UK major road set to become internet-connected highway

A partnership of the UK’s department for Transport (DfT), British telecom (BT) and Cambridge-based wireless firm Neul is working on a project to transform the A14 between Felixstowe and Birmingham into the country’s first internet-connected road. The smart road, which aims to prepare the country for future technology from wireless toll chargers to automated cars, will include a network of sensors along an eighty-kilometre stretch, with data transmitted over white space, temporarily unused gaps in the dig
October 4, 2013 Read time: 2 mins
A partnership of the UK’s 1837 Department for Transport (DfT), British telecom (1974 BT) and Cambridge-based wireless firm Neul is working on a project to transform the A14 between Felixstowe and Birmingham into the country’s first internet-connected road.

The smart road, which aims to prepare the country for future technology from wireless toll chargers to automated cars, will include a network of sensors along an eighty-kilometre stretch, with data transmitted over white space, temporarily unused gaps in the digital terrestrial TV spectrum.

Independent communications regulator Ofcom has approved the project; according to the regulator, "sensors in cars and on the roads monitor the build-up of congestions and wirelessly send this information to a central traffic control system, which automatically imposes variable speed limits that smooth the flow of traffic. This system could also communicate directly with cars, directing them along diverted routes to avoid the congestion and even managing their speed."

In addition, the 1841 UK Highways Agency is planning to invest about US$2.4 billion to improve the A14, part of which may be tolled, which it hopes will tackle congestion and issues with journey time reliability.
Networking & Communication Systems Urban Traffic Control Charging, Tolling & RUC

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Traffic to flow freely over world’s widest bridge
    November 13, 2012
    Pete Goldin reports on a new Egis project in Canada, providing open road tolling operations for the widest bridge in the world. A bridge can present a bottleneck in a system of roads or it can support the smooth and unobstructed flow of traffic. Much depends on the bridge design, surrounding infrastructure and tolling system. By adding lanes and deploying open road tolling (ORT), the new Port Mann Bridge located in the metropolitan Vancouver area in British Columbia, will alleviate congestion at one of the
    Read More
  • Ptolemus' short guide to picking an ITS winner
    January 11, 2024
    What makes a good ITS investment and what are the chances of the money coming into transportation creating an unsustainable bubble? Frederic Bruneteau and Alberto Lodieu of Ptolemus Consulting Group take a look at the market and suggest some key areas of interest for the future
    Read More
  • Vitronic tackles traffic congestion
    October 13, 2021
    Vitronic is presenting visitors with versatile, flexible, and user-friendly traffic technology solutions. The company is addressing two of the most important questions of future mobility: the climate crisis and increased traffic volume in cities
    Read More
  • Pile-up prompts Gulf States to counter fog menace
    September 23, 2014
    David Crawford investigates a promising development to counter the problem of fog in the Gulf States. Despite being a largely desert area with low rainfall, fog is a major driving hazard in countries on the Arabian peninsula, such as the UAE. The fog is the result of moist air moving across from the neighbouring Gulf during the afternoon and evening, and experiencing radiation cooling at night.
    Read More

Highlighted Content