Highways England showcases progress on high tech corridor project

Highways England is leading a project to establish a high tech corridor on the A2/M2 in Kent which will allow specially-equipped vehicles to interact with roadside infrastructure. As part of the initiative, Highways England hosted a week-long Testfest event in Chatham, Kent, this week, showing how test vehicles receive information on road conditions, road works and the time left for traffic lights to change to green via a wireless network. Jo White, head of Highways England’s intelligent transport system
October 12, 2018 Read time: 2 mins
8101 Highways England is leading a project to establish a high tech corridor on the A2/M2 in Kent which will allow specially-equipped vehicles to interact with roadside infrastructure.


As part of the initiative, Highways England hosted a week-long Testfest event in Chatham, Kent, this week, showing how test vehicles receive information on road conditions, road works and the time left for traffic lights to change to green via a wireless network.

Jo White, head of Highways England’s intelligent transport systems group, says: “We are looking at ITS G5, a short-range Wi-Fi technology, and cellular technology, and are interested in how they deliver information to the vehicle.”  

As part of Testfest, ITS International travelled in a trial run of a specially-equipped people carrier along a section of the M2, which demonstrated how information is received by the onboard unit and displayed as icons on a screen behind the wheel.

For example, 60mph icons serve as a consistent reminder of the correct speed limit, while roadworks warnings can be followed by lane divert messages.

Highways England says the screens can help reduce the probability of drivers missing information displayed on roadside signs. It also provides drivers and fleet managers with information to make real-time decisions could potentially improve traffic flow along the corridor.

White believes the speed limit information could provide Highways England with more flexibility of where and when to sign information, potentially freeing it from dependence on physical infrastructure in the future.

The M2 demonstration included a simulated border in which the driver received information between two areas labelled Country A and Country B.

White says drivers can receive information from their ‘home country’ and then pass over the border and continue to receive relevant journey data. This is achieved using the driver’s existing service provider to transmit the data from the country to the in-vehicle device.

Other partners involved in the project include the 1837 Department for Transport, 1466 Transport for London and 2222 Kent County Council. This consortium is part of InterCor, a European Union programme which aims to test services which work across borders, connecting the Netherlands, France and Belgium.

The project is scheduled to be complete in 2019.

Urban Traffic Control

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Highways Agency extends IT support contract with IPL
    March 21, 2014
    IPL has announced a two year services extension worth half a million pounds from the Highways Agency (HA) which will enable the HA to manage the display information on roadside signalling devices in order to help increase road capacity, improve safety and reduce congestion. IPL has been working with the HA for over two decades, developing and delivering a set of tools to support the setup of the information on gantry signals and message signs required for schemes such as smart motorways. The tools pla
    Read More
  • Data goldmines offer rich pickings
    May 31, 2013
    Astronomical is not too grand a term to describe the current rate of growth in transportation-related data. Massive amounts of traffic related information, such as speed, volume, incidents and weather are being generated every second by road operators and users alike. Big data’ derives its name from the sheer amount and complexity of available raw data. Its potential value is starting to emerge among the intelligent transportation systems community. A gold rush is taking place to capture this value, with da
    Read More
  • ITS adaptions enhance cycle safety in Dublin
    December 3, 2013
    Enabled and enforced by innovative use of ITS, Dublin’s new off-road cycle route is proving a hit with commuters, leisure cyclists and walkers alike as Brendan O’Brien explains. Dublin City Council’s vision is to create a city where people of all ages and abilities have the confidence, incentive and facilities to cycle. On-road cycle lanes had already been incorporated into the Quality Bus Corridors design and there is a mix of on- and off-road cycle routes. However, in 2010 the Council began work on a new
    Read More
  • Siemens Mobility project uses rerouting to improve air quality in Munich
    February 25, 2019
    Up to 40% of drivers are willing to help reduce air pollution when provided with alternative routes on ThinxNet’s Ryd platform, says Siemens Mobility. The partners worked with air quality specialist Hawa Dawa in a four-week project in Munich to prove that intelligent traffic control can help cities become more sustainable. Siemens says initial results for more than 1,600 drivers in the German city showed savings of 83 kg of carbon dioxide and 114 g of nitrogen oxide as well as a reduction of 633km driven
    Read More

Highlighted Content