Successful bidders from Oxfordshire, York and Bournemouth have won a share of £1.5m to trial innovative transport projects that could help cut congestion and boost safety.
The cash comes from a wider £20m GovTech Catalyst fund 'to help solve public sector problems using innovative digital technology'.
New software developed by Vivacity will be trialled in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole. The software monitors traffic, flagging incidents in real-time, to allow traffic control operators to respond quickly and stop traffic jams forming.
Working with Oxfordshire Council, Technology SME IM23 is developing a tool, which aims to help traffic controllers understand how to keep traffic moving while making efficiency improvements to their road network.
And in York, INRIX plans to use vehicle tracks to map vehicle ‘paths’ optimising and improving traffic signals in the city. This will allow traffic to flow more freely, reducing journey times, red lights and stress for drivers.
The projects will be managed by the Department for Transport for 12 months.
Transport secretary Grant Shapps said: 'Transport technology is a growing global sector with the potential to help reduce congestion, emissions and improve connectivity. Today’s competition winners show how world class UK transport tech companies are helping millions of people in our towns and cities every day.'
James Gilchrist, City of York Council assistant director for transport, highways and environment, said: 'This will help us to make better-informed decisions, reduce congestion, prioritise road space for sustainable transport and help to increase the reliability of bus services.
'We are very excited to have the opportunity to work with INRIX in this GovTech Challenge project to further explore the Performance Analysis Trajectory Help tool. We have seen real benefits with the early prototype, and hope that continuing with this ground-breaking project will lead to a better road network for residents, visitors and businesses. We will also be able to share our lessons learned from the project with other local authorities.'
