Carmanah’s Roadway Division has supplied the BC Parks Division of British Columbia’s Ministry of Environment with six R829 solar-powered LED flashing beacons. These units will be installed in the summer of 2006 in the province’s famous Cathedral Grove area of the MacMillan Provincial Park on Vancouver Island.
MacMillan Provincial Park on Vancouver Island features one of the most accessible stands of giant Douglas-fir trees in British Columbia. Established looping trails enable tourists to meander through giant forest stands, including ancient Douglas-firs, some of which are more than 800 years old and more than 5 meters in circumference.
As a tourist attraction with significant traffic, existing roadside parking was becoming increasingly congested and dangerous. In April 2006, a plan to build a large parking lot was scuttled, so as an alternative BCParks elected to put in flashing lights, overhead lighting, and additional signage in an effort to improve pedestrian safety by alerting motorists of increased congestion.
There is no grid power available for the flashing beacons in Cathedral Grove, so a solar-powered solution was necessary. BCParks selected Carmanah’s solar LED technology as the ideal solution because of its compact design, field-proven reliability, minimal maintenance requirements, and cost-effectiveness. In addition, the Model R829 solar LED beacons enable BC Parks to program the hours of operation, so that these beacons can be set to flash only during periods when there is pedestrian traffic.
About the R829 Programmable Flashing Beacon
Combining advanced electronics and software with an innovative, patented combination of solar power and LED technology, Carmanah’s Model R829 is the most advanced programmable flashing beacon available on the market.
Unlike typical time clock systems, the R829 is programmed via an intuitive Windows-based graphical user interface, and activation schedule for up to 500 days is easily uploaded to the R829 units. Programs for multiple beacons can be easily programmed and copied, avoiding repetitive programming of each time clock. The product has been designed to operate reliably year-round under all environmental conditions.
Significant savings are achieved through the installation of the R829, as the unit requires no external power. No trenching, cabling or disruption to Traffic flow. Even the process of obtaining power connection permits is avoided.
