SOLAR STUDS LIGHT UP MAXILOM AVE.
The Department of Public Works and Highways 7 said that the installation of hundreds of solar studs along Gen. Maxilom Ave. was part of the road maintenance in Cebu City
Frances Rose Eligino used to dread driving on Gen. Maxilom Ave. in Cebu City, especially during the night, due to the poorly-lit streets.
But with the roads now installed with solar studs, the college student can now drive with ease.
“I have seen that the road is brighter than it used to be when I passed by the area at night. It helped me see better at night, especially when pedestrians are crossing the road,” Eligino told SunStar Cebu.
Although not driving, Cheia Remonde also finds the lights a good development for pedestrians like her. The optometry student spends a generous amount of her study-out activities in one of the coffee shops in the area.
“I can really see a difference when crossing the street before and after the lights were installed. I feel safer and it also looks aesthetically pleasing. It’s like a runway with fairy lights guiding the vehicles,” Remonde said.
Hundreds of solar studs were installed by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) 7 on Gen. Maxilom Ave. as part of a road maintenance project.
The studs are flashing solar cell-powered light emitting diodes embedded in the road surface. The devices are used in road construction to delineate road edges and center lines.
It is an electronic improvement on the traditional retro-reflective safety devices since it may give drivers a reaction window of more than 30 seconds, compared to the conventional ones which only offer at least three seconds.
Engr. Ador Canlas, DPWH 7 director, said the studs are innovations from South Korea that help drivers and motorists drive more safely. Each stud costs P7,000.
“It’s not really a separate project, we just used the extra funds for the regular road maintenance to buy the studs. We’ve observed that the area is among the busiest streets in Cebu City, but is also one of the poorly lit ones,” he told SunStar Cebu.
DPWH public information officer Marie Nillama said the Gen. Maxilom Ave. is an ideal location to install the lighting devices since it is where many residentials, hotels and other establishments are located.
“It is feasible to expand it to all major thoroughfares since it could actually help the government save more. It’s not expensive since it doesn’t rely on electricity to function as what it uses is the solar energy it has stored during the day,” she said.
■ The studs are flashing solar cell-powered light emitting diodes embedded in the road surface. The devices are used in road construction to delineate road edges and center lines.