Reading Borough Council on the right lines with new fully electric road marking machine

  • Watch the full video report by ITV Meridian's Mel Bloor

Reading Borough Council has unveiled the latest addition to its growing fleet of electric vehicles with a new fully electric road line marking machine.

The innovative new machine will help reduce costs and support Reading’s net carbon zero ambitions by using 60% less carbon.

It will also mean more staff can improve their skills by being trained up to refresh Reading’s road markings.

The electric machine, which cost £100,000, replaces older diesel-powered vehicles and is able to do a full 8-hour shift on a single charge.

The. new electric line marker will save money, upskill Council staff and help the environment Credit: ITV News Meridian

It also uses a cold applied paint product rather than the usual hot paint material, which means line painting will be quieter, reduce carbon, last longer and be more environmentally friendly.

Steve Rendell, Highways and Drainage Operations Manager at Reading Borough Council, said: "We currently contract line painting work out so we've invested in this machine to up-skill our staff, save the council and residents money and make it more efficient for us."

Cllr Karen Rowland, "Making innovative changes like this is really worth the investment because it's not just the value and the pounds that we save every day but it's also of extreme value in the difference we can make for the climate. It's a win win."

Reading Borough Council has also invested in new products to extend the life of roads and footways in Reading.

These include Rhinophalt preservation, which was recently laid on the A33 junction with the M4 and on sections along the A33.

Quicker, easier and less disruptive than a full road resurface which requires the top layer of the road being removed, Rhinophalt is a preservative layer applied to the existing road surface to extend the life of the road.

Also with winter approaching, new temperature-sensor technology is being installed and monitored around the borough to provide accurate, real time and localised temperature readings, ensuring surface gritting resources are concentrated more in areas that need it on any given occasion.

The improved temperature data will ensure gritting only occurs where needed so blanket gritting doesn’t take place in areas of the borough which may not need to be treated.

This will reduce waste, materials, costs and importantly the Council’s carbon footprint.

Sensor technology is also being introduced at traffic signals to produce more dynamic signalling which improve traffic flows and again reduce carbon production by helping to keep cars moving in Reading, as well as improving air quality.