BBC News | UK | Package to provide 'smarter' roads

The Highways Agency has announced a �1.2bn package aimed at reducing traffic jams and making the country's roads safer over the next 10 years.

The agency, which is responsible for motorways and other major roads in England, will introduce a range of technology designed to provide an 'intelligent' road infrastructure for the future.

Variable message signs, automatic incident detection and an upgraded national telecommunications fibre optic cable network will help to provide better information for both traffic controllers and motorists.

The Highway Agency's Richard Eastman told BBC Radio 4's Today Programme: "Through the new technology, we've got the opportunity to make quite a big difference to the experience of using the national road network and improving service to our customers."

Raft of technology

As part of the government's 'triple package' of technology to tackle congestion, safety issues and driver communication, the measures include:

The installation of automatic traffic hold-up warning systems on 30 per cent of all English motorways by 2004, to help reduce accidents at the back of traffic queues

A further 200 motorway monitoring cameras over the next four years to give a faster response to accidents and breakdowns and cut down on congestion

A series of national traffic control centres, developed as part of a public-private partnership, to provide real-time strategic traffic management from 2002.

Three times the number of variable message signs on national roads to suggest alternative routes for drivers, taking the total to 1500 by 2003.

Smoother flow

There are also plans to extend the congested M25 motorway near Heathrow, while motorways and routes around Manchester and Birmingham will be better controlled to ease the flow of traffic.

Lord Whitty: "A more efficient system"
"By slowing down the most aggressive of drivers we get a more uniform speed of traffic with the surprising result that you get a smoother flow of traffic and less stop-start motoring," said Mr Eastman.

Off-road, the agency also plans to support car makers in the development of intelligent in-car information systems to bring down the price and make them more comprehensive.

Transport and Environment Minister Lord Whitty said of the 10-year action plan: "By making full use of new technologies we can create a modern, less polluting and more efficient transport system in which roads play their full part."


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