Colas has just installed Flowell, a dynamic light-emitting road marking solution, on a project at the La Doua University campus in Lyon, France. The objective? To improve user safety at an intersection between a tramway line and a bicycle path. The trial is one of several innovations that Colas is rolling out on this project, which aims to promote soft mobility.

Launched in 2019, Colas is redesigning the roadways on the La Doua University campus to promote soft mobility by narrowing streets, widening sidewalks and creating a greenway and a bike path. The project, carried out on behalf of the Lyon Metropolitan Authorities, combines several innovative, sustainable Colas Group solutions. The work should be completed by the end of this year.

"Flowell is a solution designed to improve user safety when traffic conditions are difficult. After a successful trial in the 15th arrondissement of Paris designed to regulate pedestrian/car traffic, we are continuing to roll out Flowell here in Lyon, at an intersection between a tram line and a bicycle path," explains Laurent Le Boulc'h, Director of the Sustainable Smart Infrastructure & Mobility Division at Colas.

Innovative, sustainable solutions
The bike path on campus was paved with Urbalith, a natural-looking, low-impact, permeable and recyclable surfacing, which will, for the first time, be combined with the dynamic light emitting road marking solution, Flowell. The trial is to be monitored in 2022 to see to what extent it modifies user behavior, thereby improving user safety.
The paving crew was also able to test the ExoPush exoskeleton, a cobot rake that divides the effort needed to hand place asphalt mix by five.

A low environmental impact worksite
From the outset, the actual worksite itself was designed to limit its impact on the environment. For starters, the base camp was equipped with solar panels, producing an average of 30 kWh per day. This allowed it not only to be self-sufficient in electricity, but also to inject any surplus into the public power grid. The crews also used an electric van, which saved 6 tons of CO2 equivalent compared to a fossil-fuel vehicle.

Enhanced acceptability of the project
Acceptability of worksites for local residents and users is also a major concern. Real-time information panels were installed to keep people up to date on the project’s progress and future traffic restrictions. The “Hello Travaux” application, developed by Colas, has also been rolled out on this project, allowing crews and local residents to exchange information in real time via a dedicated platform.

"This type of innovative, low impact worksite is in line with Colas' CSR approach, which aims to offer sustainable solutions to our customers and users. The combination of the Group's expertise enables us to offer our client - the Lyon Metropolitan Area - a quality campus that is connected to the city," says Pascal Trouf, CEO, South-East Zone, Colas France.