UK Highways Agency

Prior to turning the UK Highways Agency into a government-owned company, the Department for Transport (DfT) has launched a consultation asking for the public’s views on the proposed structure and accountability of the new company, along with input on how the new watchdog, and a separate new organisation that will monitor the performance of the agency, should be run. Turning the Highways Agency into a government-owned company will improve efficiency and reduce running costs, with taxpayers expected to ben

US-based detection technology company Aldis has received UK Highways Agency approval for its 3D vision-based vehicle and pedestrian detection system with tracking for traffic signal control and data collection. Aldis GridSmart replaces in-road detection technology with a single, static 3D camera at signal controlled junctions. The system can also be used for multi-directional traffic surveys, including complex turning movements and vehicle classification, as well as pedestrian detection and counting.

The UK Highways Agency has awarded the US$589 million contract for the design, implementation, delivery and operation of the new free-flow charging system to sanef. The seven-year deal includes the opportunity to extend up to a further three years. New technology will allow drivers to use the crossing without having to stop at the barriers to hand over payment. Road users will be able to pay through a variety of methods including telephone, text, online and at retail outlets. Pre-paid accounts which qual

A partnership of the UK’s department for Transport (DfT), British telecom (BT) and Cambridge-based wireless firm Neul is working on a project to transform the A14 between Felixstowe and Birmingham into the country’s first internet-connected road. The smart road, which aims to prepare the country for future technology from wireless toll chargers to automated cars, will include a network of sensors along an eighty-kilometre stretch, with data transmitted over white space, temporarily unused gaps in the dig

The UK Highways Agency is trialling a system to add commercially available traffic data to its existing sources to monitor traffic flow on England’s motorways and strategic roads. Similar data sources are already used by satellite navigation devices, smartphones, and applications like Google maps. The system uses data that comes mostly from vehicle tracking devices installed by fleet operators, and a proportion from mobile sat-nav type devices, including smartphone traffic applications where the user has

UK company, Astucia, part of the Clearview Traffic Group, and Balfour Beatty Mott MacDonald has installed over 4,000 Astucia SolarLite road studs on the M20 junctions 8 to 9 between Ashford and Maidstone, on behalf of the UK Highways Agency. This section of the motorway lacks street lighting increasing the potential risk for night time accidents. The project involved upgrading the existing road markings and road studs to address the high number of collisions recorded in the dark and wet conditions. The exis

The UK Highways Agency is trialling a system to add commercially available traffic data to its existing sources to monitor how well traffic is flowing on England's motorways and strategic roads. Similar data sources are already used by satellite navigation devices, smartphones, and applications like Google maps. Better real-time data will allow agency staff to respond more quickly to incidents and identify delays and communicate them to drivers so they can take alternative routes if necessary.

Golden River Traffic, part of the Clearview Traffic Group, has unveiled the M100, a new road traffic data collection system that uses secure radio technology as a more reliable, lower cost and easier to install alternative to the use of inductive loops. It can be used for count and classify or for traffic light control and is suitable for all Urban Traffic Control (UTC) systems. Golden River says it offers a likely cost saving across 10 years of installation of as much as 46 per cent.

Highway surveying company Yotta DCL has signed a four year contract worth around US$3.61 million with the UK Highways Agency to survey and monitor some 140,000km of motorway and other major roads across England. As part of the agreement, the company DCL will perform a traffic speed condition survey (TRACS) to determine the condition of the road surface, assess the areas in particular need of repair and determine where immediate action needs to be taken. The company will use its new state-of-the art Tempest

This issue of ITS International contains a feature article based on interviews with leading figures of the ITS associations of the United States, Europe, Japan and Malaysia. A key point made is the importance of political leadership or policy direction in driving take up and implementation of ITS technology. This industry actually need not complain of a lack of drive on the part of politicians, or so it seems from other projects reported in this issue. True, the US would welcome a new transport bill and the