Lighting critical to safety of parking lots
Ron Gibbons
NATIONAL CAPITAL REGION, Oct. 4, 2012 – Prince William County commuters have 553 new spaces to park in at the new Telegraph Road Park and Ride Facility, and the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute has a research venue for new lighting technologies.
Transportation institute researchers are assessing new LED lighting technology in a project sponsored by the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) and the Virginia Center for Transportation Innovation and Research. "This new technology has the potential to reduce the energy usage in the parking lot by 50 percent while improving visibility and user comfort," said Ron Gibbons, director of the Center for Infrastructure Safety Systems at the transportation institute.
Lighting fixtures from five different manufacturers are being evaluated in comparison to standard lighting products. The institute will test the lighting quarterly for the next two years to assess performance, light level, weathering, and lifetime of the luminaires.
The new parking lot is near the intersection of Telegraph Road and Caton Hill Road. The location complements the nearby Horner Road Commuter, which fills early each day.
Future improvements will include widening Telegraph Road from two to four lanes with turn lanes at the intersections and at the entrance to the Park and Ride facility. It will also include a pedestrian sidewalk and a shared-use trail.
The park and ride project was a joint venture with funding from VDOT, county, and private funds. The site will ultimately provide 729 parking spaces, bicycle rack and lockers, site lighting, bus shelters, and a separate bus pick up lane.
The Virginia Tech Transportation Institute is an international leader in the transportation research dedicated to conducting applied research to solve significant transportation challenges. Employing an elite team of multi-disciplinary researchers, engineers, statisticians, technicians, support staff, and students, the institute conducts applied research to address transportation challenges from various perspectives: vehicle, driver, infrastructure, and environment. As the National Surface Transportation Safety Center for Excellence, the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute develops and tests advanced transportation safety devices, techniques, and innovative applications.
Read the Prince William County news release and photos.
Written by Susan Trulove.
- John David Pastor
- Communications Director, Research
- 540-231-5646
- jdpastor@vt.edu
