Highways England has signed TRL to provide a software element of its Smart Motorways programme.
The agency has agreed on a £362,000 contract with the company under the Crown Commercial Service traffic management technology framework for bespoke modelling tools for managing and optimising traffic flows.
This is aimed at using the information to reduce congestion, improving road safety and air quality through setting message signs and signals, and controlling speed limits to manage congestion.
The toolkit will also provide a monitoring function for motorway incident support and automatic signalling.
The Smart Motorway programme is developing technology for regional control centres to manage traffic on the motorway network with three key features: mandatory speed controls, automatic signal setting and speed enforcement using automatic camera technology.
It also involves the controversial removal of hard shoulders from some stretches of motorway.
TRL is a specialist in the field, involved in software development and services such as microsimulation, strategic modelling and junction analysis.
Image from iStock, metamorworks
