VESOS, a technology start up, has been given the Department for Transport’s Chief Scientific Adviser’s Award for the ‘most innovative proven idea’ for the Transport Research and Innovation Grants 2022 programme, delivered by Connected Places Catapult on behalf of the Department for Transport (DfT).

Its TeCall Proof of Concept showed it can deliver faster response and detailed information using the data collated from eCall-enabled vehicles, which includes every new car and van sold in the UK since 2018. In the event of a collision with an airbag activation, the solution almost instantly provides emergency services and highway operators with enhanced information detailing a vehicle’s exact location, the vehicle make and model and propulsion type. This also includes other data such as wheelchair adapted vehicles, indicating potentially vulnerable people, that enables them to respond more effectively and better prepared.

Furthermore, what impressed the judges was that TeCall ensures only genuine and validated eCall data is presented to emergency services and road operators with false alarms filtered out and data then presented automatically into emergency Control Centre systems.

VESOS Solutions co-founder Danny Woolard commented: “The VESOS team is delighted to have been recognised by the DfT and been awarded the CSA’s most innovative project. Because of the TRIG funding we have been able to turn our ideas into a real working end to end proof of concept, backed up by a strong benefit driven business case. We have shown the clear response time savings that using eCall data can bring to meeting the aims of Vision Zero. We are especially grateful to the partners that supported us in the project.”

The VESOS team built a proof of concept, undertaking research with Warwickshire and Surrey Fire and Rescue Services. This showed the time savings of using data from eCall instead of just the current voice connection. It also demonstrated, in principle, new cases such as identifying wheelchair adapted vehicles, electric vehicles needing recovery and providing vehicle data into fire response vehicles before they leave the fire station.

Independent road safety campaigner, Meera Naran MBE, whose 8-year-old son Dev, died in a motorway collision on the M6 in 2018, said: “Early in my campaign I proposed exploring the capabilities of eCall and its vital position in the post-crash element of the safe system. VESOS have been working extremely hard in this space bringing to life an innovative evidence-based technological solution that could save so many lives. My heartfelt congratulations and thanks goes to the team for continuing with their work to make this a reality and our roads safer.”

Steve Gooding from the RAC Foundation said: “The rationale for eCall is to put the emergency services in a position to respond swiftly when things go wrong. This project reveals how the system could be used to much better effect, cutting response times while automatically and accurately providing key information such as the location of the vehicle, not only for the 999 services but also to highway managers, including National Highways. The imperative now must be to accelerate the adoption of this approach from innovation-award-winner to becoming standard practice.”

Cllr Andy Crump, Warwickshire County Council Portfolio Holder for Fire and Rescue and Community Safety, Said: “We were very glad to be part of this project and learn more about eCall and how it could benefit Warwickshire. As the Road Safety Partnership has adopted safe system working, a project like this with its post-collision element help us to improve emergency response times and give better emergency care. This work all contributes to our target of 50% reduction of killed or serious injuries casualties by 2030.”

VESOS is co-owned by road safety expert and former police inspector Andy Rooke, Telematics traffic business consultant Danny Woolard, connected vehicle expert Andy Graham and traffic operations design expert Alan Gentle.

(Picture courtesy of VESOS, L-R Andy Rooke, Alan Gentle, Andy Graham, and DfT Chief Scientific Adviser Sarah Sharples)

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The report builds on a survey of more than 100 businesses to examine the export potential of the sector and how industry and Government can work together to promote UK transport technology capabilities on the international stage. ITS UK calls the report “a significant development for the industry, and will allow us to prioritise our overseas engagement going forward”.

Running from 2 to 5pm on 9 November, the event will provide the opportunity for the sector to hear about the latest developments across the global sector.

Register to attend here

The event takes place at the Railway Industry Association in London.

(Picture – ITS UK)

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Speaking in a session in the Smart Traffic and Parking Theatre at Highways UK, Mr Capes, who is also ITS Policy Lead at the Department for Transport, explained that the Department will contact Local Authorities’ Chief Executives shortly with details of the funding, ahead of the challenge process formally opening during Autumn.

The £30m Traffic Signals Obsolescence Grant (TSOG) is funded from the DfT’s wider Highways Maintenance Block and includes £10 million to be shared between all English local highway and transport authorities outside of London, and £20 million of targeted funding which will be awarded to areas with particular obsolescence issues through challenge processes opening this autumn.

The remaining two grants are the £20 million Green Light Fund (GLF) to tune up traffic signals to better reflect current traffic conditions and get traffic flowing and the£20 million Intelligent Traffic Management Fund (ITMF) to deploy advanced technology for traffic signals, making use of emerging technologies to optimise traffic flow and balance traffic across city centres. These will also be awarded following challenge competitions open to English local highway and transport authorities outside of London.

Mr Capes explained that the challenge element of TSOG, and the challenges for GLF and ITMF will be open concurrently during November and December 2023. Once bids have been submitted, they will be assessed during January with award letters sent out at the end of February, with money available to authorities in March 2024. Successful bidders will have two years to deliver schemes and will be required to report on progress regularly during the delivery period.

As with the 2021 Traffic Signals Maintenance allocation, where 39 authorities were awarded either £250,000 or £500,000 to upgrade or fix traffic signals, this application process is being overseen by the Transport Technology Forum and managed by the Local Council Roads Innovation Group (LCRIG).

(Picture – LCRIG)

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Following the expression of interest and final submissions to host the 2026 and 2027 editions of the ITS Congresses in Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) region, the ERTICO Supervisory Board has selected the two cities as the ‘preferred candidates’ based on the recommendation of the Review Committee, which evaluate all submissions. Negotiations will now start to sign the agreements with both cities as soon as possible.

Istanbul as preferred host city for the 2026 ITS European Congress holds great opportunities for the broader EMEA region to meet. The city’s vision is focusing on effective and inclusive mobility to drive forward a sustainable and resilient future.

Birmingham and the United Kingdom at large is advancing Intelligent Transport Systems and Services (ITS), as the sector is growing. As preferred host city, Birmingham is emphasising ‘real-world experiences’ and delivering practical take aways, which will be key for the Congress in 2027.

The ITS Congress is a yearly event showcasing smart mobility, emphasising the importance of raising awareness of mobility solutions and services among policymakers, experts, thought leaders and all stakeholders. They represent the ultimate platform through which ERTICO fosters cooperation with the two regions of America and Asia-Pacific, allowing the broader international community to meet, discuss, and exchange knowledge through a comprehensive Technical and High-Level Conference programme, live demonstrations and vibrant exhibitions showcasing cutting-edge technologies and innovations in smart mobility.

ERTICO organises the European Congresses for two executive years, with over 3,000 attendees representing 50 countries from Europe and beyond, and every third year, a World Congress welcoming more than 12,000 attendees from over 100 countries worldwide. Visit ertico.com for more information and access erticonetwork.com for more news and future announcements.

(Picture – NEC)

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This week’s Highways Voices is a must-listen if you work in the traffic signals industry, as we hear all about three new pots of money totalling £70 million to be spent on improving traffic signals across England.

In the Transport Secretary’s plan for drivers money was earmarked to upgrade traffic signal systems, tune up traffic signals to better reflect current traffic conditions and get traffic flowing, and to deploy advanced technology for traffic signals, making use of emerging technologies to optimise traffic flow and balance traffic across city centres.

The money’s distribution will be administered through the Transport Technology Forum, with the help of LCRIG, and TTF Manager Darren Capes, who is ITS Policy Lead at the Department for Transport, gave an indication on distribution of the funds when he spoke at LCRIG’s Strictly Highways last week.

In this special Highways Voices, you hear what he had to say. Subscribe to Highways Voices free on Apple Podcasts,Spotify,Amazon Music,Google PodcastsorPocket Casts and never miss an episode!  

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In launching the Department for Transport’s Plan for Drivers, Mark Harper said there would be £30 million available through a Traffic Signals Obsolescence Grant (TSOG) to upgrade traffic signal systems, replacing unreliable and obsolete equipment to improve reliability, a £20 million Green Light Fund (GLF) to tune up traffic signals to better reflect current traffic conditions and get traffic flowing and a £20 million Intelligent Traffic Management Fund (ITMF) to deploy advanced technology for traffic signals, making use of emerging technologies to optimise traffic flow and balance traffic across city centres.

Speaking at LCRIG’s Strictly Highways event in Blackpool, Mr Capes, who is ITS Policy Lead at the Department for Transport, explained £10 million of the TSOG will be paid out through the transport metrics within the Integrated Transport Block (ITB) formula, but the remaining £20 million of that money, plus the other two £20 million payments will be awarded through challenge processes opening this autumn.

For the TSOG and GLF, money will be awarded in £500,000 lots using the same process as used for the 2021 Traffic Signal Maintenance allocation.  Authorities may be restricted to only one of the funds.  For the ITMF, there will be one challenge process similar to the 2021 Traffic Signals Maintenance allocation, where 39 authorities were awarded either £250,000 or £500,000.

“A total of 232 schemes were implemented across the 39 authorities thanks to that funding,” Mr Capes told the audience.  “Analysis suggests that has been a resounding success, leading to an average 8% to 12% reduction in journey tomes at junctions.  That’s amazing – what’s not to like about that?”

Mr Capes said that the way the industry responded to the £15 million funding two years ago, and the positive effects of the schemes, helped build the case for this latest funding, which  has directly led to what the government calls “the biggest investment in traffic signals in decades”.

“This is a huge opportunity for the sector,” Mr Capes added.  “I’ve been on the road for most of the last year talking to suppliers and local authorities who have helped me build a case that has led to this funding – so thank you for working with me.”

The audience heard details of how they might look to spend the money.  The TSOG is to replace unreliable and obsolete equipment in traffic signal systems before spare parts run out, including halogen, communications equipment, and controllers.  The GLF is for tuning up traffic signals to better reflect current traffic conditions while the ITMF gives authorities the chance to deploy advanced technology for traffic signals, using emerging technologies to optimise traffic flow and balance traffic across city centres.

You can watch Darren Capes’ presentation here.

(Picture – Yay Images)

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In launching the Department for Transport’s Plan for Drivers, the Transport Secretary Mark Harper confirmed the nationwide roll-out of the NPP pilot, which will enable drivers to use the app of their choice to pay for parking, instead of having to download multiple apps to use in different car parks.

There will be no standalone NPP app. Instead, the NPP provides the data exchange to enable multi-seller payments, as well as a way of sharing parking information, standardising commercial relationships, and above all improving the service to users.

The Transport Technology Forum’s Smarter Parking Working Group has already given a detailed webinar attended by more than a hundred local authority representatives to give background to the plan.  Working Group Chair Sarah Randall explains: “The TTF’s Parking Working Group has drawn together experts in parking and technology to support the DfT by explaining what the NPP does, how it works and how it simplifies the process for both local government and drivers.  It delivers a seamless parking payment experience meaning you don’t have to use whichever parking provider has a contract in a local area, instead you use whichever app you prefer.

“The TTF can help authorities with understanding procurement, provide support around the messaging to drivers, and the reasons and process behind the NPP.”

At the recent TTF webinar, four fifths of local authorities who responded said they were interested in joining the NPP, but needed more details.  These details will be provided, with context, by the TTF Smarter Parking Working Group.

“We urge all local authorities and parking payment providers not yet joined up  to get together and embrace the NPP,” added Mrs Randall, who is Director for Local Government and Propositions for Agena Group and was previously Assistant Director of Parking and Traffic at London Brough of Newham.  “I see the NPP as changing in a similar way to when cash machines allowed customers of any bank to use any machine, which wasn’t always the case.

“Although Local Authorities don’t have to get involved in the NPP, if they don’t they will miss out on simplifying parking for their residents and visitors, reducing their costs because they won’t have to go reprocure parking services every three-to-five years, which means easier administration for themselves.”

The next TTF Smarter Parking Working Group webinar will be on Friday 3 November, when the NPP’s implementation and timescales will be discussed.  All local authorities are urged to attend .  More details and how to sign up can be found on the TTF website.

(Picture – National Parking Platform)

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Speaking to the JCT Traffic Signals Symposium in Nottingham he set out three challenges to use traffic signals to deliver better, more reliable journeys, promote active travel by making it easier for vulnerable road users and people who walk and cycle to access our roads more safely, and to prepare for the future technology and travel needs.

“You could argue autonomous vehicles are still some way off, but connected vehicles are here now. The data is there, the comms is there and the in-vehicle capability is there,” he said. “That’s only going to increase and that will change the way the road system works. We are the gatekeepers for the technology and we need to build now for the future – we don’t want to paint ourselves into corners.”

He insisted he is not speaking officially for DfT but outlined his views on what he’s looking for in his role within the Department to maximise the benefits of technology on the local road network.

Mr Capes congratulated the industry for effectively using £15 million DfT Traffic Signals Maintenance funding issued in 2021 to accelerate maintenance and improvement of traffic signals, saying the money has been spent on around 240 schemes and analysis is now showing how successful this has been.

He has been working with INRIX to use floating vehicle data to analyse how traffic patterns have changed before and after the signals changes, and the results have been “extremely promising”.

“We’re seeing when authorities used the money to improve traffic flow, we saw an average 10% improvement,” he said. “We really aced that, and proved to other people in the Department and Treasury that there is tangible benefit in making this investment.”

He also addressed obsolescence and promised the Department is working on issues around halogen lamps and legacy communications.

We are developing digital TROs, digital traffic signal data standards, the National Parking Platform, the National Access point for Transport Data, working across Europe to use vehicle data for safety purposes. There is a lot of work Government is doing in the background to support those three challenges.

He also urged the audience to be involved in the Transport Technology Forum. “It does a different thing to JCT,” he explained. “JCT delivers real detail, but TTF looks at interaction with Government and both are equally important.

“We have just published the Manual for Smart Streets – an online guide on how to buy technology and focusses on the policy outcomes we want to achieve – it’s not yet perfect and so I need people to review it, throw rocks at it, and then I can continue to fund it to make it better.”

(Picture – JCT)

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The one-day event in Birmingham will give delegates details of latest policy at the Department for Transport and initiatives from Innovate UK, before the six Working Group chairs, covering Connected Vehicles, Urban Traffic Management and Control, Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure, Data, Mobility as a Service and parking, take part in a Q and A session.

Important funding opportunities will also be detailed at the event, which is held at the Institute of Engineering and Technology’s venue at Austin Court (pictured) from 10am to 3.30pm, with a special invitation-only “Meet the DfT” session straight afterwards. The event is sponsored by Appyway, and supported by exhibitors, Clearview Intelligence, Yunex Traffic, 4way Consulting, VivaCity and StarTraq.

“There are so many impactful policies coming out next year, whether it’s the national parking platform, whether it’s digital TROs, whether it’s quantum computing,” commented LCRIG CEO Paula Claytonsmith who is leading the organisation of the event. “We will be detailing many new policies, but it won’t just be a barrage of information, we will have plenty of time for people to ask questions. It is definitely a must attend and we would love to see as many local authorities join us as possible.”

View the TTF Autumn Update outline agenda here.

Full details of the speakers for the event will be announced later in the month. To book, please click here.

(Picture – IET)

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The Transport Technology Forum’s Parking Working Group has heard how the system is available to all authorities with an Application Programming Interface (API) to integrate with their own enforcement systems.

The Working Group was told by enforcement expert Tom Gallagher of Lambeth Council in London that Councils have lacked all the tools they might want to assist with enforcement around Blue Badge usage.  This has created a double challenge for them, with disabled drivers unable to use spaces allocated for them, while costing councils money in lost parking revenue.

Mr Gallagher explained that help is at hand thanks to recent changes to the online Blue Badge database, allowing any council to access records on who should be using a badge. “Until earlier this year, that system was only available for direct fraud investigators and blue badge teams within councils,” he said, “But now the Department of Transport has added a new level of user access called Enforcement Officer View meaning that, for the first time, on-street enforcement officers can access the system on a handheld device in real time and see whether the badge is valid for use or reported lost or stolen.

“There is no reason why you couldn’t be detecting hundreds of offenders each year.”

The Working Group also heard how a new Persistent Evaders Database is now complete and about to be launched, detailing those small percentage of people responsible for a huge proportion of offences, and identifying offending vehicles used by the most persistent and/or highest risk offenders.  This should increase opportunities for high-risk persistent offending vehicle use to be eliminated in the most efficient and effective manner.

Members were also shown details on the latest automated valet parking technology from Bosch, updated on kerbside management technology and invited to apply to be part of the National Parking Platform pilot.

For more information on the Smarter Parking Group, please click here.

(Picture – TTF)

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