Skip to main content

Melbourne installs smart road technology

Work is now underway on installing the latest electronic freeway management technology along Melbourne’s West Gate Freeway in Victoria, Australia, with the entire project to be completed by the middle of next year. Installation of the freeway management system along more of Melbourne’s road network will be fully integrated with the one already in use on the M1 east of Williamstown Road as well as that proposed for the M80 Ring Road, according to Victorian Roads (VicRoads) minister Terry Mulder. “Indeed, ou
June 18, 2013 Read time: 2 mins
Work is now underway on installing the latest electronic freeway management technology along Melbourne’s West Gate Freeway in Victoria, Australia, with the entire project to be completed by the middle of next year.

Installation of the freeway management system along more of Melbourne’s road network will be fully integrated with the one already in use on the M1 east of Williamstown Road as well as that proposed for the M80 Ring Road, according to Victorian Roads (4728 VicRoads) minister Terry Mulder.  “Indeed, our ultimate aim is to deliver safer, faster and less congested driving conditions along all of the City’s major routes, he said.
 
The project includes new signs to inform drivers which lanes they should use and alert them to temporary speed limit changes, as well as closed circuit television and upgrading of the supporting communication networks and central control systems.
 
Federal Infrastructure and Transport Minister Anthony Albanese said once operational, the technology will give VicRoads the tools they need to better manage traffic flows and respond quickly to accidents and breakdowns.
 
“For the 180,000 motorists and truck drivers who use this vital part of the City’s road network every day, the retrofitting of this technology will mean faster, safer and less frustrating driving conditions,” Mr Albanese said.
 
“Indeed if applied nationwide, electronic freeway management systems have the potential to greatly reduce congestion and save Australian families and businesses more than US$474 million a year.”

Related Content

  • July 3, 2025
    Bitsensing makes modern history in fair Verona
    Shakespeare’s Verona was a place of star-cross’d lovers – today, it’s the traffic which is more of a problem. Euichul Kim at Bitsensing takes up our story…
  • January 29, 2013
    California DOT installs driver information signs
    California DOT (Caltrans) is installing electronic message signs in an effort to prevent or reduce congestion on the heavily used Interstate 10. Vehicle detection systems have also been installed on the 133 mile stretch of freeway to monitor traffic. The detection systems monitor speed and traffic volume, processing the data and transmitting it to the freeway message signs to give motorists real-time journey time estimates. "Changeable message signs will allow us to deliver information directly to drivers
  • September 16, 2016
    Red X safety initiative launched in West Yorkshire
    A red X response vehicle carrying automatic number plate recognition cameras is being used as part of the joint initiative between Highways England and West Yorkshire Police to raise awareness and improve compliance and safety. The initiative is part of Highways England’s ongoing campaign to raise awareness about smart motorways. CCTV footage has also been released showing an incident on the M1 near Wakefield where a van narrowly avoided striking a worker and a stationary vehicle when it travelled in a clos
  • March 17, 2014
    Proposed system to take guesswork out of choosing a freeway lane
    A fledgling advanced lane management assist system can take the guesswork out of selecting the right lane on a congested freeway, as its inventor Robert Gordon explains. As drivers we’ve all done it and control room staff see it all the time – motorists on congested freeways switching into what they perceive is a faster lane, only to come to a halt a few moments later and watch vehicles in the other lanes continue to move past. Now, by re-analysing readily available data in an advanced lane management as