REDDITCH MP and transport minister Rachel Maclean has been shown how more than three million pieces of data a day gathered from the region’s roads network is helping to reduce traffic congestion and keep people moving.
This cutting-edge project, called Network Resilience Live Lab, is funded by the Department of Transport (DfT) through a two-year £22.9m programme to November 2021.
Transport for West Midlands (TfWM) is using data harnessed round-the-clock from automated traffic counters backed up by live feeds from more than 2,000 CCTV cameras covering the transport network to build up a detailed picture of traffic and transport movements around the region.
This data stream is being further enhanced with 5G roadside data sensors which relay live information on traffic movements.
TfWM, which is part of the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA), – of which Redditch is a non-constituent member – is working with partner councils and transport operators to relieve pressure on the region’s roads.
Approximately 50 per cent of the road traffic in the region is carried on seven per cent of the road network.
“The UK is paving the way when it comes to the future of transport and the development of cutting edge technology and I’m delighted to see this being embedded in the West Midlands,” said Mrs Maclean.
“Reducing traffic will cut transport emissions and improve air quality, making our communities healthier, better places to live.”
Mayor of the West Midlands Andy Street said: “We took this opportunity to show the Minister the ground-breaking work being done with big data to deal with traffic congestion on our roads.
“It is a major issue for thousands of people a day as they travel about our region which is why we are investing more than £1billion in improving our bus, train, tram and cycling infrastructure as well as relieving some of our notorious congestion hotspots.”
As well as the large-scale data gathering operation. work is also being carried out, under TfWM’s Future Transport Zone umbrella, to study and research individual travel patterns and behaviour to find ways of better targeting messages to encourage people to change their travel choices – such as choose a better time of day or switch to public transport.
