Motorway data set for revamp

Highways Agency will cut congestion using real-time information

Highways Agency overhauls technology

The Highways Agency (HA) is to change the way it uses and presents data to make it more relevant to drivers and reduce congestion.

The government agency, which operates and maintains the motorway network, is to introduce a digital radio station, make real-time CCTV traffic images available on its web site, and improve roadside message signs.

‘We want to encourage drivers to plan their journey before leaving home and advise them of traffic conditions while on the move, to ease congestion,’ HA director of information Denise Plumpton told Computing.

Live data about delays and road conditions will be displayed on road signs. Data will be collected by sensors in the road, and bespoke algorithms have been developed to calculate the expected travel time, which is automatically transmitted to the signs.

This technology will start being used in September following successful trials conducted at the end of last year.

A dedicated radio channel using digital audio broadcasting technology is also being developed. The channel will receive data from the agency’s National Traffic Control Centre every 15 minutes and deliver continuous traffic updates.

‘Initially it will cover motorways and trunk roads but we are working with Transport for London to deliver data on London roads, and with agencies in Wales and Scotland,’ said Plumpton.

‘Trials have already begun and we hope to have it up and running for the summer holidays.’

Real-time CCTV images will be put on the HA web site in the autumn.

‘We have been testing the back end to ensure that information flows quickly and is in real time,’ said Plumpton.

New technology to allow drivers to plan their journeys more efficiently will help to reduce journey times and control congestion, says Martin Atherton of analyst Freeform Dynamics.

‘Providing real-time information gives people who are travelling more choice,’ he said. ‘The sooner you know there is a problem, the sooner you can react and change plans accordingly.’

Some satellite navigation devices already include advanced features such as congestion warnings, and future systems could combine traffic information with a driver’s real-time position, says Atherton.