Press

Port Colborne, ON – A new solar-assisted traffic signal will provide increased portability for mobile service crews to control traffic near work zones without requiring extra workers to act as flaggers on the site.

North America Traffic (NAT) has announced that its new PTL 2.4LD (“Light Duty”) signal system is on track to complete field trials by the Fall of 2013. Adapted from NAT’s popular PTL 2.4x traffic signal, the new LD model was designed specifically for quick and easy setup and operation.

With one or two units towed behind the service truck, the operator can quickly set up a traffic control zone using familiar 3-colour traffic lights. The system is designed with emergency response in mind with a compact, highly maneuverable trailer frame. In typical use, its smaller solar-assisted battery pack will power the signals for 5 working days on one charge.

Like all NAT traffic control systems, the PTL 2.4LD was developed primarily to improve personnel safety. Peter Vieveen, President of North America Traffic, explains that his development team was especially concerned with crew safety for smaller municipalities as well as one man road repair crews. “With tight maintenance and service budgets, it’s difficult to send extra flaggers along for every repair job. This light-duty PTL will let you get the work done safely without taking on extra personnel costs.”

The PTL 2.4LD will feature the same high-intensity signals used in NAT’s standard PTL 2.4x system. These highly efficient signals have proven to be more visible to oncoming drivers than human flaggers, and can be seen from up to 2 miles away. The dual-head signals are mounted at a 9 ft. height on the vertical mast and at 17 ft. for the primary signal head suspended above the traffic lane. Setup is completed with a one-button control that raises the mast and boom arm electrically. Easy to operate electrically deployed jacks are also used to stabilize the trailer.

Peter Vieveen notes that, at 6 ft. wide, the new trailer design is also narrower than conventional systems, providing a smaller, safer footprint on narrow roads and shoulders.

Introduced at ATSSA, the test units of the PTL 2.4LD are currently in trials to verify their operation in varied climates and jurisdictions. Production models will be available through authorized North America Traffic dealers following the summer test season.