-
Mayor meets Mobileye, developers of Shield+™ road safety technology, during trade mission to Israel
-
UK company Amey has confirmed it will be equipping 200 refuse collection vehicles – more than 100 in London - with potentially life-saving ‘Cycle Safety Shield’ system, powered by Mobileye Shield+™
-
Amey plans wider UK roll out and will have one of the largest fleets with this advanced technology
-
News follows the success of an award-winning pilot in Ealing
The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson MP, has welcomed the roll-out by a UK company of cutting edge technology developed in Israel to help improve road safety.
Amey, one of the UK’s largest public and regulated services providers, will be equipping 200 refuse collection lorries with a system called ‘Cycle Safety Shield’, which helps drivers to be more aware of vulnerable road users. The system is supplied by UK company Safety Shield Systems – the UK provider of Mobileye Shield+™.
Cycle Safety Shield, which has been developed by the Israeli firm Mobileye, uses cameras and sensors to help drivers avoid collisions by detecting and warning of the presence of cyclists, pedestrians and motorcyclists. Mobileye technology incorporates strategically placed multi-vision ‘smart’ sensors, which act as a driver's third eye and monitor blind spots around the vehicle. The system provides drivers with real-time visual and audible alerts as the risk of a collision increases.
The announcement, which comes on the second day of the Mayor’s trade mission to Israel, complements wider efforts to improve road safety in London. This includes building new infrastructure that protects road users and working with partners to implement new ideas. The Mayor is particularly keen to see the development of these kinds of detection technologies, and Mobileye Shield+TM is one of a number being developed by different manufacturers.
The Safer Lorry Scheme was introduced on 1 September this year to ensure that only HGVs with vital safety mirrors and sideguards are allowed on London’s roads. London is also pioneering Pedestrian SCOOT - the world’s first pedestrian crossing sensors - at junctions to help make it easier and safer for people to cross the road.
The roll-out of Cycle Safety Shield by Amey on its vehicles follows a six month trial in Ealing last year, which showed that 15 potentially serious collisions were avoided. Ealing has since committed to fitting the technology to all of its lorry fleet.
Mayor of London, Boris Johnson MP, said: “It’s fantastic to see that cutting edge technology, such as Cycle Safety Shield developed by Mobileye in Israel, is being utilised to help make London’s roads safer. Amey’s commitment to fitting Cycle Safety Shield to its fleet of trucks is to be applauded and I hope that other big companies follow their lead. As we work towards strengthening our Safer Lorry Scheme we’re giving real consideration to making sensor technology like this a requirement for HGVs operating in London. I've said that improving the direct vision of drivers is one of our key priorities going forward, but high tech solutions being developed by Mobileye and others are sure to play a big part in helping us to deliver future improvements to road safety".
Ziv Aviram Levy, Mobileye's CEO and Co-Founder, said: “Mobileye technology complements the Mayor of London’s mission to make roads in the nation's capital safer for vulnerable road users. We are very pleased Amey has chosen our technology to help them promote road safety. Mobileye Shield+TM is currently being piloted across the globe in the U.S., Germany, China, Japan and Australia. However, this fleet-wide rollout positions London as global pioneers in the adoption of lifesaving advanced driver assistance technology."
Mel Ewell, Chief Executive of Amey, said: "Amey is committed to ensuring public and employee safety, and we’re always looking at new ways to continue delivering our services as safely as possible. Working with our suppliers to roll out the Cycle Safety Shield system across our fleet, is another example of where we have gone above and beyond to help improve road safety in London and across the communities in which we work.”
Jon Guest, Director of Safety Shield Systems, said: “Amey started to install the Cycle Safety Shield following an extensive trial carried out by Ealing Council. Amey has now taken the decision to install the system across their fleet to help protect vulnerable road users and Safety Shield Systems are proud to be working with them on this project. Amey will have one of the largest fleets in the UK fitted with the most advanced lifesaving technology available. The Cycle Safety Shield complements the Mayor’s safer lorry scheme and shows how London is leading the way in road safety innovation.”
Councillor Bassam Mahfouz, cabinet member for transport and environment for Ealing, said: “The Cycle Safety Shield is life-saving technology which is proving to be a game-changer in the field of road safety. With lorries being responsible for two-thirds of cycling deaths in London, this innovative piece of kit, installed on Ealing vehicles, makes such a positive difference and I am delighted and honoured that this has been recognised with awards from Brake and across Europe."
Notes to editors
About London’s Safer Lorry Scheme
As of September 1, vehicles of more than 3.5 tonnes entering London must be fitted with sideguards to protect cyclists from being dragged under the wheels in the event of a collision, along with Class V and Class VI mirrors to give the driver a better view of cyclists and pedestrians.
The scheme has already seen the vast majority of HGVs in London fitting the equipment as operators move to comply – and the Mayor has confirmed his intention for it to go further, proposing the requirement of further safety modifications, including the retrofitting of bigger side windows to further reduce the driver blind spots. Bigger side windows, in the lower panel of the cab door, give the driver direct vision of any cyclist who may be alongside them, and can be fitted to most lorries for around £1000.
In January the Mayor will consult on the principle of these improvements and the best way to enforce the fitting of new, bigger ‘direct vision’ windows. In parallel, work will be done with cycling groups, vehicle manufacturers and the freight industry to develop a technical ‘direct vision standard’ so the windows are legally enforceable. It is hoped to have this work completed by March or April of next year.
Extensive trials are also now being undertaken at the Transport Research Laboratory of a variety of electronic sensors for lorries, aiming to alert drivers to cyclists’ presence. If it is shown that any of these devices offers significant and consistent benefits, it may also be required for them to be fitted to lorries in London.
Further information about the Safer Lorry Scheme can be found here: https://tfl.gov.uk/info-for/freight/safer-lorry-scheme
Road safety in London
Earlier this year, the Mayor announced a new target to halve the number of people killed and seriously injured on the Capital’s roads by 2020. The original target, to reduce the number of such incidents by 40 per cent by 2020, was achieved six years early.
During 2014, the number of people killed or seriously injured (KSI) on London’s roads fell to its lowest level since records began.
The Road Casualties and Collisions report for 2014 can be downloaded here: https://tfl.gov.uk/cdn/static/cms/documents/collisions-and-casualties-on-londons-roads-annual-report-2014.pdf
About Mobileye N.V
Mobileye N.V. is the global leader in the development of vision and data analysis for Advanced Driver Assistance Systems and autonomous driving. Our technology keeps passengers safer on the roads, reduces the risks of traffic accidents, saves lives and has the potential to revolutionize the driving experience by enabling autonomous driving. Our proprietary software algorithms and EyeQ® chips perform detailed interpretations of the visual field in order to anticipate possible collisions with other vehicles, pedestrians, cyclists, animals, debris and other obstacles.
Our products are also able to detect roadway markings such as lanes, road boundaries, barriers and similar items, as well as to identify and read traffic signs and traffic lights. Our products are integrated into car models from 23 global automakers including BMW, Ford, General Motors, Nissan, Volvo, Audi and Hyundai. Our products are also available in the aftermarket.
About Amey
Amey is a leading UK public and regulated services provider with over 21,000 employees. Amey operates over 320 contracts, providing an unrivalled range of services including utilities, highways, waste management, rail, justice solutions, social housing and facilities management. Services are underpinned by our leading consulting and asset management capabilities, which allow us to offer stand-alone or integrated service solutions to a range of clients.
Amey is owned by Ferrovial. They are one of the world’s leading infrastructure management and investment companies. Ferrovial employs approximately 65,000 employees and operates in over 25 countries. Ferrovial’s activities focus on four business sectors construction, airports, toll roads and services. Amey is part of the Services division.
About Safety Shield Systems
Safety Shield Systems is a multi-award winning company who provide safety and collision avoidance systems for the automotive, construction, highway and rail industry.
The Lancashire based company developed cycle safety shield using Mobileye technology to help protect vulnerable road users, this followed extensive work carried out with TFL trialing new systems for road safety. Safety Shield Systems is part of the J.K.Guest Group who also provide safety consultation for the nuclear and construction industry and training for the utility mapping and construction industry worldwide.
Awards
Ealing and Cycle Safety Shield have won numerous industry awards for their Cycle Safety Shield initiative. It won the Fleet Safety Analysis and Action category at road safety charity, Brake’s awards in October. In September, London was named best ‘Innovative Transport City’ at the Transport Innovation Deployment for Europe (TIDE) event for Ealing Council’s cycle safety work. And in March the partnership was recognised at the London Transport Awards as the winners of the ‘Most Effective Road Safety, Traffic Management & Enforcement Project’.