Having successfully installed the award winning* ‘Armadillos’ around several London boroughs over the past year, Cyclehoop, in partnership with Salford City Council and Transport for Greater Manchester, have taken the idea up North in a bid to improve Cycle safety in some of the area’s danger spots. Salford becomes the first area outside of the Capital to trial the concept.
The main aim of the Armadillo is to separate cyclists from vehicles on the roads in a bid to increase safety as well as encouraging more confidence in cycling on public roads. It is an indestructible, reflective traffic separator providing the flexibility for cyclists to weave in and out of lanes as well as keeping cars exactly where they should be.
Transportation Engineer for Salford City Council, Lee Evans said, “They are working well.”
Armadillos were first installed eight years ago in Barcelona. Since then over 100,000 of the units have successfully been installed in fifteen Cities across Spain, the USA and the UK.
Armadillos are very easy to install when compared with traditional cycle lane methods that require manual groundwork. This makes them environmentally friendly as they ensure less waste upon installation. We can easily install over a mile in a week therefore this is an effective way to quickly implement cycle lane segregation in accident hotspots. Armadillos are made from recycled soft plastic so they won’t destroy tyres if drivers accidentally run them over. It is possible for police/ambulances etc to drive directly over them for emergency access.
Chairman of Salford Cycle Forum, Reverend Andy Salmon, says: “These Armadillos are an exciting chance to make cycling safer and, if they work, could be put in across Salford.
To date there are over 38 local authorities that have requested the Armadillo to be installed. The demand for improved levels of safety in the cycling world has never been more prominent.
In March 2014, The London Borough of Camden won the ‘best achievement in cycling’ at the London Transport Awards with their successful adaptation of Armadillo’s.
*The London Borough of Camden won an award at the London Transport Awards for their achievements in cycling adapting the Armadillo on Royal College Street.