Closed circuit television and wireless technology that enables
vehicles to communicate is among the kit that could be neatly
stored inside the lanterns of street lights alongside the
National Highways network.
This could enable the existing infrastructure to be employed in
the future to push out information on traffic updates, speed
limits and diversions – helping vehicles to plan journeys more
effectively.
Street lighting has often been viewed as a standalone asset but
technology that has emerged in recent years could enable wider
use of this vital infrastructure.
Bandwidth has restricted air wave transmissions in the past, but
with the roll-out of 5G and the IoT (Internet of Things)
infrastructures lighting could be equipped with devices such as
wireless access points and cameras.
A ‘proof of concept’ trial on this intelligent street lighting
has been carried out on the M40 junction 15 Longbridge roundabout
near Birmingham.
Drivers would have been oblivious to the CCTV and communications
technology hidden away in the street lamp as it was installed
when the lights were switched to the improved, greener LED
lighting.
The Illuminate trial took place over five months last year and
successfully proved the concept. The technology was able to
communicate data to office equipment and tablet computers.
The knowledge gained in the trial will be used to help shape
National Highways’ strategy for managing the Connected and
Autonomous (CAV) infrastructure.
National Highways is looking for technologies that can
effectively support autonomous vehicles so they can push and
receive messages across the network. These messages could be
about speed limits, incidents, updates on clearance times –
useful information to help drivers plan their journeys.
This would involve a large-scale deployment of technology across
the network and street lights may be the answer.
National Highways’ Innovations Lead for the Midlands, Lisa Maric,
said:
These are exciting times as we progress on our Digital Roads
journey with the growth of digital technology and the move to
electric, connected and autonomous vehicles that will
fundamentally change how we use roads in the future.
National Highways is committed to ensuring we are at the
forefront of this digital revolution and are preparing the way
for the greener and safer roads of tomorrow.
Initial trials such as Illuminate will help us identify new
innovations, technology and methods to meet our digital goals. We
were pleased with how Illuminate performed as a proof of concept
and the useful knowledge gained as we continue to plan for the
roads of the future.
National Highways worked with Kier Highways on the Illuminate
trial. Kier Highways Project Manager, Carla Vicente, said:
Being able to install technology, such as CCTV, while we are
replacing street lighting is a more efficient way of working and
provides better value for customers. More importantly, it is a
safer and less disruptive way of working, reducing the amount of
road closures required.
The Illuminate project was a great example of collaboration
across internal Kier teams, our client National Highways, the
supply chain and the manufacturer.
This proof of concept will feed into other future projects and
the learnings will help to deliver more collaborative and
sustainable projects which supports National Highways’ Carbon Net
Zero targets.
The trial has been funded through National Highways’ Innovation
and Modernisation Fund which is helping to maximise the
opportunities offered by developments such as automated vehicles
while putting safety at the forefront of emerging technologies.
You can find more information about the future of our roads on
our Digital
Roads webpage.