New Roadside Electrical Cabinet and Passively Safe Cabinet Approved by National Highways
National Highways have been working with electrical enclosure designer and manufacturer Ritherdon, to approve a new Roadside Electrical Cabinet and the Ritherdon Passively Safe Cabinet, developed by Ritherdon and Manchester University, for use on the Strategic Road Network.
The Roadside Electrical Cabinet is intended to house electrical/electronic equipment installed on the SRN. The cabinet meets all the requirements detailed in National Highways specification MCE 2650. The Roadside Electrical Cabinet is a basic cabinet, but with IP46 rating as a minimum and adequate secure locking systems. It is a more cost-effective alternative when a complex cabinet, like a Type 600, 600C, is not necessary.
Roadside Electrical Cabinet
The approved cabinet is available from Ritherdon in single door and double door versions (800mm width and 1250mm width). Cabinets are made from stainless steel and powder coated TR2180 Traffic Grey A. They can be found under the National Highways stock codes: CABINET-0790-1-RTH – Cabinet RB800 and CABINET-0792-1-RTH – Cabinet RB1250.
The Ritherdon approved cabinet follows closely on the design of the traditional range of Ritherdon RB Cabinets but with IP56 rating and with a three-point locking mechanism, operated with the NH eccentric ‘T’ key. The cabinet comes fitted with a backboard and can be customised to fit requirements. Additional options include shelf kits, fixed 19-inch rack, heater kit, light kit, power distribution unit (6-way) and double 13A socket. The cabinet is meant to be installed on a separate plinth. They new approved cabinets can be found on the Ritherdon website under the National Highways Approved range, alongside other approved communications cabinets.
Passive Safe Cabinet
Another roadside cabinet that has been approved is the innovative Passively Safe Cabinet. The Passively Safe Cabinet designed by Ritherdon is the first of its kind: a crash-friendly cabinet that can breakaway upon impact. The cabinet is designed to minimize the dangers associated with a high-speed vehicle collision. Upon impact, the cabinet shears off its base travelling clear of the car, minimizing damage and injury to the occupants. This also negates the need for expensive and potentially hazardous roadside barriers. The passive safe cabinet extends the boundaries of passive road safety to include cabinets.
The Passive Safe Cabinet has been designed and tested to EN 12767. Classified to Occupant Safety Level of 100NE3 in accordance with EN12767:2007. Later reclassified to a performance class of 100-NE-B-R-SE-SD-0 in accordance with the superseding standard EN12767:2019.
The Passively Safe Cabinet is available from Ritherdon in two sizes in single door versions, in 600 mm and 800 mm in width. Made from stainless steel and powder coated in TR2180 Traffic Grey A. The cabinet can be fitted with optional electrical isolation and disconnection system. For further information, see the assigned National Highways stock codes: CABINET-0880-1-RTH – Cabinet RB600PSC and CABINET-0883-1-RTH – Cabinet RB800PSC.
Ritherdon and Company Limited’s processes and procedures fully meet the requirements of TR 1100 and MCH 1600. Ritherdon has been making and supplying roadside cabinets to contractors and end-users for use on the roadside and highways for decades, alongside other external electrical enclosures. Ritherdon is a family business, manufacturing all its enclosures and products from their factory in Darwen, Lancashire.
