Transport body plans streetworks register
Register to enable TfL to meet Traffic Management Act regulations
Transport for London (TfL) is to implement a streetworks register to manage roads maintenance and comply with forthcoming Traffic Management Act (TMA) regulations.
The act, passed in 2004, requires organisations that need to dig up roads to obtain permission from highway authorities, but delays in publishing technical guidelines have forced some councils to postpone the introduction of new systems.
Without codes of practice for supporting IT systems, organisations cannot be sure that their technology meets all the necessary requirements.
But TfL has begun the procurement process for a register that can be easily upgraded to comply with the guidelines.
The software underpinning the system will include spatial mapping of roads and streetworks data, a comprehensive list of London street names, and the ability to handle electronic transfer of notices between relevant organisations.
The three-year project will also allow TfL to manage inspections, enforce regulations, levy charges and issue penalty notices.
TfL manages almost 600km of London’s roads and 4,600 traffic lights, and must be able to monitor and report on the performance of streetworks.
The Department for Transport says the TMA guidelines will be published early this year, with the regulations to become law later this year, more than 18 months after originally planned. The department blames persistent delays on the complexity of establishing the guidelines.
AMR Research analyst Nigel Montgomery says the implementation of such a system is indicative of the increasing compliance requirements being placed on UK organisations.
‘Organisations such as TfL need real-time information to meet these requirements but do not have it at the moment,’ he said. ‘It is about having access to consistent, comprehensive data in one system.’
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