Pioneering work led by Highways England to transform journeys on
the country’s busiest routes with innovative technology allowing
vehicles and the roads to ‘talk’ to each other has been showcased
to an international audience.
A high-tech ‘corridor’ is being created on the A2/M2
in Kent to let specially-equipped vehicles interact with roadside
infrastructure in a move which promises safer, more reliable
journeys and speedier maintenance, to reduce
delays.
Highways England, the Department for Transport, Kent
County Council and Transport for London are at the forefront of
this pioneering activity and have staged a ‘TESTFEST’ showcasing
to an international audience progress to
date.
The week-long event has attracted more than 60 people
from the automobile world to allow them to understand the
technology and see how it could be used in the construction of
future vehicle designs.
Highways England Head of Intelligent Transport
Systems Group Jo White said:
“Connecting vehicles to each other
and the road around can improve journeys, make them safer and
give drivers reliable, real-time personalised information; it
could also help us manage traffic and respond to incidents. We're
supporting the Government's aim to be world leading in the
development of connected and autonomous vehicles (CAV). The
TESTFEST is a vital part of that, because it means the
initiatives we take forward and the vehicles being developed all
align so drivers continue to have safe journeys in the
future.”
The project on sections of the A2 and M2 is testing
how information about road conditions, roadworks and time left
for traffic lights to change to green can be transmitted to test
vehicles via a wireless network.
Providing drivers and fleet managers with the
information and tools to make real-time decisions has the
potential to quickly improve traffic flow along the corridor. It
also has the potential to improve safety by providing more
information about traffic conditions
ahead.
Displaying the information on screens inside vehicles
reduces the likelihood of drivers missing information displayed
on roadside signs, ending the problem of obscured signs caused by
vegetation or when passing other
vehicles.
For example, a sign may appear for a lane closure in
place because of an accident or debris ahead. Keeping the lane
clear gives the emergency services the access they need to help.
Providing this information in a vehicle will help reduce drivers
accidently driving in a closed lane, improving safety for
everyone.
Roads Minister said:
“Between 2015 and 2020, the Government is planning to
invest over £20 billion on improving and extending the UK’s road
network, helping businesses, individuals and families
alike.
“New technologies are increasingly playing a central role in this
process of transformation, and connected and autonomous vehicles
could be worth tens of billions of pounds to the UK economy by
2035. This exciting project showcases some of the emerging
technologies involved.”
Kent County Council Cabinet Member for Highways Mike
Whiting said:
“We welcome this investment and look forward to finding out
the results from this pilot
scheme. The A2 and M2
are some of the busiest roads managed by Highways England in
Kent, so we are keen to find out whether this new technology can
reduce delays.”
TfL's Director of Network Management, Glynn Barton,
said:
“These first live tests of connecting vehicles to our
road systems and infrastructure have been an exciting opportunity
for us to explore the possibilities for the future. It’s only
through these events that we can understand the opportunities,
risks and challenges that we face in operating transport networks
in the coming years. Working closely with Highways England, Kent
County Council and the DfT on the A2/M2 connected corridor
project means we can understand the potential benefits of this
technology for both road users and TfL.”
The A2/M2 Connected Corridor is a joint project
between the Department for Transport, Highways England, Transport
for London and Kent County Council. It is part
of InterCor, an EU project that
aims to test services that work across borders, connecting the UK
to the Netherlands, France and Belgium. The project started in
2016 and is due to be completed in 2019.
