Safely guiding pedestrians across the River Ettrick
The challenge
Located on the River Ettrick in the Scottish Borders, the town of Selkirk has a long history of devastating and damaging floods. The Scottish Borders Council (SBC) commissioned studies and conducted a prioritisation exercise which identified Selkirk as a high priority for investment in flood protection measures. This resulted in the Selkirk Flood Protection Scheme (FPS), an eight-year project which saw the construction of flood walls, flood embankments, a new pedestrian footbridge and a plaza.
One of the pivotal projects was the replacement of the footbridge at Bridge Street. DW Windsor worked with the SBC to find a lighting solution for the footbridge and the Plaza stairs.
A SBC spokesperson explains;
A robust product was needed that would sit comfortably within the riverside environment and provide an energy efficient and environmentally friendly solution with minimal future maintenance.
Clients and partners
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Client
Scottish Borders Council
Key project requirements
- Provide a high-quality lighting installation across the span of the 90m (approx.) footbridge (10 lux average, 3 lux minimum) – without lighting columns.
- Careful lighting design to minimise glare and obtrusive light.
- Limit energy consumption over the installation lifespan.
- Design and engineer a stainless-steel bracket which allows for flex movement.
The solution
This riverside project lent itself to the properties of our highly versatile Garda range. The stainless-steel LED handrail easily delivered all the expectations, along with both sides of the new bridge and the plaza staircase, eradicating the need for obstructive columns.
Now our Garda asymmetric bathes the 90m wide footbridge in a uniform glare-free light. The walkway is evenly lit to 10lx with an average uniformity of 40%, guiding pedestrians and cyclists safely along a comfortable and welcoming route.
Graeme Campbell, Area Sales Manager at DW Windsor adds,
To co-ordinate with the Garda products we also designed a non-illuminated parapet railing in brushed stainless steel, for further functionality and safety purposes.
Garda offers this location extreme robustness. It is constructed to withstand any attempts of vandalism and has a high IP protection rating, offering defence against the elements. Furthermore, to ensure longevity a stainless-steel bracket arrangement was designed to interface with the timber bridge structure, correcting any flex movements due to weathering effects. The finished effect is very pleasing, adding an exciting element to the work completed as part of the flood protection scheme.
" Garda is an innovative solution which has enhanced the night time appearance of the bridge and the surrounding area. More importantly it provides exactly the right amount of light needed to keep our pedestrians safe "
Scottish Borders Council