The Tracker Riley Cycle Way has long been a recreational hub for those looking for a scenic walk or run along the Macquarie River in Dubbo New South Wales.
Lighting the track has been an ongoing project for the former Dubbo City Council. Council had previously installed lighting to portions of the track to encourage safer use of the track after dark.
As large portions of the track are removed from well-lit areas the NSW Police in recent years identified sections of the cycleway as potential crime spots, posing a problem for the local community and the current Dubbo Regional Council.
Mayor of the Dubbo Region Ben Shields said safety in the community is always a priority. “Making sure our community feels safe is a big priority for this Council. Promoting well-being and physical activity is also important for this Council so we knew we had to do something in order to improve the safety of one of our most used recreational assets,” Clr Shields said.
With emerging technologies and energy efficiencies Dubbo Regional Council’s Open Space Coordinator Ben Pilon was only too happy work with Enlighten to solve this issue when the collaboration was first initiated.
“Finding funding for the variety of projects we want to deliver is often hard so working with Enlighten to deliver this important safety improvement was very valuable. We used Enlighten’s Zorro Unplugged solar lights and with the help of two local community organisations the Dubbo Stampede Running committee and the Titan Macquarie Mud Run committee we were able to install these lights along the cycle way,” Mr Pilon said.
The twenty Zorro Unplugged solar lights were installed in an area where access to power and services deemed too costly. Trenching and wiring in these remote locations to numerous sites along the track are often too expensive and simply not efficient.
“The great thing about Enlighten’s Zorro Unplugged solar lights is that they could be installed with minimal disruption to the cycleway, they are ideal for environmentally sensitive areas, and remote locations with limited or no power supply.”
“The lights operate on an independent rotating axis for the LED panel, this allows us to focus the light where needed on the path. The lights use the latest technology in batteries and has a quality solar panel to ensure good harvest from the suns energy.”
The Zorro Unplugged solar light also has an integrated microwave motion sensor, pre-programmed time and intelligent mode all available through a remote control to schedule the level of light in this area appropriately.
