Skip to main content

Hi-tech road surface scanner surveys West Midlands highways

The condition of highways in the UK’s West Midlands is to be surveyed using the latest vehicle-based technology from Yotta DCL under a contract awarded by the consortium of West Midlands Local Authorities. The highway technology and surveying company will use its new Tempest survey vehicle to capture road surface condition and forward facing video across the region’s road network, plus pavement images at normal traffic speeds. Yotta DCL will survey a total of 1250 km of roads under the terms of the co
August 21, 2013 Read time: 2 mins
The condition of highways in the UK’s West Midlands is to be surveyed using the latest vehicle-based technology from 5956 Yotta DCL under a contract awarded by the consortium of West Midlands Local Authorities.

The highway technology and surveying company will use its new Tempest survey vehicle to capture road surface condition and forward facing video across the region’s road network, plus pavement images at normal traffic speeds.

Yotta DCL will survey a total of 1250 km of roads under the terms of the contract, which could be extended by three years. By providing both scanner and forward facing video and pavement images, the Authorities will be able to cross reference road condition data against high quality images. The camera technology onboard the new Tempest vehicle is a major advance in quality, breaks new ground in high definition video, and is unique to Yotta DCL.

Tempest has been developed using new processing technologies to improve accuracy and the vehicles are equipped with forward facing cameras which can be used to provide street level images.  The system is designed and built exclusively by Yotta DCL and is accredited by the UK’s Transport Research Laboratory (TRL) for UK scanner and Traffic Speed Condition Survey (TRACS) specifications.

“By overlaying the scanner data onto the video we can get a real life view of the data. The ability to cross reference the data against the video helps to guide our decision making as we can actually see the condition of the road surface on screen,” says Paul Price, senior engineer, Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • West Midlands schoolchildren help to educate speeding motorists
    May 25, 2017
    Pupils from Salisbury Primary School in Darlaston, West Midlands, UK, recently took part in a Community Speedwatch initiative with West Midlands Police, using a Speedwatch system supplied by UK company Traffic Technology. Under police supervision, the children were given the opportunity to read the data obtained by the Speedwatch device and relay it to the rest of the group, which transferred the information on vehicle type, colour, registration and speed to a specially-produced form. The children then used
  • Swarco installs 34 VAS cameras to calm speeding in Brent
    February 12, 2018
    Swarco Traffic has installed 34 Vehicle Activated Speed signs (VAS) at key locations in the UK borough of Brent to support its council in reducing collisions, road danger and accidents that involve powered two wheelers (P2Ws) such as motorcycles and mopeds. Motorcycles account for 19% of all road user deaths despite representing 1% of total road traffic, according to the National Think Road Safety Campaign.
  • WIM industry ponders certification challenge
    April 29, 2019
    It’s hard to pin down the world of Weigh in Motion. Adam Hill asks five of the sector’s leading players about current developments – and whether problems with certification will ever be solved
  • Here’s why WiM is value for money
    January 23, 2025
    Weigh in Motion systems are not new. What is new is their ability to collect more data and – importantly – more accurate data about axle loading and vehicle weight. Despite the obvious benefits, including safer highways and possibility of automated legal weight enforcement, obstacles remain for faster uptake. David Arminas reports on the manufacturers’ perspective…