London borough installs next-generation street furniture
Croydon, in south London, will be the first borough in the UK to benefit from a private public partnership, which will reportedly generate more than £6.75m in concession revenue.
One of the bus shelters which will be installed and operated by Valo Smart City
Croydon Council has awarded a 10-year concession contract to provide the next-generation of street furniture including smart bus shelters.
The borough will be the first in the UK to benefit from this private public partnership with Valo Smart City which is forecast to generate £6.75m in concession revenue.
Digital advertising
The international smart city integrator Valo secured the contract following a competitive tender process to install, operate, and maintain connected bus shelters and digital advertising in at least 185 locations across the borough. Installation is set to begin rolling out in March 2022, subject to licensing approvals.
As well as the provision of next generation street furniture, the partnership will create a platform for Valo to team with some of the UK’s leading tech hardware and software firms, and provide new amenities for the council and the public. This includes air quality and traffic sensors and new digital bus countdown and information screens in every shelter.
According to Croydon Council, the deal represents a crucial new revenue stream and supports the aspirations set out in its Digital Strategy (2019-2024) to use connected technology to improve infrastructure, quality of life and economic growth in the borough.
“Our partnership with innovator Valo is our latest step towards Croydon becoming not only a digital council but the first truly connected smart borough which uses technology to enhance and transform the lives of our residents for the better”
The design, manufacture and installation of the bus shelters by Valo will be at no cost to the council.
“I am very excited about the arrival of these smart bus shelters which will make residents’ travel experiences more enjoyable, informative and safer. The smart city sensors will also act as a great tool in our continued mission to become a greener, more sustainable borough,” said councillor Muhammad Ali, cabinet member for sustainable Croydon.
“Our partnership with innovator Valo is our latest step towards Croydon becoming not only a digital council but the first truly connected smart borough which uses technology to enhance and transform the lives of our residents for the better.”
Croydon Council’s street furniture will feature air quality and traffic sensors
New digital bus countdown and information screens will be part of every shelter.
New free public wifi will help join up in many areas across the borough to create connected streets for all. Digital infrastructure will lead to a better understanding of air quality across Croydon with sensors in bus shelters, and the ability to display this information on digital displays in real time. All the shelters will include digital screens with bus arrival and local transport information.
“Our smart city platform provides next-generation innovative bus shelters and digital advertising displays which will create beautiful new street furniture and a brand-new level of digital connectivity for the borough,” added Isaac Sutton, CEO of Valo Smart City.
Street furniture
The new street furniture is being designed by global architecture firm Grimshaw which has experience in bus shelter and infrastructure design in New York, Madrid and Sydney, as well as industrial design for London’s Elizabeth Line. The clean modern design will remove street clutter and use of extensive glazing will ensure all users feel safe, Valo reports.
Valo is a smart city integrator that transforms cities’ assets into a cost- effective modular platform for IoT services. The company contracts through public private partnerships with cities, boroughs and local authorities around the world to replace ageing street furniture providing smart-city-as-a-service – this means providing new connected infrastructure and maintaining them at no cost to the cities and their citizens.
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