This 12-month pilot InnovateUK funded project (April 2017-March 2018) will make traffic light timing information available to drivers for the first time via a smartphone app.
It is expected this can reduce fuel use, improve air quality and congestion, and show how local authorities can adopt smart and intelligent solutions using existing equipment and cost-effectively.
But before these outcomes can be tested, a number of technical and behavioural barriers must be overcome, requiring the project team to work together in new ways:
- Amey deliver Highways Maintenance services to Birmingham City Council under a 25 year PFI contract:
- Are responsible for the physical location, condition and operation of:
- physical highways assets: the loop detectors, traffic signals
- control room for the server (located in Birmingham City Council buildings)
- Provide the pilot fleet and drivers to test the smartphone app; 12 pre-selected heavy duty fleet vehicles used daily by Amey’s highways maintenance teams
- Are responsible for the physical location, condition and operation of:
- IDOX (Cloud Amber) run the data processing and traffic prediction services that enable the loop detectors to talk with the traffic lights and adapt the signal timings accordingly. Delivered through their UTC common database platform that sits on the servers.
- CheckedSafe are designing the app that will pull in the traffic signal information and present it in a way the drivers can understand.
- Birmingham City Council provide technical and research support that:
- links the project’s efforts into wider council policy objectives (improving air quality, reducing congestion, creating smart/intelligent solutions cost-effectively with existing equipment)
- Connect and shares progress and learning with other local authorities, research projects and programmes locally, nationally and internationally
The theory of success
- By providing knowledge of upcoming traffic light timings to drivers, they change their driving to minimise idle waiting, thereby saving fuel and reducing emissions.
- This reduces fuel costs for Amey, and helps improve air quality in Birmingham.
- It creates a new product CheckedSafe can offer to drivers.
- It enables IDOX (Cloud Amber) to offer new solutions to other local authorities, offering access to traffic signal prediction data in more accessible formats.
- Birmingham’s experience helps other local authorities deliver smart/intelligent solutions, squeeze more value from their existing highway assets and improve living and driving conditions locally.