Liverpool to trial new technology on paths and crossings to help reduce carbon emissions

Liverpool City Council is a key partner in ADEPT Live Labs 2: Decarbonising Local Roads in the UK, a three-year, UK-wide £30 million programme funded by the Department for Transport that aims to decarbonise the local highway network.

The Council is pioneering the use of smart road and highway technologies with a series of experiments across the city on roads, pedestrian crossings and cycle paths.

The hope is that these new technologies will reduce carbon emissions, improve air quality, alleviate congestion, and create more sustainable neighbourhoods.

A series of experiments are currently underway across the city on roads, pedestrian crossings and cycle paths as part of the ADEPT Live Labs 2 project, which aims to help decarbonise local roads in the UK as part of a three-year, UK-wide £30m programme funded by the Department for Transport.

The Association of Directors of Environment, Economy, Planning & Transport (ADEPT) represents local authority county, unitary and metropolitan directors across England. Live Labs 2 includes seven projects, grouped by four interconnected themes, led by local authorities working alongside commercial and academic partners.

Each project is testing new solutions to decarbonise construction and maintenance across the whole life cycle of the local highway network. The programme is overseen by an independent Commissioning Board, which includes the Department for Transport and other experts from across the public and private sectors.

And in March Liverpool will play host to the Live Labs 2 Expo showcasing progress across the whole programme and the seven Live Labs projects, demonstrating the innovation, services, and technologies developed so far. Attendees will see how the use of new tech can make our roads safer and more environmentally friendly.

Among the technologies being trailed in Liverpool are a new luminescent paint called LuminoKrom. This paint absorbs natural or artificial light and glows in the dark for 10 hours without any power supply or CO2 emissions.

It has been installed on cycle paths in Everton Park, potentially saving more than two tonnes of carbon emissions when compared to traditional street lighting – a 46 per cent reduction.

As soon as the sun goes down and the lack of light is felt, the paint becomes luminous, transforming itself into a real ‘fluorescent’ guide for road users.

Another technology is a Flowell traffic sign. This helps enforce speed limits through a dynamic message that lights up when a vehicle exceeds the defined speed.

Liverpool’s first Flowell sign will display a clear “20mph” message when a vehicle exceeds the speed limit. This technology will be visible day and night.

The city will also be trialling an interactive pedestrian crossing that will see the panels light up simultaneously with the pedestrian green light.

These programmes are being trialled to ensure they increase safety for pedestrians and make clear signage for drivers.

Officers from Liverpool City Council will be monitoring the scheme’s success over the coming weeks evaluate changes in lighting and behaviour of each experiment before assessing how to roll out further.

And those mysterious giant bird feet? Look out for these across the city’s Live Lab 2 sites to ‘highlight’ where change is taking place.

Cllr Dan Barrington, Liverpool City Council Cabinet Member for Transport and Connectivity, said:

“It’s crucial that we continually look for improvements on our roads, streets and highways.

“Whatever we can do to improve pedestrian safety and make it easier for drivers will help improve people’s lives and how they enjoy our city.

“Some of these experiments may seem quite adventurous and strange. But this is why it’s crucial to test in real world environments. It will be fascinating to see how they perform and what gets developed for future use.

“The look and feel of our streets will be transformed for the better and for everyone in the years ahead.”