Noel Duffy Pedestrian Crossing
New College Worcester
A first-of-its-kind on-site road crossing for vision-impaired students
New College Worcester is a national residential school and college for children and young people aged 11 to 19 who are blind or vision-impaired.
The site previously featured an outdated zebra crossing at the entrance to the visitor car park and reception. Sponsors supported the project by donating equipment and labour. Their contributions built a fully functioning, signalised pedestrian crossing in honour of former school governor Noel Duffy. He dedicated himself to improving accessibility for the vision-impaired and blind community. With Noel’s passion in mind, the crossing was designed to replicate a real road environment in a safe and controlled setting.
As industry leaders in traffic signal infrastructure, NAL supplied several solutions to support the implementation of this crossing.
A fully-ducted system
The cornerstone of a traffic signal site begins with NAL’s fully-duct system. Comprised of the Retention Socket, STAKKAbox™ Modula chambers, LIFTlock® covers and the Controller Cabinet Base, these key components form the foundations on which the rest of the crossing is built.
Retention socket - a reusable foundation for illuminated street furniture. The socket is designed to withstand vehicular impacts, ensuring a seamless removal and replacement of damaged poles. The base of the socket features a duct-entry point, designed to accept 150mm ducting, enabling a positive connection to the site's access chamber.
STAKKAbox™ Modula - access chambers constructed from stackable twinwall sections designed to withstand vertical loads of up to 40 tonnes. Vertical ribs provide compressive strength from above-ground loads, while horizontal ribs offer strong resistance to sidewall forces, such as ground heave. Access sections feature pre-drilled duct-entry points for seamless connectivity to the Retention Socket and other STAKKAbox chambers.
LIFTlock® - a composite cover and frame system featuring a unique wormlock mechanism, which raises and lowers the cover to and from the frame, reducing the risk of hand injury to operatives as well as the risk of jamming from debris.
Controller Cabinet Base - an above-ground plinth installed on a STAKKAbox chamber, designed to accept all standard UK and European controller cabinets. The cabinet base is securely connected to the duct network, allowing seamless integration with surrounding STAKKAbox chambers and retention sockets. The plinth provides below-ground access for easier cabling, while the gland tray and castellation bars ensure stable cable management for SWA cables.
Reusable foundations for signage
The crossing features several signs: those indicating visitor parking, the school reception, a sign dedicated to the sponsors, and a braille plaque. All have been installed in NAL flat-base retention sockets. Designed for non-illuminated signage that does not require cabling, these sockets provide a robust, reusable foundation for 76mm and 89mm signposts. The sockets securely lock the posts in position, while also allowing easy removal for maintenance or future upgrades to the sign faces.
Guardrail foundations
Like real-world crossings, the site features industry-standard guardrails along the edge to protect students from walking into surrounding shrubbery and other trip hazards. These have been installed in 50x50mm retention sockets so that, if the railing is ever struck and damaged by passing delivery vehicles, the sockets allow swift removal and replacement without further groundworks.
The traffic signal community
This project would not have been possible without the support of our fellow partners in the traffic signal industry:
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All Traffic Products (ATP)
ATP is a UK-based manufacturer and supplier of traffic signal poles, signposts, and accessories, as well as passively safe roadside equipment. ATP donated the 115 signal poles used in the project.
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AGD Systems
AGD develops detection systems using advanced radar and optical above-ground detectors, delivering real-time data to enhance traffic flow and pedestrian safety. AGD supplied the AGD946 Puffin Combined Signal push button units, AGD326 On-Crossing Pedestrian Radar, and AGD306 Traffic Control Radar for the crossing.
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Telent
Telent was responsible for site installation, supplying and installing the traffic signal heads and controller cabinets. Their specialists managed the cabling and commissioning of all traffic signal equipment, ensuring full system functionality for use by students and staff.
Furthermore, the site acts as an innovation hub, providing a unique opportunity for these partners to trial new solutions and gain real-world feedback from crossing users in a controlled environment.
Noel Duffy’s Legacy
The crossing stands as a testament to Noel’s commitment to improving the lives of blind and vision-impaired people.
This unique project provides students with valuable opportunities to practise vital road safety and independence skills, as well as support during mobility and habilitation lessons. It helps them build confidence and develop essential abilities in a calm, supportive environment before encountering these situations in real life.
The Noel Duffy pedestrian crossing sets a new benchmark for inclusive infrastructure in specialist educational environments across the UK.
"We are absolutely delighted with the crossing and incredibly grateful to everyone who supported the project. It will have a huge impact on our students and provide a unique training facility that we believe is the only one of its kind in the UK. It also allows other organisations and individuals to benefit from the facility by visiting our campus to practise their skills." Rachel Perks, principal of New College Worcester
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