Roads Minister announces £4 million in project funding for smart parking, traffic management and charging point availability technology across England
The government is awarding £4 million in funding for technologies designed to cut congestion, improve access to electric vehicle charging, and speed up road journeys.
Apps which give motorists advance notice of congestion and available parking spaces, as well as real-time journey information for visually impaired passengers, are just some of the projects that are set to receive a share of £4 million in government investment following today’s announcement.
Nineteen councils across England will each get between £50,000 and £300,000 towards turning their ideas to improve travel through digital innovation into a reality.
Smart technology in practice
The money will be spent on developing cutting edge technology like mobile apps and sensors which can be used to reduce congestion on busy roads, improve efficiency in city centre parking, and send alerts to drivers when electric car charging points become available in their area.
Successful project bids include: Bluetooth technologies to cut traffic congestion in Blackpool; an app for advance congestion warnings on the A31; a real-time parking bay availability system in Coventry; and a new generation of electric vehicle charge points for Westminster, Hounslow, Hammersmith and Fulham that inform motorists in real-time of their availability.
“Technology is rapidly evolving and this important work shows that if we get it right, it can cut congestion, speed up journeys, clean up the environment, and improve accessibility,” commented Roads Minister Andrew Jones.
Jones today paid a visit to one of the competition winners, Westminster Council, where he was able to see examples of the smart technologies in practice, including a hands-free parking app which reduces the time motorists circulate by highlighting available spaces.
