Aximum’s illuminating road marking solution

First published in Intertraffic Innovation News - July 7, 2020

Colas Group subsidiary Aximum has announced a light-emitting road marking and signalling solution called Flowell which has been designed to improve the safety of sensitive areas by using multilayer substrate paving slabs with embedded LEDs.

These slabs are connected to an electrical network via a control terminal, meaning they can take on different shapes, such a stripes, arrows, continuous/discontinuous road markings, depending on the location. The slabs can be either used for dynamic markings or be painted so that they remain visible even in ‘off’ mode.

Several uses are being trialled including four pedestrian crossings in the town of Mandelieu-la-Napoule in South East France; these were fitted with Flowell in March 2019. Once switched on, the crossings’ appearance transforms from that of standard road markings to the white stripes emitting light.

This enhances visibility of both the crossing itself and any pedestrians using it and enables drivers to slow down well in advance.

Beyond testing the technical aspects of the system, the trials will also examine any behavioural changes brought about by implementing the technology and use that feedback to adapt the solution.