ICEE helps to ‘re-imagine’ the high street at Road Expo

ICEE helps ‘re-imagine’ the high street Waterlooville, Hampshire, United Kingdom – October 03, 2014 – For immediate release: At the Road Expo exhibition and conference in Scotland, 5-6 November 2014, ICEE Managed Services, a specialist manufacturer of bespoke street furniture, outdoor electrical enclosures and cabling systems, will reveal the company’s latest ideas on how to simplify, combine and improve different types of street furniture (ICEE Stand D8). The company will also be giving a practical demonstration of its new and award-winning hybrid electricity generator, a standalone and compact product that combines a hydrogen fuel cell with a solar panel. ICEE’s new product is ideal for street furniture and similar applications requiring an independent electricity supply to power electric or electronic devices, or where there is no ready access to National Grid mains electricity. Aimed at designers and architects, highway engineers, transport planners, and infrastructure specialists in local authorities or private sector contracting, who require a bespoke, imaginative and cost-effective solution, ICEE’s stand will highlight a number of concepts and ways to solve challenging streetscape problems. For example, the company will illustrate how to combine: a stainless steel rubbish bin with a parking ticket vending machine; a seating bench with an equipment enclosure or electrical feeder pillar cabinet built into the base; an electronic information or video advertising panel with a CCTV security system or bike storage; and several other practical and innovative ideas. Many such combinations requiring an electrical power supply may be served by incorporating ICEE’s new hybrid electricity generator. The ‘green’ generator may be used on its own to power a wide range of equipment, from emergency and permanent lighting to remote monitoring systems for recording noise or other environmental data, or it may be built into a larger structure. ICEE’s Key Account Manager Shane Thomas says: “The whole point of what we are offering is a way to de-clutter the pavement. Today, many streets suffer from an excess of different control cabinets for telecoms or traffic signals, electrical power pillars, pedestrian seating, rubbish bins, planters and other equipment or amenities.” He explains that street furniture must change with the advent of new street-based amenities and technologies such as WiFi connection hubs, dynamic digital street map displays, video advertising and other information technology (IT) systems, plus the miniaturisation of control systems requiring smaller cabinetry. “This rapidly developing area of public services creates more demand for innovation. What we can do is help designers optimise, simplify and integrate many different types of street furniture function. This approach saves several aspects of cost, improves the physical environment, reduces the risk of vandalism, and in particular makes the high street a more pleasing place to be,” adds Thomas. “What’s more, we now offer an off-grid, ‘green’ power source – the ICEE combined hydrogen fuel cell and solar panel system – that may solve many problems for urban designers and highway engineers.” To realise a client’s concept, ICEE offers a complete design, prototype production, test and development, manufacture, installation and maintenance service package, plus the added benefit of ideas and experience it has gained over the years. The company’s capabilities respect the principles outlined in the Department of Transport’s Manual for Streets, 2007 edition, where the authors advocate integrating street furniture into the overall appearance of the urban environment and reducing clutter. It says much street furniture is provided for the benefit of motorised transport, but is actually located on the footway or pedestrian pavement. ICEE supports the case for simplifying, reducing or optimising this aspect of the street setting.

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