UK gets £160m traffic jam cam hub

The Highways Agency has announced the opening of a £160m National Traffic Control Centre to provide more effective real-time updates on the state of the UK motorway network.

The Agency claims the launch will help drivers to plan their journeys better as the centre, based near the M5 at Quinton, Birmingham, draws data from 3,750 road sensors and 700 CCTV cameras as well as compiling information from the Highways Agency, police forces and weather forecasts.

The centre will also solicit data from entertainment venues - such as large stadia - in an attempt to predict spikes in traffic around major events.

Drivers will be able to access this information online or via a 24-hour automated phone line.

Relevant information will also be displayed on roadside electronic message boards.

The launch supports other current and forthcoming innovations in enabling drivers to get better real-time data on the road networks, such as accessing information via mobile phones.

Speaking to silicon.com last year about the planned improvements soon to see the light of day, Denise Plumpton, information director at the Highways Agency, said: ""People want to know what to do [when stuck in traffic]. Do I just phone home and say I'm slightly delayed, do I plan to get off at the next exit or do I drive into the next motorway services and have a drink or dinner because I know there's no point in going any further?

"We need to be able to give people sufficient information about what we believe the expected delay is going to be to their journey so that they can make those judgments."