From three strikes to zero: Evo-Chev proves its value in Essex

This Evo-Chev case study shows how improved visibility at Howe Green Roundabout helped reduce recorded strikes from three to zero across two comparable 18-month periods.

Data from Howe Green Roundabout near Chelmsford shows how a more visible, passively safe chevron system has reduced collisions, maintenance requirements and potential traffic management costs.

Howe Green Roundabout is a busy double roundabout where the A12 meets the A130 near Chelmsford.

The existing chevron arrangement used conventional black-and-white plates mounted on steel posts, with a separate lighting column positioned behind them. Together, each section introduced several rigid objects into an area already vulnerable to vehicles leaving the carriageway.

Vehicle strikes were also creating a recurring maintenance problem. In the 18 months before the scheme was upgraded, three road traffic collisions caused damage at the site.

Replacing the signs was not simply a matter of fitting a new plate. Maintenance could require an overnight road closure and extensive traffic management on two major roads.

TMP worked with Essex Highways to replace the traditional arrangement with its Evo-Chev Roundabout system.

The installation used 800 mm Evo-Chev blades with high-visibility yellow borders. The larger format creates a more substantial visual presence, making the change in direction clearer to approaching drivers.

Integrated uplighters replaced the conventional lighting column, maintaining night-time illumination while removing another rigid roadside object.

Each flexible blade is designed to rebound following an impact, helping the chevrons remain upright and visible to the next driver. Evo-Chev has been tested to BS EN 12767 and achieved a passive safety rating of 100:NE:4.

The Evo-Chev system was installed in March 2024. Essex Highways subsequently monitored the location through its monthly night-time inspections.

The figures show a clear change:

The reboundable design has not needed to demonstrate its value through a major collision at this site. Instead, the improved visibility appears to be helping prevent drivers from leaving the carriageway in the first place.

The combination of larger 800 mm chevrons, yellow borders and effective uplighting gives the installation the appearance of a solid, highly visible boundary. This encourages drivers to recognise the change in direction sooner and adjust their speed and position accordingly.

A conventional plate-and-post arrangement might cost approximately £1,500 in materials, compared with around £5,000 to £6,000 for a similar Evo-Chev configuration used at Howe Green.

However, the product price represents only a small part of the potential whole-life cost.

Closing a major roundabout for repairs can cost approximately £5,000 to £6,000 per night in traffic management alone. On that basis, avoiding just one comparable maintenance intervention can repay the additional cost of the Evo-Chev system.

Based on the three strikes recorded during the preceding 18 months, avoiding three similar interventions represents an estimated £15,000 saving in traffic management costs alone.

That figure does not include the cost of replacement signs, installation labour, congestion or disruption to road users.

Fewer collisions mean less risk of injury to drivers and passengers. Fewer repairs also mean highway operatives spend less time working within areas where vehicles have already demonstrated a tendency to leave the carriageway.

Richard McKenna, Area Technical Manager at TMP, said:

“The proof is in the numbers. There were three strikes in the 18 months before installation and none in the 18 months after. The additional material cost has been repaid through lower maintenance requirements, while reducing risk to road users and the operatives who would otherwise have to carry out those repairs.”

Every avoided intervention also means fewer maintenance journeys, less traffic management, fewer overnight closures and reduced disruption for the travelling public.

The Howe Green installation demonstrates why initial product cost should not be considered in isolation. A safer and more resilient system can deliver measurable financial and operational benefits within its first few years on the network.

Could Evo-Chev improve a high-risk site in your area?

TMP works with local authorities, designers and contractors to develop Evo-Chev configurations for roundabouts, bends and other locations where visibility, passive safety and maintenance costs are a concern.

Explore the Evo-Chev Roundabout system or speak to the TMP team on 0121 227 8639.