Steamboat Road is a busy collector in Greenwich, Connecticut, and the town traffic engineers recently selected it as their first installation location for Carmanah’s LED illuminated street name Signs.
Greenwich’s primary driver for purchasing illuminated signs was to improving driver safety. The 2003 MUTCD guidance explicitly recommends that overhead signs be illuminated, as retro reflectivity is often not sufficient for elderly drivers or for the new vehicle headlight standards that project far less light above the vehicle.
Although Greenwich had not yet used illumnated signs, the town examined a number of manufacturers of both LED and fluorescent signs. The fluorescent signs were rejected due to the extremely high electricity required and the ongoing maintenance costs
When comparing LED signs, Greenwich chose Carmanah’s proprietary edge-lit technology over available back lit “light cans” for both brightness and clarity. They also preferred the special legend enhancement process used by Carmanah to make its signs so bright.
An additional major benefit was that Carmanah’s illuminated signs use an internal power supply, unlike some of the other alternatives on the market. With an internal power supply, installation of the signs is quicker and easier, and the “look” of the signs is cleaner – as an externally mounted, bulky external power supply is not necessary.
Finally, Carmanah backs its products with a long three-year warranty and estimates a service life of up to 15 years without any scheduled maintenance. These factors made Greenwich’s purchase decision easier.
For more information about Carmanah’s illuminated street name and traffic signs, visit www.roadlights.com or contact the Roadway Lighting Division at:
- Toll-free (North America): 1-877-722-8877
- Worldwide: +1 (250) 380-0052
- Fax: +1 (250) 380-0062
- E-mail: info@roadlights.com
Guidance on this case study gratefully acknowledged to Rick Doll, Traffic Engineer for the Town of Greenwich.