The Solaboll range of bollards is proving a glowing success in the city

Pudsey Diamond keep things moving in Swindon

Known for its connections with Isambard Kingdom Brunel and the Great Western Railway, Swindon is as bustling as ever with a large number of inhabitants and visitors. Its situation lends itself to a town populated by business, sitting along the M4 corridor with Bristol to the West and London to the East. This means the footfall on a daily basis is high and the need for good quality infrastructure products to keep traffic flowing is essential.

Robert Bass, Principal Electrical Engineer of Swindon Borough Council, tasked Pudsey Diamond Engineering to deliver their latest product, Solaboll™, to the streets of Swindon.

Aware that some bollards around the town were non-conforming to the UK standards for lighting, Robert set out to find an alternative and following a major cost saving initiative at the end of 2010, it came to the forefront that replacements for theses were needed quickly.

Previously, installing illuminated bollards meant that the road had to be dug up in order to install electricity. This can be a major time and cost, dependent on the state of the area of installation, to Local Authorities. A phone call from Neill Curran, Sales manager of Pudsey Diamond Engineering, provided the precise, cost effective, efficient solution.

Being in the early stages of the launch of Solaboll™, Neill arrived with only an artist's impression of the solar powered, retroreflective product along with a list of advantages. Robert could see that this was the right product from the first meeting.

"I liked the robustness at the bottom of the product, it can take impact and rebound quickly and effectively. Other products on the market hold the battery in the product which means it is slower to rebound, whereas Solaboll™ contains the battery in the ground away from the impact.  This means it will last and the product is not holding extra weight"

An order was placed for 63 Solabolls at the beginning of January 2011, which were to be placed across Swindon town.  By the middle of February the order was delivered and installation commenced, with Swindon Commercial Services undertaking the project.  Once they had installed one, the rest were easily dropped into place, with the quickest installation being 25 minutes.  The contractors were happy.

The bollards have been in place for a while now and continue to provide safe, efficient street furniture.  With Swindon being a mainly 'Urban Authority', Robert is keen to keep the streets lit.  "Energy efficiency equals financial savings which is why Solaboll™ fits the bill for Swindon", he states.

With every one of the 63 Solabolls installed, still standing, and without any collisions impacting them since installation, the proof is in the product!