A raft of developments at the Highways Agency are set to
improve service for England's road users.
In an interview with Computer Weekly, Denise Plumpton, director
of information, said she wants drivers to make informed decisions
about their route.
"We collect lots of data about the state of the roads, and my
aim is to share this," she said.
A new
DAB digital radio service went live in July, giving five-minute
bulletins on national and local roads which are updated every 15
minutes.
The data for this service is transmitted via a digital stream,
so the agency is considering delivery across other platforms, such
as
digital television or an automated telephone service.
It also has an agreement with
Ofcom for restricted service licences, which give five-minute
bulletins on AM radio about big events. They are available within
25 miles of the event and each one lasts for 30 days. The Agency is
currently deciding which events to cover.
In August message signs were switched on across England giving
information on motorways about drivers' time distance from, and
delays around, major junctions. Automatic number plate recognition
cameras send encrypted data over a wide area network, feeding a
Serco bespoke journey-time tool.
Message composition software then sends messages to 300 signs,
which are updated every five minutes.
The agency also has a high bandwidth network operating around
the roads, which means images from cameras can be externally
distributed - either as stills on the web, or streamed as TV travel
news broadcasts, giving drivers more ways of checking the roads
before leaving.
And for commuters, there is the possibility of a morning text
service letting them know if their daily route is congested.
"We have the ability to know what is going on, and we feel we
need to tell people." said Plumpton.