A key industry body has launched a campaign urging the Home Office to review the process by which it approves enforcement technology for use on the road network.
Home Office Type Approval (HOTA) is a testing and certification process overseen by the Home Office that enforcement technology must pass before its data can be admissible in UK courts.
ITS UK said its members, which include many manufacturers of enforcement technology, have raised concerns that the process takes an excessively long time, with procedures being opaque and decisions difficult to understand.
Some manufacturers have reported delays to approvals of between three and five years, the trade body said.
Cameras are now used to enforce motorway lane closures after a lengthy approval process
Chief executive Max Sugarman said: ‘Enforcement technology on our transport network is essential to keeping road users safe, as well as supporting an important sector for UK plc.
‘Yet it is clear that manufacturers of this equipment are not getting their products approved in a timely and transparent way, making it highly difficult to get new and innovative technology onto the road system, and impacting investment and jobs across the intelligent transport industry.’
He added: ‘ITS UK is calling on Government to review the HOTA process and to commit to setting out clear timelines and greater engagement with the supply chain, in order to resolve these issues.
‘Getting the process right would have little to no cost to Government, but would be hugely beneficial to road users, transport authorities, police forces and the wider sector.’
Mr Sugarman also welcomed the announcement by the Transport Select Committee that it would launch inquiries into ‘The future of transport data’ and ‘Strategic transport objectives’, after inviting the public to submit ‘Dragon’s Den-style’ pitches on what it should investigate.
The first inquiry will look at new ways of using data to improve infrastructure management, as well as make transport quicker, safer, and more efficient for users.
The second will investigate the extent to which the Government takes a long-term, national and multi-modal approach to the country’s transport needs.
Mr Sugarman said: ‘It is particularly positive to see the role of data being considered by the committee.
‘With the UK transport system producing more data than ever before, there are huge opportunities to make greater use of this often-untapped resource to better understand the real-time state of the network, develop new transport services, support the public to make informed choices about how they travel, help transport authorities plan more effectively, support decarbonisation, improve safety and much more.’
The June issue of Highways magazine includes a Big Interview with Mr Sugarman.
