Technology and Congestion Reduction

1
Technology and Congestion Reduction

• Brian Collins
• Chief Scientific Adviser
• Department for Transport
• 12 January, 2007

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Tackling congestion has real economic benefits

• Delays and unreliability on the network have
  direct costs to people and businesses, increasing
  business costs and affecting productivity and
  innovation. Eliminating existing congestion on
  the road network would be worth some 78 billion
  of GDP per annum.
• From The Eddington Transport Study

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Presentation Structure

• Road user pricing
• Using the road network more effectively
• Improving road network capacity
• Making alternative modes of transport more
  attractive

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Road user pricing
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Government committed to trialling road user
charging

• The Government is determined to build the case
  for road user charging and to take forward the
  debate on a national scheme. We are supporting
  ten areas actively looking into the feasibility
  of local pilot schemes, and look forward to
  receiving their proposals.
• Rt Hon Douglas Alexander MP

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Technology will have an impact on road user
charging

• Technology readily understood
• Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR)
• Tag beacon
• GPS/GNSS
• Challenges of cost, accuracy, ease of use and
  resistance to fraud
• More complex schemes require certainty of link
  between vehicle and unit
• Primary objective of a scheme is to tackle
  congestion

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Using the road network more effectively
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Technology can help us use the road network more
effectively

• In-car technologies
• Automatic cruise control
• Lane departure warning systems
• Self steering cars
• but do people feel comfortable with this?
• Traffic Management
• M42 Active Traffic Management
• National Traffic Control Centre

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Improving road network capacity
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Improving network capacity also necessary

• Congestion cannot be eliminated by building roads
  alone, but the case for targeted new
  infrastructure is strong
• Eddington recommends-
• Small projects to unblock pinch-points
• Variable infrastructure schemes to support public
  transport in urban areas
• International gateway surface access points
• Minor projects can have significant effects
• Monitoring the way traffic feeds into and out of
  motorways

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Making alternative modes of transport more
attractive
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Drivers can be encouraged to leave their cars

• Investment in public transport extremely
  important
• Smarter Choices
• Workplace and school travel plans
• Personalised travel planning, travel awareness
  campaigns, and public transport information and
  marketing
• Car clubs and car sharing schemes
• Teleworking, teleconferencing and home shopping
• but must be modelled holistically

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Summary

• Tackling congestion has real economic benefits
• Government committed to trialling road user
  charging
• Technology will have an impact on road user
  charging
• Technology can help us use the road network more
  effectively
• Improving network capacity also necessary
• Drivers can be encouraged to leave their cars

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Technology and Congestion Reduction

• Brian Collins
• Chief Scientific Adviser
• Department for Transport
• 12 January, 2007