Highways Archives

A Decade of Driving Innovation on display at Highways UK

Posted on 28th October 2022 at 1:08 pm.

On November 2nd and 3rd at the NEC Birmingham, at Highways UK 2022, MVIS looks forward to welcoming visitors to stand H16 to celebrate a decade of driving innovation, reinforce the company’s long-standing sustainable focus as well as discussing its ever-increasing range of value adding solutions.

The company has always held innovation, sustainability and service at its core of values, and at Highways UK 2022 these three key pillars of MVIS will be on display for the sector to see.

A Decade of Driving Innovation…

An MVIS company staple is its attitude towards innovation; never resting on its laurels and continually investing in its research & development programme to continue to better itself for the benefit of its customers.

“That means we are constantly moving forward and fulfilling required gaps in the market with our bespoke products and R&D department,” says Graeme Lee, MVIS’ Sales Director.

“We’re never willing to accept stagnation.” Graeme continued. “We place great pride and great emphasis on being at the forefront of technologies within our field, and it’s a stance that hasn’t wavered across the last 10 years. At Highways UK, we’re looking forward to putting our innovation ethos in the spotlight.”

Sustainable Thinking

MVIS has a long-standing sustainable commitment and is constantly searching for ways to reduce its environmental footprint. MVIS’ products are designed to be energy efficient, and the company encourages its employees to operate with sustainability in mind.

MVIS are proud to be members of both Greener Highways and the Carbon Club, and the company puts its money where its mouth is when it comes to sustainability.

“It’s been clear there’s been a major shift over the last few years towards sustainability in the highways sector and that’s absolutely fantastic – but it’s not a recent thing for us.” Said Anne Ashman, Group Commercial & Operations Director.

“Recently, we made the switch from product sheets to QR codes to showcase our product information when at events and exhibitions. So, at Highways UK 2022, we’ll be asking people to scan rather than handing out reams of paper across the 2 days.”

Adding Value

When you hire VMS from MVIS, you don’t just get the best kit for getting your message across. And with new, improved pricing, there is no better time to put VMS to the test.

Providing a Platinum level of service is a further MVIS ethos, and the company will display all its added value solutions at Highways UK 2022.

From environmental sensors to radar, data collection to message programming, as well as 24/7 support and battery changes, the MVIS service doesn’t simply stop at VMS unit hire.

Anne signed off before the show by saying:

“We’re looking forward to the conversations Highways UK provides the platform for. It’s such a well-attended event and we’re excited to share everything we have to offer.”

Source: HighwaysIndustry.com

Project EDWARD and National Safe Speeds Day

Posted on 19th October 2022 at 11:05 am.

Written by Ben Kettell

Wednesday the 19th is National Safe Speed Day, which coincides with Day 3 of the #ProjectEdward campaign. #SafeSpeedsDay aims to encourage drivers to reflect on their driving and commit to making every journey a safe one that doesn’t exceed the speed limits.

Project EDWARD is an initiative which promotes safety on our roads with this year’s theme being ‘Changing Minds, Changing Behaviour’. Its Week of Action began on Monday the 17th of October, with police forces across the UK increasing their speed enforcement activity, focusing on roads or areas that are known to be where speeding happens or where past incidents have occurred.

As a company that prioritises safety, particularly with speed, showing our support for this initiative is important to us. Over the last 10 years, our ITS solutions have served the UK’s highways and helped to keep them safe. Products like our Radar Activated VMS, IVD Radar and HD Data Collection Radar can all be used to solve speed safety issues.

Our Radar Activated VMS can be used to display a variety of vital messages, speed alerts and responsive information, all triggered by the driver’s speed. The VMS-A, VMS-C and HD Compact VMS can all be integrated with radar to increase their capabilities whilst still maintaining all the fantastic features of our standard VMS.

There are lots of great benefits to Radar Activated VMS, such as the capability to detect speed and use the VMS-A’s messaging power for ‘Specific Speed Messaging’, where messages can be overridden with a speed roundel if a vehicle exceeds the set speed limit. When the unit detects the speed of an approaching vehicle, it alerts the driver of their speed and advises them to slow down if necessary.

All our VMS also discreetly house a data collection radar which can collect vehicle logs on speed, time and date. By allowing users to identify traffic trends and risks, such as speed or volume of traffic, they can then take steps to solve them.

As a fleet operator, making sure that our drivers are driving safely and within the speed limit is crucial. This is why we’re proud to achieve a FORS Bronze accreditation, which shows our commitment to excellence in driver and vehicle safety, as well as efficiency and environmental protection.

If you’d like to learn more about how our Radar Activated VMS can solve your speed safety issues, or any of our other products for that matter, get in touch with our Sales team at 01629 580570 or by email at: sales@m-vis.co.uk.

Learn more about Project EDWARD here: projectedward.org. Make sure to get involved and show your support by using the hashtag #ProjectEdward.

Come to the ITS and VMS Experts

Posted on 3rd October 2022 at 10:47 am.

Written by Ben Kettell

Through our commitment to our clients, we have built a strong reputation for customer service and expertise. Due to our focus on portable VMS and specific ITS solutions, our expertise is specialised in our core solutions rather than diluted across many different types of products, like some of our competitors.

Often working in collaboration with Highways England and other Tier 1 contractors, MVIS has become a trusted asset when it comes to the delivery of safe, efficient VMS and ITS products and solutions onto the UK’s roads. As the company has continued to deliver and further its stellar reputation, MVIS has become more involved in the preparation phase of major schemes.

We are committed to providing our clients with quality service, which is further reinforced by our Quality Service Promise, which outlines all the additional aspects that we offer as part of our service. MVIS adopts the policy of treating all customers equally, no matter who they are and aims to provide a quality service to all of them.

When our clients hire with MVIS, they can be confident that our expertise is backed up by a number of accreditations and memberships. Amongst these include FORS Bronze, Achilles BuildingConfidence membership, Constructionline Platinum and ISO accreditations in ISO45001: Occupational Health & Safety, ISO9001: Quality Management Systems and ISO14001: Environmental Management Systems, which come together to make an Integrated Management System (IMS), bringing our systems and processes into one complete framework.

The MVIS approach to training is continuous and has a number of critical elements, which are:

MVIS staff is fully trained as hiab and slinger signalers for delivery, installation and removal.
Our staff are fully trained in health and safety. Each MVIS operative participates in an ongoing safety training program, as well as externally completed safety training to ensure quality across all departments.
Depending on their role on site, the MVIS workforce is all on site with the appropriate and relevant CSCS card. Even the management team are CSCS qualified so they can visit the site to carry out essential auditing.

More than 60% of our team members have been with MVIS for their entire careers. The company has a reputation for investing in people and a high staff retention rate. This results in MVIS staff embracing the company values, which translates into excellent customer service.

As a result of these factors, we are already recognised in the industry as the best at what we do, and this is only confirmed with every project we are trusted with.

Our ITS and VMS expertise, accredited quality, comprehensive training, vast fleet, and versatile products make us the ideal company for your ITS and VMS requirements. You can hire with confidence when you hire with MVIS, so why would you go anywhere else?

Get in touch with our Sales team who are available to assist you with any questions you may have by calling 01629 580570 or by email at sales@m-vis.co.uk.

The 5 Benefits of Radar Activated VMS

Posted on 25th July 2022 at 1:00 pm.

Written by Ben Kettell

The highly versatile VMS-A is used across various industries such as highways, construction, events, airports and ports. A VMS-A (variable message sign) with radar expands upon its functionality across a range of applications and provides many great additional benefits. Furthermore, it still includes all the features of our standard VMS-A.

The five benefits of a radar activated VMS-A:

Speed Specific Messaging – a default message can be set on the sign, for example, “Please drive carefully through road works”. If a vehicle exceeds the set speed, the message can be overridden with a speed roundel.

Speed detection – the signs can be set to display the speed of approaching vehicles, alerting drivers of their speed and advising them to slow down.

A simple thank you message – as well as informing oncoming vehicles if they are exceeding the speed limit, it can also display a message or pictogram thanking drivers who are adhering to the set speed limit. This will encourage them to continue to drive safely.

Data collection – the radar can also provide vehicle logs, recording time, date and speed of vehicles.

Environmentally friendly – All our VMS are solar powered and use low-power consuming LEDs, making the VMS-A an environmentally friendly choice. There’s also an option to show a message only when a vehicle is detected, which further reduces power consumption.

If you would like to find out more about how the VMS-A with radar could work for your next project, please get in touch with our Sales team on 01629 580 570 or email sales@m-vis.co.uk.

MVIS offer Added Value

Posted on 23rd February 2022 at 8:00 am.

Written by Ben Kettell

We have always taken pride in the things that make us special. As an industry leader, we are required to not just stay on the forefront of innovation, but to also push the boundaries for the rest of the industry, ensuring our service and products are the best they could be so that our customers are receiving maximum value.

As a result, we place the idea of ‘added value’ high amongst our priorities, looking at ways we can improve our service and products, as well as our internal processes.

Knowing our Customers

One of the ways we look to offer added value for our customers is by taking the time and effort to learn about the industries we work with. We do this to gain a good understanding of their needs, which then helps us in our continuing mission to look for ways to add more value. As such, it makes working with MVIS and hiring our products an experience that offers much more than intended.

A good example of this can be found in the development of our HD Compact unit, which was the first portable Variable Message Signs (VMS) of its size to hit market and has since inspired the develop of competing units within the industry. The HD Compact was developed in response to a customer requirement for Traffic Management applications, since at the time, portable VMS units were traditionally roughly the size of our VMS-A and VMS-C units.

Some Traffic Management applications, especially urban works are highly limited on space, making VMS-A and VMS-C units too big for some projects. The HD Compact helped to fulfil this requirement for the entire industry and to this day has changed the landscape of the portable VMS market in the UK.

This solution would not be possible without our proactive approach when it comes to working with our customers and it is an approach we maintain today. Since it’s launch in 2016, we have continued to develop the HD Compact with our customers, recently undergoing significant changes that still puts it ahead of competing solutions of its size. Version 2 of the unit comes with integrated solar power, the addition of adjustable height for its display and a new casing design that hides all cabling, making it more secure against vandalism or accidental damage.

Product Integrations

As with the HD Compact, we are always developing all our units to make sure that customers are getting much more than just a portable VMS. Due to the locations that our products are traditionally deployed, they offer a great opportunity for a wide range of additional extras that can bring huge benefits to any project. We do this by integrating other technologies with our signs that enhance what they are capable of.

For example, when deployed to communicate to drivers, our signs can offer extra value to a project with their integrated data collection radar, which comes as standard with all our VMS.

The integrated data collection radar offers a low-cost alternative to many data collection solutions on the market and is ideal to be used as a data source for the analysis of traffic trends, enabling greater intelligence for planning projects of all kinds.

It may also help with general road and work site safety, allowing users to identify traffic trends with risk, such as speed or volume of traffic, and therefore take steps to combat it. Sourcing traffic data has never been easier, with data uploading to our server every hour, ready to be downloaded at any time by the user via a web-based portal.

Combining data collection and VMS in one unit offers a multi-functional solution that can help collect valuable data at the same time as communicating messages. What’s more is that by working with data sharing solutions company, Chordant on a trial that demonstrates that our integrated data collection radar produced comparable traffic speeds and flow relative to Coventry SCOOT data, we have proved that we can use our signs to help to understand traffic trends and flows.

In recent months, we have expanded the capability of our units, especially the VMS-A with integrations such as the VMS CCTV solution, which integrates a CCTV camera with the VMS-A for increased security and monitoring of a work site.

Working with Partners

We don’t just work with customers when it comes to innovation.

MVIS, as well as our sister company, ITS manufacturer, Bartco UK, have worked with a range of specialists in their field to bring portable, solar powered innovations to the industry such as ANPR and CCTV.

This is made possible by our Solar IP, which serves as a trailer-based, solar powered ‘power bank’ available for integration with other technology, granting it portability and solar power.

We offer added value to clients who require our products simply by offering the Solar IP, allowing them to integrate the technology they already own with ours, potentially opening new doors for what the technology is capable of. Working with either MVIS or Bartco UK offers an opportunity to be the first to develop a new industry innovation.

However, we also work proactively with partners, developing relationships with specialists in technology to help make their technology portable. We seek value in our partners to ensure that we can also provide value to the industry, resulting in innovations with leading companies such as Wavetronix, Jenoptik, 360 Vision and Iknaia.

Added Value for Everyone

One of the biggest product integrations we have recently developed looks at the added value we can bring for everyone. The Integrated ITS Environmental Sensor can be combined with any of our ITS solutions to offer clients the ability to monitor the external environment, producing a wide range of air pollution data that can be used to inform and direct on issues of air pollution safety.

This solution not only benefits the customer for their environmental or project goals, but also helps wider society in efforts to reduce pollution, by giving users the ability to identify hot spots and areas of concern, making it easier to take action.

Also, by serving as a very low-cost alternative to static Air Quality monitoring stations, it allows clients to cover more space in a cost-effective way by using our units, meanwhile, fulfilling another safety function at the same time.

Service

Although we specialise in portable solar powered ITS solutions, we never lose sight of the fact that we are a service-based company. As a result, we highly prioritise the added value we can offer in our service.

We are proud to offer customers our ‘Platinum Service Promise’, which outlines our commitment to delivering a ‘Platinum’ level service for a ‘Bronze’ level price. Going above and beyond on what is expected from us means we receive a lot of positive customer feedback, which allows us to identify things we get right.

Anne Ashman, UK Group Commercial and Operations Director commented, “We don’t just offer 24/7 service to our customers, we offer informed and experienced service from a highly trained team. Our impressive range of additional aspects that is encompassed in our service helps distinguish us from a typical VMS supplier.”

One of these aspects is how we monitor our products. We have a plethora of tools in place that help us monitor different aspects of our units out in the field, all from our head office in Matlock. On the rare occasions that there is an issue, we are made aware using our monitoring tools and, thanks to our national coverage, we can quickly dispatch a team from the nearest depot to investigate the problem, building in battery changes, repairs and replacements if needed into the promise of service we offer our clients.

After years of over-delivering on our customer’s expectations, we have built a reputation in the industry for our excellent service. Our emphasis on training gives customers confidence that our versatile team are fully trained in Health & Safety and as hiab and slinger signalers for delivery, installation and removal. Depending on their role on site, our workforce are also always present with the appropriate and relevant CSCS card, ensuring only the highest standards are met.

These aspects that give MVIS added value to work with culminate to working with a business that has covered every aspect of a platinum level service.

Hire with MVIS today to be confident that your ITS technology will be taken care of by experts.

MVIS offers more with HIAB access

Posted on 9th April 2021 at 3:57 pm.

Written by Ben Kettell

MVIS have a solid reputation for platinum level service. As part of this, we work hard to ensure that what we have to offer our customers is exactly what they need and more. We have built this reputation over many years of serving clients on projects of all sizes and our commitment to service has brought us a large base of repeat customers, which has allowed us to understand them even more as time goes on.

Over the years we have brought new products and solutions to market with customers in mind and we have also worked on our service provision for the same reason, allowing us to be more versatile and accommodating for projects of many kinds. This has allowed us to offer a more rounded service to all as we move towards fulfilling the full spectrum of requirements in our field.

One of the ways we have worked on this in recent years has been through obtaining access to HIAB loader cranes. Our specially trained HIAB operatives and slinger signalers allow us to offer more when it comes to the delivery, installation and removal of our products.

This enables us to deploy multiple portable Variable Message Signs and other technologies in locations that can be difficult to reach or get to by a standard delivery vehicle, like for example, behind motorway barriers. In many cases, such locations can be a lot safer for both the unit itself and the general public, making this an ideal location for deployment.

Unlike with other portable VMS and ITS suppliers, hiring with MVIS means that the customer is not expected to supply their own access to HIAB loader cranes, saving on hassle and cost.

If you would like to know more information about our access to HIAB loader cranes or about how our solutions can help you, please get in touch with the team at MVIS on 01629 580 570 or email sales@m-vis.co.uk.

MVIS takes the road to Highways UK 2020

Posted on 29th October 2020 at 4:07 pm.

Written by Ben Kettell

It’s been a difficult year for everyone in 2020 and trade shows have unquestionably been hit worse than most, forcing them all to either postpone their plans or rethink their operations.

Indeed this is the difficult decision the organisers at Highways UK had to make this year, with COVID-19 driving people apart, stuck in their homes with the idea of trade show events pre-COVID as a fond, distant memory of simpler times.

This year, Highways UK will be conducted online – a virtual trade show that brings many of the networking benefits of a trade show to a digital environment.

As we approach the event, taking place from 2 – 6 November, we eagerly anticipate the exciting new format that the organisers have put together. Comprising of virtual ‘stands’ and a busy timetable of event sessions that feature a very wide range of guest speakers and sponsors, it promises to be an interesting opportunity for all involved.

The friendly team at MVIS will be on stand-by, ready to discuss any enquiries visitors may have about our products. Highways UK this year comes hot on the heels of some big developments from MVIS, including our IVD Data Collection Radar with AGD, the publication of our Major Project Timeline and our new Portable Solar Powered Invictus CCTV.

Highways UK offers us a unique opportunity to promote these offerings and our core product range to over 3000 people who have registered to take part, along with the full library of our solution and specification sheets, ready for download.

We are very much looking forward to the virtual event, during a year that has been absent of the usual business, social and networking opportunities that as an economy we depend on.

Anne Ashman, Commercial and Operations Director for MVIS comments “We have been waiting for a virtual trade show for a very long time. With all these digital tools available to us, it was only a matter of time before trade events went online in some capacity. It’s certainly a much more environmentally friendly way forward.”

Anne continues, “However tragic the circumstances of this development, it’s important that we all make the most of the opportunity and participate with our full support, for the good of the industry.”

Our team will be ready and waiting for existing and prospective clients to field any questions throughout the event on our virtual stand.

But don’t forget, before you can access this, you need to sign up for the event on Terrapin.

Once registered for your guest pass, you can find the full event on Swapcard.

Diligent approach and focus on training means High speed skillset is no fluke

Posted on 17th July 2020 at 10:19 am.

Written by Ben Kettell

Since MVIS Ltd was incorporated in 2012 with only 177 portable VMS units, the company’s product range has grown and developed into a mixture of over 600 portable VMS and CCTV units in the current hire fleet.

The company has also gained a reputation for being the industry leader due to the high level of service delivered by its staff when supplying Intelligent Transport Systems on the UK High-Speed Network.

The team – efficiency is key

Astonishingly, MVIS delivers their operation nationally with a relatively modest sized team. Thirteen employees- yes, just thirteen- make up the team, meaning efficiency is undoubtedly the name of the game.

Dedication to service shines through, and MVIS places their commitment to customer service above all else. ‘Service is our business’ proudly sits as the opening line on MVIS’ own ‘About us’ website page – something instilled into every employee when they come through the door.

Training

To ensure every employee is delivering the standards of service expected each day, MVIS invests heavily in staff training and development.

Their versatile team are fully trained in Health & Safety, and as hiab and slinger signallers for delivery, installation and removal. Depending on their role on site, the MVIS workforce are also always present with the appropriate and relevant CSCS card and health and safety training.

MVIS encourages and steers their team to get involved with continual improvement through training, toolbox talks and using the ISO system.

The accreditations together furnish MVIS with a full integrated management system, bringing systems and processes into one complete framework.

This increases workforce knowledge and understanding which, in turn, raises the bar in the level of safety, job satisfaction and service they provide.

As a result, MVIS has one of the industry’s most highly trained workforces. It’s a happy, skilled team, delivering to satisfied clients.

High Speed Expertise

In the high-speed environment, MVIS has collated an impressive portfolio of major schemes over the last 8 years.

With such a high level of experience, as well as an innate focus on training, development and improvement, the company shows no sign of resting on their laurels when it comes to providing their range of solutions across high speed schemes of work.

Caption: Clear growth and valuable expertise gained can be seen on MVIS major projects timeline

Such is MVIS’ progression in the high-speed arena, the company now regularly collaborates with contractors on their schemes of work to consult and advise on how many units are required for a project, as well as where they should be located for maximum benefit to the road user.

Anne Ashman, MVIS General Manager spoke to us about MVIS’ development in the high-speed sector as well as some of the keys to that growth:

“We have a three-pronged approach if we break it down simply…” Anne begins.

“The first aspect is that from a company perspective, we see it as virtually our obligation to provide our staff with any and every opportunity to upskill, learn, develop personally and continually have the ability to acquire new skills and ideas.”

“Secondly, our team and their attitude are vital. Our people embracing opportunities provided, wanting to develop, understanding our ethos and why we do the things we do. Our team buying in to what we aim to achieve and doing the necessary work with the necessary attitude is the vital second component to our company being able to deliver at such a high standard.”

“This is why staff retention is one of the things I value incredibly highly, our team makes the company.”

“Third and finally, our products and the continuous desire to see how we can improve upon them. That translates from the attitude of our team with the energy and standards they set for our product quality. We don’t stand still and ‘that’ll do’ isn’t in our vocabulary.”

Source: highwaysindustry.com

The 5 reasons High-Speed expertise provides a safer, more efficient road network

Posted on 2nd March 2020 at 10:55 am.

Written by Ben Kettell

MVIS prides itself on keeping Britain moving.

From major motorways and A-roads to inner-city and urban environments, MVIS has developed a reputation for both quality products and outstanding service.

Often working in collaboration with Highways England, MVIS has become a trusted asset when it comes to the delivery of safe, efficient VMS and ITS products and solutions onto the UK’s roads.

As the company has continued to deliver and further its stellar reputation, MVIS has become more involved in the preparation phase of major schemes.

The company provides expert consultation for key upgrades in relation to the VMS and ITS elements of works, including where units will be positioned, how many are needed and how to make the most of the allocated units to provide maximum efficiency in relation to traffic flow, whilst also delivering the optimum level of safety for the road user.

Focusing on the high-speed road network, here are 5 reasons why MVIS is the choice for any high-speed scheme of work:

Expertise & Longevity

MVIS has extensive high-speed knowledge dating back to 2012 and its first schemes on the M4 and M5.

MVIS has provided VMS units to a number of high-profile, high-speed schemes ever since. These schemes include:

M1 J16-J19, J23a-J25, J28-J35a, J39-J42
MSM M60
M27 J4-J11
M62 J10-J12
M20 SMP
M23
Oldbury Viaduct
A14 IDT

2. ISO accreditations

When deciding on who to deliver a key scheme, quality needs to shine through.

Buying into ‘Aim for Zero’ MVIS has had zero incidents of near-misses or injury in its 8-year history, and that exemplary record can be attributed to an attitude towards safety and quality that is ingrained within the company.

This ethos is rubber-stamped with a number of ISO accreditations that leave no doubt as to what you’re getting when you bring MVIS into a job and onto a scheme.

The company ISO accreditations include ISO45001: Occupational Health & Safety, ISO9001: Quality Management Systems, as well as ISO14001: Environmental Management Systems.

3. Training for on-site work

The MVIS approach to training is continuous and has a number of key elements:

MVIS staff fully trained as hiab and slinger signalers for delivery, installation and removal.
Fully health and safety trained staff. Internally, MVIS has a programme of Health and Safety training that is ongoing for every operative, in addition to externally completed health and safety training to ensure quality across the board.
CSCS: Depending on their role on site, MVIS workforce is all on site with the appropriate and relevant CSCS card. Even the management team are CSCS qualified so they can visit the site to carry out essential auditing.

4. Fleet size

The MVIS fleet size supporting their high-speed capabilities is vast, with 192 of their VMS-C units currently in the fleet.

Due to current demand, another 30 are to be added by the end of Jan 2020.

5. Solar IP unit

The Solar IP supports MVIS’ high-speed operation by providing an environmentally friendly ITS solution.

The versatility of the Solar IP makes it perfect for high-speed work, using Solar IP and any combination of VMS, ANPR, CCTV, radar or contactless sensor. If things change, Solar IP can be quickly and easily reconfigured to meet the immediate requirement.

Trust MVIS

With such expertise, accredited quality, as well as in-depth training, a vast fleet and a versatile product range – why wouldn’t MVIS get the call?

Future of Safer Roadworks

Posted on 21st February 2020 at 4:27 pm.

Written by Ben Kettell

by Graeme Lee

High speed roads are extremely dangerous environments in which to undergo construction projects. Often, in certain conditions, on-site workers and motorists are left vulnerable to high speed traffic that could cause serious damage if not managed correctly. Such conditions may occur in the egress from a highway construction project, with heavy plant and construction vehicles merging into live traffic.

Traditionally, temporary static road signs have been used to warn on-coming drivers of the potential that works traffic may be merging from a construction zone. However, despite these signs, merging construction traffic accidents still occur and work zone traffic safety remains an on-going issue for site planners and drivers alike.

While static egress signs do inform the motorist that works vehicles may be merging into live traffic, they do not give live information, and can easily be ignored.

Sign blindness poses a very real risk on the network, with construction zones that occur frequently and for lengthy stretches, and as drivers become fatigued with the same colours and shapes the more they see them.

Developed by sister company Bartco UK, MVIS offer a solution that can help mitigate these issues. The Works Egress Safety Solution is available for hire from MVIS to help notify drivers when works traffic is exiting a work zone onto the main carriageway. Offering a safer and more robust solution than alternatives, this innovative autonomous system integrates a number of our products into a solar powered ITS safety solution designed specifically for this application.

Comprising of an HD Compact, VMS-A and two vehicle sensors, this surprisingly simple solution offers an incredibly effective vehicle activated approach. The sensors are located at the start of the acceleration zone in the works area, with the HD Compact informing the driver to ‘WAIT HERE’

On the main carriageway, a VMS-A is deployed to warn high speed traffic that works traffic may be merging. Upon being triggered by the sensors, the HD Compact changes from its default message ‘WORK EGRESS – WAIT HERE’, to ‘MERGE WHEN SAFE’, depending on the specific requirement.

At the same time, the VMS-A is also activated, displaying a warning message such as ‘WORKS TRAFFIC MERGING FROM RIGHT’, warning drivers ahead of time that works traffic will be merging onto the carriageway. After a set time has passed, the HD Compact reverts to its ‘WAIT HERE’ message and the VMS-A goes blank, reducing unnecessary signage and ensuring that the VMS-A has maximum impact for drivers when it is needed.

If you would like to learn more about our Work Egress Safety Solution, please contact us via our contact form. Alternatively, you can call us on 01629 580 570 to speak to one of our friendly team, or you can email us via sales@m-vis.co.uk.

Zero Incidents in 8 years as the industry buys into ‘Aim For Zero’

Posted on 25th September 2019 at 10:15 am.

Written by Ben Kettell

The Highways England ‘Aiming for Zero’ programme targets those working on the Highways England network who are directly at risk from road users.

Companies within the industry have aligned with Highways England on this, as the aim for zero incidents via a focus on worker safety has come to the fore.

Roadworker safety: Highways England’s Aiming For Zero programme

The Aiming for Zero programme:

Sets a clear goal for the Agency’s health and safety performance
Confirms Highways England’s leadership role in the industry
Brings together health and safety work across the whole business

MVIS and Bartco UK are dedicated to ‘Aim for Zero’ to fall in line with both Highways England and Tier 1 contractors across the network.

The companies place safety at the heart of their operations, with in-house, on-site and off-site training, holding regular briefings and safety workshops as well as attending site instruction meetings.

MVIS and Bartco UK are proud to be able to state that they are both zero-incident companies. This exemplary safety record goes right back to day 1 of the businesses meaning zero incidents is an ‘ever’ statement and not a ‘this year’ statement.

Anne Ashman, General Manager of MVIS and Bartco UK spoke to us about the prized ‘0’ as well as the approach to safety that keeps it intact:

“We invest heavily in our safety ethos to do all we can to remain on zero incidents. Safety is at the centre of the 2 companies, with our ethos ‘Safe Mind, Work Safe, Work Well’ leading the way internally.

“We make sure we support our workforce with site safety workshops, courses and briefings as it’s paramount everyone that goes out on the roads for MVIS or Bartco UK gets home safely at the end of the shift.

“In September, I’ll be starting my NEBOSH (National Examination Board in Occupational Safety and Health) to carry on working on continual improvement of our safety practices and protocols.”

NTIS DATEX II Portable Travel Time VMS: Pioneering and HE Compliant

Posted on 10th August 2018 at 2:43 pm.

Written by Ben Kettell

In 2016 we were proud to become the first ITS solution providers to have real-time journey information from the National Traffic Operations Centre (NTOC) displayed on VMS, improving the commuter’s journey experience.

We are proud to say that as well as being the first to offer this pioneering solution, we fully comply with Highways England’s (HE) stringent criteria.

Our NTIS DATEX II Portable Travel Time VMS (TTVMS) was created in partnership with HE as part of its Travel Demand Management (TDM) pilot for use on its Manchester Smart Motorway (MSM) initiative.

It’s since gone on to feature in HE’s largest scheme, the £1.5bn A14 Cambridge to Huntingdon upgrade. Displaying journey times on 26 portable Bartco VMS, the system helps inform 85,000 drivers on average each day of their predicted journey time, assisting them to choose a different route.

During the MSM project, HE issued its supply chain with a new Major Project Instruction, MPI-54-062016, ensuring that schemes of longer than 4km must not only display TTVMS legends on portable VMS to let customers know the travel time to the end of the works, more importantly that consistency is achieved between the information displayed and Strategic Road Network (SRN) fixed VMS.

The data we use is provided by the National Traffic Information Service (NTIS), which validates all data collected from GPS probe devices, ensuring quality and accuracy by comparing the measured journey times and speeds with ANPR and MIDAS data.

Compared to fixed traffic monitoring devices such as ANPR to generate journey time information, there are many advantages to using data from in-vehicle GPS devices, allowing real time monitoring and low latency, granularity of traffic data, improved coverage and less roadside equipment.

To find out more about how MVIS can offer an excellent service across your traffic management system get in touch with our team on 01629 580 570 or email sales@m-vis.co.uk