London taxi drivers hail a success story at Victoria.

 Not known for showing appreciation of traffic schemes in London, taxi drivers were quick to praise the installation of a TV camera and monitor booth at Victoria station designed by RSL for Heida Consultants and Transport for London.

 The main issue here was spacing and congestion in the area around the taxi rank at Victoria Bus station, so much so that it required an overflow rank around the corner on Wilton Road. In between was a busy traffic lights system which often left taxis stuck in the middle of the road, as they previously couldn’t tell if the out of sight rank was full or empty. This lead to traffic jams and problems when taxis would go around the corner and find an already full rank, blocking up traffic and causing no end of problems.

 The solution implemented is briefly this:

 An RSL rugged kiosk was installed at the rank on Wilton Road. This kiosk displays both LED written information accompanied by a digital image display, which is fed via a CCTV camera that faces the Victoria rank. This effectively allows the taxi drivers on Wilton Road to see around the crowded corner.

 The system also contains an induction loop at the rear most taxi position on the main Victoria rank. This loop senses when a vehicle (taxi) is parked over it or not, and therefore if there is a space for the first in que taxi driver on Wilton Road to safely move around the corner.

  A digital LED message accompanies the video feed displayed on the kiosk showing one of two messages; “Next taxi proceed” or “”Taxi remain in rank” based upon the results of the induction loop sensor.

 The system enables safe and efficient taxi manoeuvrability without causing any inconvenience to either pedestrians or other drivers as the taxi drivers can easily see if a space is available and if anyone is waiting, whilst not having to worry about getting stuck in the middle of a large, busy junction.

 For more information on how RSL could provide a transport solution for you see our transport page or contact us.

 Below is a picture of the camera, facing from the corner of Wilton Road down to the Victoria taxi rank.