The city now has a new design that bears little relation to the first traffic lights installed in Barcelona in 1927, at the crossing of Balmes and Provença streets.
The new design uses LEDs instead of traditional light bulbs. This system has a number of
advantages, the most significant of which is that it saves energy by consuming much less
electricity. Also, the light produced is actually more intense, and LEDs last ten times longer than
traditional bulbs.
The system also allows surveillance cameras, solar panels and antennas to be installed to
transmit data via a WiFi system, covered with a casing that matches the rest of the traffic
light.
The new traffic light is modular, and each module consists of two parts that are hinged
together, with a quick-opening system that allows more modules to be added without having to
disassemble those that have already been installed to make the necessary electrical connections. In
short, the new traffic light is versatile, easy to assemble, disassemble and repair, and can be
fitted easily onto the existing poles and supports.
Barcelona City Council soon plans to convene a tender process for the manufacture and
installation of the new model, having allocated a Budget of €80 million until 2015 to renew the
city’s 35,000 traffic-light disks.
