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New attenuator helping to reducing impact for Go Traffic

To help keep its crews safe across Melbourne and western Victoria, Go Traffic has invested in an Ingal Civil Products Safe-Stop truck-mounted attenuator.

To help keep its crews safe across Melbourne and western Victoria, Go Traffic has invested in an Ingal Civil Products Safe-Stop truck-mounted attenuator.Go Traffic prides itself on a strong commitment to safety. As a traffic management company, it provides services from planning to labour and a full traffic management service.

With seven depots and over 200 staff servicing Melbourne and the western districts of Victoria, it’s one of the state’s larger traffic companies. The business works closely with companies that build roads and infrastructure to ensure everybody on the worksite is protected from traffic and safe from any potential dangers.

Stuart Wickens, Go Traffic Operations Manager, says it’s important to make sure crews working on freeways are protected from fast moving traffic.

“It’s a high-speed environment with a high volume of vehicles moving past. It’s important to have safety measures in place to protect crews out there, especially when there are drivers that don’t always do the right thing,” Mr. Wickens says.

To give Go Traffic’s team the protection they needed, the business invested in an Ingal Civil Products Safe-Stop SS90 HD truck-mounted attenuator.

The Safe-Stop range of attenuators is designed to safely highlight workzone hazards and have been crash tested to verify their performance. The SS90 HD is NCHRP Report 350 Test Level 3 compliant and has passed the UK TD 49, 110-kilometre-per-hour test.

The products are designed and tested to work in zones with speeds of up to 100 kilometres per hour and for easy storage, fast set up and quick maintenance.

Comprising two lightweight steel cartridges in a galvanised support frame, the system is easy to set up and operate, with a ‘push-to-activate’ function that raises and lowers the unit.

Mr. Wickens says the system has helped Go Traffic make freeways safer for frontline staff as it now plays a major role in the company’s day-to-day operations.

“At the start of the day, we use them to help set up signage on the roads. Once everything is set up, they’re moved to protect the workers from any vehicles that lose control. If there is a case of a runaway vehicle, the attenuator will stop the vehicle crashing through the site and injuring someone,” he says.

“They’re quite big trucks and they’ve got all the bells and whistles you need. It can extend an arrow board from out the top and display a message on the variable message sign (VMS) board which can be seen from quite a distance to provide advance warning down the road.

“The industry is moving towards the use of these trucks in a big way, and this truck mounted attenuator is right up there. It helps provide us some of the highest levels of safety you can get.”

Safety is one of the top industry priorities, particularly on a busy highway, adds Mr. Wickens.

“Nobody wants to be put in harm’s way. The truck-mounted attenuator provides the people working on the roads with a lot of peace of mind, knowing that they have a physical barrier that can stop a car or truck,” he says.

Mr. Wickens says what sets the Ingal Civil Products models apart from the rest is the additional features they come with.

“A lot of other attenuators are pretty standard, but our new ones from Ingal have gone above and beyond. There’s a programmable VMS board, flashing lights and they’re relatively simple to operate. There’s no legal requirement to have these additional features, but they really help keep people safe,” Mr. Wickens says.

The system is also specifically designed to make repairs easier if it is damaged.

“If something has hit the back of it, we’re able to replace it in a number of different parts quite easily. Because it’s so modular, it’s made it much cheaper to repair, especially if there’s a low impact crash into the back,” he says.

The attenuator has also proved easy to deploy and uses a professional design that Go Traffic appreciates.

“We were in the market to purchase one and trialled it. We ended up ordering one the very same day, and then another one not too long afterwards. Ingal Civil Products is able to develop the trucks and get them out to us fast, which we appreciate, as well as having a very competitive price,” Mr. Wickens says.

He says the after sales support has been excellent, with Ingal Civil Products always willing to help them out whenever they need them.

“We’re very happy with the after sales support. There’s never any problem that’s too big or too small. They’re available on the phone quickly, and they’ve even come down personally to show us the truck,” he says.

Three of Go Traffic’s four truck-mounted attenuators are designed by Ingal Civil Products and Mr. Wickens believes this number is set to grow as safety becomes even bigger focus in the industry.


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