SOX lighting "dying" on motorways-multiple areas in network.

[mapboy]

I suspect they won't be replaced as in the case of other long stretches of rural motorway.

Whilst I haven't been on the M5 lately, I decided to look at one of the motorway cameras earlier, and I'm sure I could see new columns mounted on the concrete reservation.

Passed through for the first time in a while on Saturday. The majority of the concrete barrier has now been placed and I can confirm that new streetlights are being constructed.

The new lights are very slim profile so I presume they are LEDs - I've never seen those before, what are they?

[Patrick Harper]

Speedstars(?)

[Patrick Harper]

I had another chance to get down to Thorpe to photograph the lights, and I now have a few amazing images (for my standards) that I'll save for the next POTM.

My dad was also generous enough to drive all around Thorpe, turning around at the neighbouring junctions, so I could record many of the sliproads there for the ultimate compilation. The resulting video can be seen here.

[M56phil]

The country seems to be going LED nuts recently. Yes, I think they are Philips speedstars on the M5.

A quick question, does anyone know what lamps have been installed around J2 of the M54 yet??? The original MA60s SOX were ripped up a while ago now. Surely, they will of been replaced? Would be interested to know what's been put up as not been doing that area for a while now.

Many Thanks !

[Patrick Harper]

That might be just preparation for the M6T link road.

4/11/14 UPDATE: How does the HA decide on which sections to be relit and which to be forgotten about?

[Patrick Harper]

Well it seems the Google van has come to update the M531 images and, lo and behold, here are the 'new' SOX columns. TBH, they look like European columns that have been reused with the same lanterns, given their condition. And of course, some of them are missing lanterns, but still. A new SOX motorway installation. The first since the M5 through the Midlands in the early 90s.

[HPM]

It's amazing to reinstall SOX lanterns today. This technology is very obsolete, Osram announced in July that it stopped marketing of SOX lanterns. Only Philips factory in Hamilton still produces SOX lamps.

[Jamesabout29]

That's great to see, and the MA60s really do suit the columns.

[Gareth]

It's amazing to reinstall SOX lanterns today. This technology is very obsolete, Osram announced in July that it stopped marketing of SOX lanterns. Only Philips factory in Hamilton still produces SOX lamps.

It may be very obsolete in France, where I don't think I've ever observed a single SOX installation but in the UK, it's been the standard for many towns and cities up until recently. Liverpool was still using them as casual replacements for failed SOX lanterns until earlier this year. LED is the new standard now for both wholesale schemes and casual replacements. Personally, I think uniform lighting is better and that casual replacements should be of the same type as that they're replacing. However, it looks like many of the streets around here are to go from all orange to a mix of orange and white, as the LEDs slowly take over.

In the summer, I noticed Belgium seems to be as committed to SOX as ever. Almost all lighting, main road and residential, was SOX bar very occasional pockets of SON. It was like the UK 20 years ago. It was funny crossing the border back into France and being plunged into darkness, with the orange sky of Belgium being left behind in the distance.

[Bryn666]

Well it seems the Google van has come to update the M531 images and, lo and behold, here are the 'new' SOX columns. TBH, they look like European columns that have been reused with the same lanterns, given their condition. And of course, some of them are missing lanterns, but still. A new SOX motorway installation. The first since the M5 through the Midlands in the early 90s.

Someone's borrowed from the Netherlands there.

As for SOX in France - it's very rare but it does exist. There is quite a bit of it on the Dijon ring road (or there was).

The French take the view that lighting should be used sparingly, even on urban motorways lighting only often appears at slip roads - for instance the A10 through Tours.

[Truvelo]

Those columns have also been installed on the M4 just east of J11. They are fitted with LED lanterns but they have the appearance of SOX. I also immediately thought of Holland when I first saw them. They are probably Nedal which is Dutch.

[sotonsteve]

SOX lighting is dying out rapidly in many parts of the country. Our motorway network is no exception, and government strategy is for LED lighting controlled by a central management system. One of the greatest adopters of this on the trunk road network is in Highways Agency Area 3, where a steady shift towards LED with CMS is happening both with renewal schemes and lantern replacements.

Both Belgium and the Netherlands have large stocks of SOX. Off the motorway SOX has become much less common in the Netherlands in recent years, and it could be said that off the motorway the Netherlands hasn't had as much SOX as the UK for many years, as they have a distinct preference for fluorescent/compact fluorescent on residential roads. SOX on the motorway is often in a good condition in the Netherlands, but culls are happening, especially of catenary lighting. As for Belgium, there is a distinct lack of investment in street lighting which has hurt them hard. A lot of their motorway lighting is in a poor condition, and lots of Flemish motorway lighting has been permanently switched off pending removal at some point in the future, as they cannot afford to keep it all going. Even where it has been kept on, it is common to only find a quarter or a third of lanterns lighting up. There has been relighting on motorways on motorways where they want to retain lighting, and they are also now making efforts to replace slip road lighting. Hence, the future for SOX motorway lighting in Belgium is not good at all.

[Gareth]

Well, I was in Wallonia a few months ago and pretty much all the streetlights lit up at night and virtually all of them were sox. Scenes like this were fairly typical...

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/Bel ... b439e60ff2

[sotonsteve]

Motorway lighting policy in the Walloon region of Belgium is different to that in the Flemish region and the Brussels region. In terms of motorways and trunk roads, Belgium is like the UK in a way; there is not a single authority covering the whole of the UK, but different authorities for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Cross between the regions and you get differences. But yes, motorway lighting in the Walloon region is in a better state of repair on motorways.

[HPM]

In Wallonia, they considered that the lights on motorways are a good thing to see holes and the bad condition of the road !

In France, the trend is the removal of lights on motorways. First, because it's very expensive, and second because there are many copper cable thefts...
There is very little SOX lights. I'm not sure that it improves the visibility because it removes colors.

[Gareth]

You don't need colour to see things though. I'm also sure I read somewhere that SOX performs well in terms of contrasting different objects. It's not a very aesthetic sort of light but this is less important on motorways than in urban areas.

[Ben302]

Looks like this stretch of SOX will be biting the dust soon http://www.highways.gov.uk/news/press-r ... 5-in-kent/

Drove along here today and the MA60's have gone to be replaced by speedstars

[Jamesabout29]

The GEC Bricks on the mainline of the M3 through the M25 junction have recently been removed. At present, the slip road columns still survive although it's unclear how long they will remain in place.


The English motorway network suffers another loss.

[Patrick Harper]

Yep, seen pics and other info about it on UKASTLE.

The most significant stretches of SOX left now are on the M1 and A1(M) in Herts and near Kegworth, the M4 in Wales and the M602 in Manchester. Unless someone corrects me everything else is pretty much gone.

[Gareth]

The stretch on the M62 between junctions 5 & 6 is still there; albeit, that stretch is maintained by Knowsley MBC and not the Highways Agency. They were switched off for a long time and I assumed they were set to be removed but they were working again when I passed through there a month or so ago.