Reflecting Roadstuds is the main company in the UK that manufactures
cat's eyes
Cat's Eyes are an alternative pop duo formed in early 2011 by vocalist Faris Badwan (known for his work with English indie rock band the Horrors) and Italian-Canadian soprano, composer and multi-instrumentalist Rachel Zeffira.
History
The band ...
for use on roads.
History
Percy Shaw
Percy Shaw, (15 April 1890 – 1 September 1976) was an English inventor and businessman. He patented the reflective road stud or "cat's eye (road), cat's eye" in 1934, and set up a company to manufacture his invention in 1935.
Biography
Perc ...
, of
Halifax (then in the
West Riding of Yorkshire
The West Riding of Yorkshire is one of three historic subdivisions of Yorkshire, England. From 1889 to 1974 the administrative county County of York, West Riding (the area under the control of West Riding County Council), abbreviated County ...
) invented the cat's eye. Reflecting Roadstuds was set up a year later in 1935. It required £500 from two company directors and established a manufacturing site with 130 workers, later making a million roadstuds a year.
Halifax Courier
/ref> Initially it was difficult for the company to sell their new idea to road constructors and the government. However the onset of the blackout in the Second World War saw the idea being adopted throughout the United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
. By the 1960s, its products were used on lane markings, then on the edge of carriageways from the early 1970s.
Company structure
It is situated off '' Boothtown Road'' (A647
The A647 is an A road in West Yorkshire, England that begins in Leeds and ends in Halifax. The road is long.
Route
The road begins at the Armley Gyratory and goes via Armley, by-passes Stanningley and Pudsey, then onwards via Thornbury to th ...
) in the north of Halifax.
Roadstuds, also known as raised pavement marker
A raised pavement marker is a safety device used on roads. These devices are usually made with plastic, ceramic, thermoplastic paint, glass or occasionally metal, and come in a variety of shapes and colors. Raised reflective markers, such as ...
s, are also made by Roadcraft Safety Products of Weston-super-Mare
Weston-super-Mare, also known simply as Weston, is a seaside town in North Somerset, England. It lies by the Bristol Channel south-west of Bristol between Worlebury Hill and Bleadon Hill. It includes the suburbs of Mead Vale, Milton, Oldmixon ...
.
Products
The products conform to the 1998 British Standard BS EN 1463, which lists standards for road markings and reflective materials, and the Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions
The Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions (commonly abbreviated to TSRGD) is the law that sets out the design and conditions of use of official traffic signs that can be lawfully placed on or near roads in Great Britain (England, Sco ...
.
It makes:
* Cat's eyes
Cat's Eyes are an alternative pop duo formed in early 2011 by vocalist Faris Badwan (known for his work with English indie rock band the Horrors) and Italian-Canadian soprano, composer and multi-instrumentalist Rachel Zeffira.
History
The band ...
* Pedestrian crossing
A pedestrian crossing (or crosswalk in American English) is a place designated for pedestrians to cross a road, street or avenue. The term "pedestrian crossing" is also used in the Vienna and Geneva Conventions, both of which pertain to road sig ...
studs
* Tactile paving studs
References
{{Reflist
External links
Reflecting Roadstuds
official site
Company history at the Design Museum
Companies based in Halifax, West Yorkshire
Roads in the United Kingdom
British companies established in 1935
Manufacturing companies established in 1935
1935 establishments in England