Skip to main content

Live traffic cameras help Durham Council cut congestion

Hosted video service provider NW Systems has designed and developed an 18-camera system for Durham County Council in the UK to help them monitor and manage city centre traffic congestion affecting the city’s main arteries during major road works, bridge repairs and traffic signalisation projects. NW Systems developed an HD quality camera system for the Council’s Traffic Signals and Urban Traffic Management and Control (UTMC) team to provide real-time views over potential congestion hot spots associated w
August 5, 2016 Read time: 2 mins
Hosted video service provider NW Systems has designed and developed an 18-camera system for Durham County Council in the UK to help them monitor and manage city centre traffic congestion affecting the city’s main arteries during major road works, bridge repairs and traffic signalisation projects.

NW Systems developed an HD quality camera system for the Council’s Traffic Signals and 3549 Urban Traffic Management and Control (UTMC) team to provide real-time views over potential congestion hot spots associated with major repairs on a city centre bridge which handles approximately 48,000 vehicles each day.

During the period of the bridge repairs, traffic was restricted to one lane each way, potentially causing major congestion. A combination of early warnings to motorists and a proactive public information campaign aimed to keep the traffic moving.  

According to NW Systems, the new traffic cameras, combined with early warnings to motorists and a proactive public information campaign using the Council’s website, ensured that traffic volumes in rush-hours fell nearly 25 per cent below normal levels for the time of year.

Related Content

  • March 2, 2012
    Reversible express lanes and open road tolling combat congestion
    Teri England, Diamond Consulting Services, details the construction of construction of a world first - reversible express lanes with cashless multi-lane ORT - on the Tampa Hillsborough Expressway
  • December 10, 2015
    Phoenix rises to the Smart City challenge
    Andrew Bardin Williams looks at the City of Phoenix where voters backed a $30bn plan to revamp its transportation network to cultivate a more connected community. According to a Land Use Institute study, half of all Americans and even more millennials (63%) would like to live in a place where they do not need to use a car very often. The City of Phoenix is putting in place plans to revamp its urban development and transportation policies to meet these changing quality of life perceptions.
  • February 3, 2012
    Flexibility, interoperability is key to future traffic management
    Jon Taylor of Faber Maunsell and Tabatha Bailey of Transport for London describe how an unusual mix of traffic practitioners, researchers and industry are working together to build new tools for the future. As we face higher expectations for managing congestion from both citizens and politicians, and as more and more data is becoming available from new sources, our traffic management challenge is changing.
  • November 15, 2024
    How ITS helped Coachella get its groove back
    California’s Coachella Valley attracts visitors to myriad music and sports events. But now an ambitious traffic management initiative aims to cut travel times and reduce emissions. Adam Hill talks to the engineers involved in the massive CV Sync project