Supporting sustainability and active travel in asset management
The Well Maintained Highway Infrastructure: A Code of Practice (UKRLG) guidance document advocates the adoption of a risk- and evidence-based approach to all aspects of highway asset management. Traditionally, carriageway network management has been prioritised due to the greater dangers associated with carriageway use and the greater level of condition data available.
In recent years however, there has been a greater focus assigned to the management of non-carriageway assets, driven largely by "Active Travel" considerations and wider sustainability initiatives. Record amounts are now being invested in active travel to help deliver a healthier, safer and more carbon neutral transport system – with a focus on raising the standard of cycling and walking infrastructure.
At XAIS-PTS, our services are designed to support the management of non-carriageway assets and we offer the most comprehensive range of survey solutions in the UK, aimed at delivering valuable asset management insights. Our off-carriageway surveys include:
- Annual Engineers Inspections (AEI)
- Infrastructure Vision (iV) 360° Surveys - MAVIS
- Footway Network Surveys (FNS)
- Footway Maintenance Surveys (FMS)
- Detailed Visual Inspections (DVI)
Annual Engineers Inspections (AEI)
This engineer-led inspection is not only confined to carriageway assessments, we are also able to deliver detailed inspections on off-carriageway assets including footways, cycleways, and paved verges. AEI is undertaken by an experienced highways engineer, and the survey focuses on practical footway treatment options such as resurfacing, reconstruction, slurry seal, and patching.
Benefits of undertaking an AEI on your footways and cycleways include:
- Works programme development supports real-world scheme identification and prioritisation
- Multiple defect types accompany the treatment lengths and allow the treatments to be prioritised based upon percentage defectiveness
- Projection modelling provides more accurate year-on-year comparisons of network condition
- Value management workshops tailor services to your footway and cycleway maintenance needs, considering wider factors such as active travel
- AEI results integrate seamlessly with our XA© Scheme Assembler software module
Infrastructure Vision (iV) 360° Surveys - MAVIS
Our Mapping & Visual Imaging Scooter, affectionately known as MAVIS, is transforming the way clients collect, store and analyse the condition of footways. Much like our carriageway inspections, we travel across your network using a highly accurate GNSS/INS system and panoramic cameras to continuously record high-definition imagery, orthophotos and GPS data. Critically, this image collection is completed from the footway or cycleway itself, overcoming the limitations of other carriageway-based systems. By surveying from the footways, we maximise visibility of defects and deliver detailed condition assessments.
Local Authorities across the UK are turning to our robust, reliable and innovative mobile solution which incorporates several key features:
- Innovative use of our iV 360˚ system, operated through our battery-powered mobility scooter, delivers greater survey efficiency than traditional walked assessments
- Supports dedicated footway surveys whilst using objective machine learning technology
- Data accuracy and image quality enables faster workflows and reduces carbon footprints
- Improved decision making with respect to active travel, covering key areas such as accessibility, Healthy Streets and cycle infrastructure
- System supports treatment and maintenance scheme identification and prioritisation.
Footway Network Surveys (FNS) & Footway Maintenance Surveys (FMS)
Footway Network Surveys and Footway Maintenance Surveys have been developed as network level tools to enable rapid assessment and comparison of footway condition to be undertaken. Standard FNS utilises four condition levels (as new, aesthetically impaired, functionally impaired, structurally unsound) to assess footway condition for asset management purposes, and the collated data can also assist in identifying sites for further investigation by DVI or site visits by highway engineers.
Defect cause information, surface inventory type, footway inventory measurements, and lateral extent of defects can also be recorded in enhanced surveys such as FMS to further the value of assessments undertaken, and to support forward works programming and maintenance decisions.
Walked inspections such as DVI, FNS and FMS can overcome the limitations of making off-carriageway condition assessments using vehicle- and video-based technology, where visibility can be impacted by image quality issues, and physical obstructions such as parked cars and pedestrians.
Detailed Visual Inspections (DVI)
DVI is undertaken on foot by a UKPMS accredited inspector using a hand-held data collection device and calibrated measurement wheel. XAIS-PTS have a dedicated team of UKPMS accredited inspectors that can deliver detailed inspections across off-carriageway paved infrastructure assets such as footways and cycleways. Asset management support services also include:
- BVPI 187 reporting & FNS Headline Indicator
- Maintenance scheme recommendation
- Value management workshops to support scheme prioritisation
- GIS condition mapping and analysis
Why Choose XAIS-PTS?
At XAIS-PTS our team has a wealth of experience, and we deliver comprehensive footway and cycleway survey solutions alongside our wider surveys, software, professional services, programme development & design, materials testing, and certification services.
If you have any questions or queries about our services, please contact us today – our team will be more than happy to have a conversation with you regarding your project requirements!