Tech company pioneers solution to tall lorries hitting bridges
A Birmingham technology company has devised a system which it believes could potentially save taxpayers more than £23m a year by protecting crucial tunnels, bridges and overhead cables.
Coeval, based in Harborne, believes its Intelligent Warning Systems significantly reduce the chance of overheight vehicles hitting railway bridges and tunnels.
The problem is bigger than many people think, with more than 1,700 cases identified by Network Rail alone in 2017.
The system uses sensors to track overheight or overweight vehicles well before they get to a potential hazard, using a high-definition LED sign to display a message warning the driver to stop or divert to a different route.
The company said the signs were easy to fit, visible in all conditions and vandal resistant, and completely eradicated the need for drivers to know the height and weight of their vehicles.
Coeval, which has been supplying its technology to local authorities and highways agencies for more than 30 years, said despite the help available, many organisations still preferred to invest in driver awareness campaigns which statistics illustrated were not working.
Gary Higgins, managing director of the firm, said: “So-called ‘bridge strikes’ continue to cost rail operators, passengers and road users significant time, money and inconvenience with some even proving fatal.
“Even in the last few weeks, there has been four railway bridges hit by overheight vehicles, with each one estimated to cost £14,000 and take roughly two hours to clear up. Despite several failed attempts to stop the problem, the real answer has been in front of our eyes for over 30 years.
“Our Overheight Vehicle Detection System doesn’t try to change driver behavior, we prefer to focus on preventing collisions before they happen by taking human error out of the equation.’’
The firm has installed systems to the Dartford Tunnel, a number of high profile roads in Edinburgh and in cities in Brazil, Hong Kong, Singapore and Greece.
Coeval was acquired by Mr Higgins in November 2013 and in that time, he said more than doubled its sales to in excess of £1.5m.
The Birmingham-born entrepreneur is confident he can push sales above the £5m figure between now and 2021, resulting in significant new employment opportunities within the business.
