The trial is a partnership between us and the county's Police and Crime Commissioner.
The signs, activated by an approaching vehicle, display the vehicle's speed and a reminder message to either slow down or a thank you/smiley face graphic for keeping within the limit.
The devices aim to improve road safety by reducing vehicle speeds and raising awareness of local speed limits. Local parish, town, or district councils can apply to take part in the trial by purchasing signs in line with the specification for use on the public highway.
Devices can be installed at sites where there are local concerns about speed. It's suggested that 3 sites are chosen to then rotate a single sign between them for cost effectiveness.
Specifications
The signs must:
- be consistent with the Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions 2016, and the most recent Traffic Open Product and Specifications (TOPAS) recommendations
- be no more than 660mm in height, 450mm wide and a depth of 150mm to ensure a consistent approach across the county
- use LEDs on a black ground with black casing, and there should be no supplier, sales information, logos or anything else written on the sign facing traffic
Approval from the local county councillor is required before submitting the application form.
Points to consider
The signs are intended to be used in areas with a speed limit of 30 mph or less, but applications for signs in higher limits may be considered.
Up to 3 sign locations are available for each village, although it is acknowledged that there may be situations where extra advice will need to be sought.
The vehicle speed reading must occupy around half the sign face with either smiley / sad faces to the underside, depending upon the speed being over or under the speed limit. The worded message 'thank you' can be an alternative to the faces. An alternative can be the speed limit roundel with a 'slow down' message to its underside. This needs to be discussed with the firm you select to provide your sign(s).
Parish, town, or district council will be entirely responsible for the signs on completion of a licence agreement with us. A £100 fee is payable for the licence agreement to our legal services team.
Professional contractors who are authorised to work on the public highway must be used for installation and maintenance of the devices. All operatives must comply with protective equipment requirements and all works must be notified through our permit and noticing scheme when the signs are initially ordered and when the signs are moved.
Details of warranty and maintenance agreements with any supplier must also be provided to us, along with public liability insurances to work on the public highway for erecting, moving, and repairing the signs.
The signs should either be battery or solar powered.
If a lighting column is used to mount the sign, it will need to be assessed by our street lighting team as being suitably strong for the signs to be attached to them. The weight of the sign must not exceed 13kg if the units are fixed to streetlight columns. The previously mentioned licence agreement will need to be completed as well as the licence to attach a device to a streetlight. Find out more about the licence required to attach a device to a streetlight.
Each sign needs to have a data logging device, accessible by the county council to independently download information without the prior consent of the owner.
How to apply for an interactive speed alert sign
Local parish, town, or district councils can apply to take part in the trial. Applications should be sent to highways.hub@derbyshire.gov.uk and must include the following:
- Confirmation of the county elected member approval.
- A location plan showing 3 potential sites where a sign can be moved to and from and the frequency of them being moved.
- A completed licencing form (attached to this page) with information relevant to these signs.
- Details of signs and intended supplier and the sign warranty agreements and maintenance agreements.
- Details of installers public liability insurance to work on the public highway.
- Details of any lighting columns used with the relevant numbers and the completed form for structural testing. Further details are available on attachments to street lights.
Further information
Interactive sign suppliers and installers can be found by searching the web, although the following have been used by us from time to time:
They have experience of securing the relevant permissions and insurances to work on our roads and their equipment meets with our standards. The list is not, therefore, exhaustive and applicants can use who they wish to, but it is important any supplier meets the standards outlined.
The Cabinet report (10 March 2022) contains details about the scheme.
For any queries about the application process, please email: highways.hub@derbyshire.gov.uk and a colleague will contact you.