For several years, communities throughout the country have been investing in back-up power for traffic signals--and as a result, have significantly improved safety, reduced accidents and injuries, and cut costs related to controller maintenance as well as police intervention.Today, battery back-up systems (BBS) have evolved to accommodate a wide range of environmental challenges and customer needs. Following is a case study of how one traffic distributor in the Metro-Chicago area has used advanced equipment to improve overall performance for his customers.

Unique Requirements

The Village of Glenview, Illinois – a suburb of Chicago – was particularly concerned about intersection safety on a busy east/west artery with heavy traffic volumes. Unfortunately, the electricity supplied to the intersection was 133VAC – a higher voltage than many uninterruptible power supplies (UPSs) are designed to accommodate.

“We were able to solve the problem for our customer quite easily, thanks to advances in technology,” says Chicagoland General Manager Gary Meyer of Brown Traffic. Meyer recommended a feature-rich UPS with a double boost; double buck transformer that reduces input voltage and allows the intersection to maintain normal operation. “Many customers are surprised to learn than an advanced BBS can not only protect against irregularities in power, but can also drastically reduce controller maintenance costs. Power surges are very harmful to controllers.”

Harsh Climate

A native of Chicago, Meyer knows all about the havoc that harsh weather can create. “In Illinois, you have to worry not only about extreme cold but also moisture and heat that can damage batteries,” he says. “This area also experiences lightning and thunderstorms quite often. That’s why we rely on hardened outdoor equipment provided by Alpha Technologies. They’ve provided backup power to the cable and telephone industries for 35 years, from Alaska all the way to Florida. I know I can count on their equipment field performance.”

According to Meyer, there are significant differences between UPS systems. “You have to be careful of taking a system designed for an indoor environment and using it outside,” he adds. “It’s worth investing in a reliable outdoor system because of the huge savings in maintenance costs and because of the better performance and longer life expectancy of the system.”

Communications and Monitoring

Perhaps the biggest advancement in recent years has been in the development of intelligent communications and monitoring features. The Village of Glenview is now able to remotely monitor alarms when their intersections go into battery backup mode.
Another Brown Traffic customer – the city of Elgin, Illinois – will soon have all of its alarms monitored by a traffic systems center – used to control traffic light timing – allowing personnel to monitor intersections via cameras. By receiving fault and alarm information on a real-time basis, they are able to provide a higher standard of road safety. “An increasing number of cities are moving toward these monitoring centers,” says Meyer, adding that in his opinion, every customer should ensure that their new BBS come equipped with advanced communications capabilities.

Value-Add Solutions

There are many other auxiliary features that Brown Traffic has introduced to further improve both safety and convenience. One example that has proven popular with public works and traffic maintenance personnel is a small blue LED indicator that sits on top of traffic cabinets, lighting up whenever the unit is operating on backup power.

Another example is a tilt switch installed on battery backup cabinets. In the event that a car crashes into the cabinet and knocks it over, the tilt switch disconnects the backup power, for the safety of maintenance personnel working on the cabinet.

“We are constantly listening to our customers, looking for ways to better meet their needs,” says Meyer. “Our partnership with Alpha Technologies allows us to respond and innovate very quickly.”