Sign of progress delivering extra splash of colour

A new variable message sign capable of displaying roadside icons in much improved quality has been hailed as a 'breakthrough in traffic technology'.
Colour pictograms have already changed the landscape of Britain's highway network, proving an effective tool to alleviate congestion and improve safety.
But the development of a new portable unit is set to raise the bar, according to Andrew Leigh, of Mobile Traffic Solutions.
He said: "Portable variable message signs have long provided the flexibility to display pictograms of signs or post messages in a variety of ways.
"But the technology has often been let down by the graphics of the screen, which led to a compromise in the quality of the images displayed. It meant pictograms in some signs were barely true representations of the original icons."

Mr Leigh says the new Advantage HDC model has the ability to produce some of the best graphics on the market.
And he believes the tri-colour units will be a sustainable, cost-effective way for traffic management companies or private operators to get their message across.
He said: "The screen resolution of our new model is up there with the very best available and the quality of pictograms it produces is second to none, with low power consumption. By greatly improving resolution and configuring the LED pixels in a different way, precise images of signposts can be reproduced with no compromise.
"We have different sizes of unit all featuring the same quality of screen and they can be programmed either on site or remotely via the internet. They're versatile, quickly deployed, easy to set up and reliable in all conditions. And they run on a rechargeable long-life battery, which makes them very low maintenance."

Mr Leigh says the vast majority of red and white signs can now be displayed exactly as they appear in the highway code, rather than an approximation. And the digital screen produces a high-impact image designed to produce a rapid motorist response.
The Advantage HDC also has the capacity to display amber messages – a tool which has proved key to effective traffic management at highway incidents, campaign support, guidance at special events or even brand advertisement.