Greater Manchester’s traffic lights have all turned green

Cllr Andrew Fender - Chairman of TFGM Committee, Paul Lee – Siemens Northwest Account Manager and Peter Heath – TfGM Senior Engineer for Traffic Control

The biggest traffic signalling upgrade programme in the country is nearing its end as Greater Manchester’s traffic signals are replaced with a more environmentally friendly alternative – saving over one million pounds in the process.

Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) and Siemens have been working together for the past two years to transform all of the area’s traffic signals to more energy efficient LED lights, replacing traditional bulbs across the entire signalling network. As part of the works a total of 52,000 traffic signal bulbs have been replaced with the more durable and energy saving LED lights across more than 1,800 sites.

The upgrade programme has reduced monthly energy usage from 1,000,000KW/hr in March 2012, to 480,000KW/hr in February 2014, resulting in energy savings of £750k, and maintenance savings in excess of £300k. The new system also benefits the environment through being a more durable alternative to traditional bulbs, with the new LED lights only needing to be replaced every seven years on average, saving around 30,000 standard bulbs per year.

The traffic signal upgrade programme is part of a 15-year maintenance contract between TfGM and Siemens.

Councillor Andrew Fender, Chairman of the Transport for Greater Manchester Committee, said: “This programme is the biggest of its kind in the country and is fantastic news for Greater Manchester. It’s another significant step towards a greener, more energy efficient transport network.

“The new LED lights come with less maintenance and lower running costs, and the money saved can be invested into other important transport projects and services that will keep Greater Manchester moving in the right direction.”

David Marsden, Regional Manager for Siemens said: ‘This highly innovative programme has not only demonstrated the proven capabilities of the technology to save energy and maintenance costs but has highlighted the excellent performance of our local engineers to deliver an efficient and class-leading service. Thanks to an open and productive working relationship with TfGM, the contract also illustrates the benefits of a partnership approach.”