or above 50,000 working hours. Lights can be powered either by 12 or 24 DC in areas without mains supply, or varying AC currents in fixed settings. Cabling and conduit are connected to industrial-grade sockets at the back of the modules. Housing is IP-rated to last in any weather or working conditions, including high moisture and humidity or temperature extremes. Modules come with lenses in varying diameters, from slim profile lights at 200mm used in tight spaces, or standard sizes of 300mm for the best visibility at a distance and unfavourable conditions. Lens covers are high strength polycarbonate and differing designs disperse light in different ways. To reduce glare from direct sunlight, visors are affixed at the top. Brackets are used for mounting the lights in the desired location.
