‘s-Hertogenbosch is the first municipality in the Netherlands to use traffic signs made of bamboo. The bamboo traffic signs are placed in the countryside near the city, to test whether the signs are sufficiently resistant to different weather influences. The bamboo traffic signs are developed by HR Group in cooperation with MOSO®. MOSO® Bamboo N-finity material is specially profiled and impregnated for outdoor use in the factory. In previous laboratory tests, Bamboo N-finity achieved durability class 1 and is therefore extremely suitable for outdoor use. The test with the bamboo traffic signs is a good practice test for the material, which is a sustainable alternative for the widely used aluminum.
Traffic safety and signage
HR Group is the leading Dutch supplier of products and services for traffic safety and signage. HR Group’s clients, mainly governments, are asking for opportunities to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in a variety of areas. The main reason for this is to meet the government’s climate objectives. The standard base material of traffic signs, aluminium, requires a lot of energy and has a very poor CO2 footprint. In addition, bamboo is a renewable raw material, while the supply of bauxite, the raw material for aluminium, is finite.
Alternative to aluminium
At the beginning of 2017, the first traffic signs were placed in the outskirts of ’s Hertogenbosch in order to test whether the signs are sufficiently resistant to various weather influences. The test with bamboo road signs is a good practical test for the material, which is a sustainable alternative to the commonly used aluminium. In mid-2019, several cities in the Netherlands were provided with bamboo road signs and the test was successful. The MOSO® Bamboo Ultimate material is specially profiled and impregnated for outdoor use in the factory in the desired formats. In previous laboratory tests, the material achieved durability class 1 and is therefore extremely suitable.
