SafeZone FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)
During the development of SafeZone, we have been asked many questions repeatedly. No doubt with the launch of this website, we'll have even more frequently asked questions. The intent of this page is to answer as many of the most commonly asked questions, to help you better understand what SafeZone is all about.
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Q: Is SafeZone intended to be replace existing road-side time and speed limit signs?
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Answer:
No. Speed advisory signs are required by law to advise drivers of the existence of a School Zone and the speed limits in force when that zone is active. SafeZone was not designed to replace these signs, but to inform drivers more effectively that they were in an active School Zone as indicated by existing road-side signs and painted on-road speed markers that appear at the start of School Zones.
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Qu: Could SafeZone be used in place of flashing 40 km/hr speed signs?
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Answer:
Yes, although this is up to the road authority deploying the warning systems. Because SafeZone is intended as a supplementary system, as are the road-side or over-road flashing speed signs you might have seen (as distinct from the painted pole mounted signs at the start and finish of every School Zone in NSW), it could be used in place of flashing speed markers or other advisory systems.
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Qu: Why use storage batteries for the in-road lights, rather than solar cells?
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Answer:
Current technology solar panels are too brittle for in-road use, and do not produce enough power for the SafeZone lights (given the size of the light) to permit their use. The latest generation of storage cells provide a solution for the in-road lights that would allow them to operate for three hours a day every school day, for up to four (4) years or more, without needing to be replaced. However, the road-side controller system can be fitted with solar panels, provided there is adequate sunlight where they are situated. Their location is determined by radio coverage so they can communicate with all the in-road lights, and sometimes that might mean the end up in the shade of a building or tree. On those cases they would use mains (240VAC) or storage battery power.
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Qu: Could SafeZone lights be used for other applications?
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Answer:
Yes. because they are self contained and relatively easy to install, as are the road-side controllers, they could be used for a range of other applications. The intent is to trial them in a range of these applications in 2007.
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Qu: Are SafeZone in-road lights a hazard for motorcycle or bicycle riders?
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Answer:
No. Road testing confirmed that their low profile, gradually sloping faces (leading and trailing) and anti-skid surface made them unlikely to cause any problems. Indeed, every care was taken to ensure that in creating a way of better informing drivers that a School Zone was active, not to create another problem!
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