Swindon’s traffic lights are going green

Sixty-seven of Swindon’s traffic light-controlled junctions will start to turn green from tomorrow (21 July), and not just when they tell motorists to go.

The traffic lights will be upgraded from halogen bulbs to low power environmentally friendly LEDs. The upgrade will save Swindon Borough Council more than £33,000 in energy and maintenance costs per year. It will also reduce the Council’s carbon footprint by 66 tons of carbon dioxide a year.

The LEDs have a lower fault rate than their halogen predecessors, which will reduce the level of maintenance required for their upkeep and provide a more reliable experience for motorists and pedestrians.

The Council will fund the £193k scheme, which is being delivered by Siemens Mobility, through its capital budget for 2020/21. The scheme will take just under six years to repay and is expected to start realising savings by the end of 2020.

The new LEDs will be retrofitted into the existing traffic lights, which will reduce the cost, time on site, program length and waste generated by the scheme.

It is anticipated that the replacement programme will take six weeks to complete. Temporary traffic management measures may be needed for some sites.

There are currently 206 traffic light sites in Swindon and 84 already operate with LEDs. Following this upcoming replacement programme, the remaining 55 halogen bulb sites will be replaced, refurbished, altered or removed within the payback period or through other council programmes.   

Any traffic light sites that have been refurbished within the last 10 years will already have LEDs.

Councillor Maureen Penny, Swindon Borough Council’s Cabinet Member for Highways, Maintenance and Waste Services, said: “This latest traffic light scheme comes hot on the heels of our wider streetlight LED replacement programme and shows our commitment to reaching carbon neutrality by 2030.

“The LEDs will cost less to power and will last a lot longer than the traditional halogen bulbs. They are also brighter and keep their visibility even in adverse weather so they will make it safer for both pedestrians and motorists.”