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(11) | EP 0 509 788 A1 |
| (12) | EUROPEAN PATENT APPLICATION |
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| (54) | Improvements relating to traffic warning devices and road safety systems |
| (57) A road safety system comprises a crash barrier panel (6) with a series of slots (5).
Some of the slots (5) allow attachment of the barrier to posts or other structures,
and some of the slots (5) receive warning devices (1 to 4). |
[0001] There is a need to provide some form of warning device to give notification to motorists of the presence of a barrier member at a road side. It is common practice, on motorways in particular, to erect crash barriers which extend along the central reservation or at the outside of bends. The crash barrier panels are conventionally of a neutral colour and so the road user may not always be fully aware of the continuing presence of the barrier, particularly in poor weather conditions, such as fog. It is also possible to paint the barriers in a distinctive design (for example black and white stripes) but this is a time-consuming, dangerous and expensive procedure.
[0002] It is an object of this invention to provide a warning device which may readily be applied to a crash barrier.
[0003] Accordingly, in one aspect, this invention provides a traffic warning device comprising a flexible or resiliently foldable member whereby the ends of the member may be brought towards each other against a resilient bias, the member having at each end a retaining portion joined to the main body of the strip by a neck portion, with the retaining portion projecting to both sides of the neck portion.
[0004] Such a device can be inserted into the slots which are normally provided at intervals along the length of a crash barrier panel and which enable the panel to be mounted to fixing points by bolts, with a degree of play. Normally, not all of the slots are used for fixing purposes and the warning device can therefore be applied to the spare slots. In use the ends of the device will be pressed towards one another so that the adjacent retaining means come towards each other to allow them to be passed through the slot in the barrier. The device is then twisted through 90° and released so that the retaining portions slide to the ends of the slot behind the barrier. Ideally, the retaining portions would be substantially the same width as the body of the device so that a good secure location is achieved. The device may take many forms. In a particularly preferred form, the flexible or resiliently foldable member comprises a generally flat strip of tough flexible material such as a flexible plastics material. Alternatively, the member may comprise a tough flexible strip formed with a folded shape such as a V-shape. Here the resilience may be in the limbs of the V-shape or in an integral hinge between the limbs.
[0005] The device can carry warning markings in the form of symbols or coloured stripes formed on one or both faces of the device. These warning markings can be of mutually different designs or colouring at the respective two ends of the body of the device. Another possibility is to provide that the two faces of the body of the device are of mutually different designs or colourations.
[0006] In use, the device may be designed to be of such a length that the main body member is somewhat longer than the slot into which the device is to be located so that it will be bowed and thus present a curved warning face to an on-coming motorist.
[0007] The invention also extends to other forms of road safety system which make use of the spare slots in a crash barrier panel.
[0008] Accordingly, in another aspect, this invention provides an improved form of road safety system comprising an elongate crash barrier means provided with a plurality of elongate slots along its length wherein some of said slots receive fixing means for securing the panel to posts or other fixed structure and at least some of the other slots receive a traffic warning means. The traffic warning means may be a warning device of the type defined above or it may comprise any other warning device which is located within said slot. For example, the warning device could be a bulbous or spherical highly visible marker, or a reflector disc which projects laterally from the barrier and is attached thereto by means of the slot.
[0009] While the invention has been described above, it extends to any inventive combination or subcombination of the features set out above or in the following description.
[0010] The invention may be performed in various ways and preferred embodiments thereof will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: -
Figure 1 is a plan view of a warning strip of this invention;
Figure 2 illustrates part of the rear of a warning barrier panel to which the strip of Figure 1 has been applied; and
Figure 3 is a perspective view of a warning barrier panel incorporating an alternative type of warning strip of this invention.
[0011] The warning strip shown in Figure 1 is formed e.g. by stamping from a flexible plastics material as a general flat sheet having a main body portion 1 and retaining arm portions 2 at each end. The arms 2 are interconnected with the main body 1 by neck portions 3. The body portion 1 will be suitably coloured and carries coloured strips 4 which may be of a coloured reflective, fluorescent or luminous character.
[0012] In use the strip is fixed so that the two arm portions are brought together and they are then slid lengthwise through a slot 5 formed in a barrier panel 6 (Figure 2). The strip is then twisted through 90° and the arm portions 2 then slide to the ends of the slot 5 and thus hold the strip firmly in place. The body portion 1 of the strip will be somewhat longer than the slot 5 so that it will be caused to bow outwardly (as shown in Figure 3), thus presenting the warning face of the strip to the on-coming motorist.
[0013] The design of strip illustrated in Figure 3 has different coloured sections 7 and 8 either side of the centre line, thus, for example, indicating a particular direction of movement. The strip could be inserted in the other direction to display the other one of the two coloured portions 7 and 8 in the normal on-coming direction. It is also possible for the strip to be coloured differently on both faces so that it can be inserted into the slot 5 of the panel 6 as required, to display the desired one of the two faces.
1. A traffic warning device comprising a flexible or resiliently foldable member (1)
whereby the ends of the member may be brought towards each other against a resilient
bias, the member having at each end a retaining portion (2) joined to the main body
of the strip by a neck portion (3), with the retaining portion (2) projecting to both
sides of the neck portion (3).
2. A warning device according to Claim 1, wherein the retaining portion (2) is substantially
of the same width as the body of the member.
3. A warning device according to Claim 1 or Claim 2, wherein warning markings (4) in
the form of symbols or coloured strips are formed on one or both faces of the device.
4. A warning device according to Claim 3, wherein the warning markings are of mutually
different designs or colouring at the respective two ends of the body of the device.
5. A warning device according to Claim 3 or Claim 4, wherein the two faces of the body
of the device are of mutually different designs or colourations.
6. A warning device according to any one of Claims 1 to 5, wherein the device is formed
from a flexible plastics material.
7. A warning device according to Claim 6, wherein said device assumes a generally flat
condition when in a relaxed state.
8. A warning device according to Claim 6, wherein said device is of generally V-shape,
presenting two angled faces.
9. A road safety system comprising an elongate crash barrier means (6) provided with
a plurality of elongate slots (5) characterised in that some of said elongate slots (5) receive fixing means for securing the panel (6) to
posts or other fixed structures and at least some of the other elongate slots (5)
receive a traffic warning device (1 to 4).