By Steve Ranger, 1 August 2006 16:10
NEWS
Electronic signs that tell drivers how long it will take to complete a motorway journey are being road-tested in England.
The congestion-busting sign system, which is being trialled by the Highways Agency, uses historical traffic data plus information from automatic number plate recognition cameras on the motorways to inform drivers of the expected travel time to specific junctions on the motorway, said Steve Crosthwaite, head of the National Traffic Control Centre in Birmingham, which is running the trial.
He told silicon.com: "By using that data and the data coming in real time, the computer can calculate the time it will take for a journey and at the moment the feedback we are getting is that we are getting it right. The feedback has been very good indeed."
Travel times are recalculated every five minutes and the signs updated accordingly. If delays on the motorway climb too high the sign switches from travel time to showing the estimated delay.
By telling motorists of conditions ahead in real-time the idea is they will be able to change their route when there are problems and so cut congestion. If successful the system could see nationwide roll out - potentially on all motorways in the next year.
The trial will run until early September. It covers 160 miles of two of central England's busiest motorways, the M6 and M5. More than 200,000 vehicles per day travel on these routes.
The system uses data from a network of electronic monitoring equipment including 3,750 on-road sensors and 700 CCTV cameras. Other information to help build traffic-flow models comes from police forces, local highway authorities, contractors, leisure and entertainment venues, and weather centres.
And the database of historical data it draws on is one of the biggest Windows-based Oracle databases in the world, with a terabyte of data added every month.
Travel and delay times may be replaced during major incidents by safety and diversion messages but it is expected that the journey-time messages will be visible about 80 per cent of the time.
Comments
There are 9 comments. Join the discussion
1. Martyn Witt
Those of us (surely everyone) who has experienced the incorrect and out of date info on those daft gantry signs will be less than impressed with this latest gimickry - what is the point? Millions spent on installation of these things, weeks of roadworks while they do it, and then there's no money left to employ anyone half-intelligent to keep the info up to date or to display info that is actually of any practical use!
And do we really need a Government computer telling us how long we should expect to waste travelling on our inadequate motorway network? The nanny/big brother culture is out of control!
2. Richard
At last, something to be proud about!
So, Britain really is at the forefront of mass surveillance and snooping:
"...uses historical traffic data plus information from automatic number plate recognition cameras on the motorways..."
"...one of the biggest Windows-based Oracle databases in the world, with a terabyte of data added every month..."
Government surveillance, intrusion, and "security" seem to be replacing Britain's lost manufacturing industries.
3. anonymous
I came across one of these signs at J15 of the M6 south. It told me it would take 20 minutes to get to J11. Everybody knows that the jams start AFTER J11.
4. Chris Walker
A complete and utter waste of time and resources!
Firstly it requires you to know how far it is to the stated junction to make any sense out of it at all. This information is not displayed.
Secondly if the effect is to encourage traffic to turn off the motorway on to the already overloaded adjacent roads, what is the point? It will probably take longer via the "diversion".
Just tell us when the situation is grossly abnormal
5. Bill Lewis
Does anybody think this "new" information service will be any more informative than the current one which is incorrect 50% of the time ?
6. alastair warren
Isn't this functionality provided already by In Car routing and Sat Nav systems?
As the system monitors conditions, why can't we have variable speed limits above 70mph when conditions and traffic volume allow?
Does this smack of public sector 'spend or lose it' to you?
More of our hard earned money being wasted on an ineffectual project. We know, and they know there are better things to waste our money on.
7. anonymous
Does this mean more gantrys etc.? It will soon be like driving in a tunnel
8. richard A
So now they are tracking me on my motorway journey?
> "The system uses ... automatic number plate recognition cameras on the motorways to inform drivers of the expected travel time."
Sounds like a short step from universal motorway charging and then universal surveillance. How long before I have to submit my route in advance and apply for travel permission???
"They" can already track where I go with my Oyster Card (on the London Underground) - now they can track where I drive my car... and have a policeman waiting if the DVLA computer says my MOT is out of date because that computer system has crashed agin...!
Where will it all end???
9. Neil
So THAT'S why the predicted times often seem surprisingly short - they're based on actual cars doing the journey (and presumably not travelling at 70mph).
If I was one of the people these times were based on, I'd be getting worried for my licence?
The Police must already have access to this data - how long before the first prosecution, I wonder?