The high-tech road to happiness

Technology will be at the heart of an overhaul of the UK's road network.

The government has laid out its vision of motorists avoiding jams by watching live video of their route before setting off, and using smart signs to open and shut lanes and warn of queues.

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Ambitious proposals in the Highways Agency's (HA) business plan for 2008-09 will build on the success of the six-month pilot of the Active Traffic Management (ATM) system on the M42.

Smart signs on the motorway give early warnings of traffic conditions, can open or close lanes and control the speed of queuing traffic. The has resulted in accidents on the M42 dropping from 5.1 to 1.5 per month, and average journey times falling by more than a quarter on the northbound carriageway.

Queue-signalling signs are in place over 1,200km of the busiest motorways and the HA wants to extend their use to another 200km of the network.

Travel and delay-time signs are also in wide use and the HA is looking at introducing moveable travel time signs and extending their use during periods when roadworks are happening.

In addition, the HA is opening up its network of traffic cameras - still images from 1,200 cameras are available on the HA website and on partner websites and streamed images from the cameras will soon be used in TV travel bulletins.

The use of laser and radar technology to detect incidents and reduce response and clearance times will also be examined over the next three years - with a trial radar system already monitoring traffic flow on the M42.

The radio service offering traffic updates from the National Traffic Control Centre every 10 minutes could also be expanded and detectors will be put in place at 13 sites across the network to pick up on overweight lorries.

The Highways Agency is currently waiting for permission from government ministers to expand the ATM or hard-shoulder technology.

A spokesman for the HA said: "We use a wide variety of technology to help us monitor and keep traffic moving."

Archie Robertson, HA CEO, said in a statement: "It is clear our aims are to provide the information and infrastructure necessary to help these drivers use our roads in a safe and reliable way, whilst also taking the steps necessary to tackle the impact this may have on the environment."