£28 billion investment in the UK’s roads

The Government has announced an investment of £100 billion in the UK’s infrastructure, including £28 billion on road improvements. Treasury Minister, Danny Alexander, said it was the largest single investment in road infrastructure for almost 40 years.

Major traffic flow improvements

Key projects to improve the road network and the flow of traffic include upgrading the A14 between Cambridge and Huntingdon, which will cost £1.5 billion. The improvements had already been planned to start in 2018, but will now begin in 2016. In addition, the M4 between London and Reading will be widened to 4 lanes, helping to ease traffic congestion on a key commuter route. In addition, there will be over 20 other major road improvement projects around the UK, including managed motorway schemes and improvements to the A38 junction at Derby.

The report, Investing in Britain’s Future, was released at the end of June and acknowledges that the amount of traffic and the subsequent congestion has been a problem across the UK, and says it will be identifying and funding solutions to some of the “most notorious and longstanding road hotspots in the country, including feasibility studies to look at problems on the A303 to the South West, the A27 on the south coast, the A1 north of Newcastle, the A1 Newcastle-Gateshead Western by-pass, connectivity to Leeds airport and trans-Pennine routes between Sheffield and Manchester”.

Quality traffic surveys needed

In order to provide the best solutions to some of the UK’s most congested areas, detailed and precise traffic surveys will be needed. The data produced by surveys like those carried out by us at Road Data Services will give planners the information they need to create improvements and plans that will greatly improve traffic flow, reducing journey times and aiding local economies.

Contact us today to find out more about our professional traffic surveys.

A recent traffic survey for Transport for London (TfL) shows that cyclists make up more than 60% of traffic at peak times on certain routes. TfL’s Central London Cycling Census looked at several key routes into and around the capital and their bicycle traffic volume study revealed some interesting trends.

Manual count traffic survey

The cycling with traffic data was collected as a manual classified count survey across 164 locations. Both cyclists and motor vehicles were counted between 6am and 8pm during weekdays, allowing the data to show traffic types at key peak times as well as less busy times during the day. Data gathered from the survey shows:

24% of all vehicles at surveyed sites are bicycles

Bicycles make up 16% of all traffic across the hours surveyed

Almost 50% of all northbound traffic crossing Waterloo, Blackfriars and London Bridges are cyclists

62% of northbound morning traffic on Southwark Bridge is made up of bicycles

The results show that road cycling has become an increasingly popular way to commute into London and to get around the capital during the day. This traffic is from commuters who cycle from train stations to their workplace as well as those who live in the capital and cycle to avoid lengthy traffic congestion. The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, is investing in a range of measures that promote cycling across London.

Dedicated traffic surveys from Road Data Services

For councils, government departments and special interest groups who need clear, accurate data about the way vehicles, cyclists and pedestrians use our road network, contact RDS. We can carry out a range of traffic surveys, pedestrian surveys and questionnaire interviews to help you monitor trends, anticipate demand and plan for the future.

You can find out more and get a no-obligation quote by contacting us about traffic surveys today.

International car brand, Ford, has suggested that the future is faster and safer than we might think. Talking about advances in car technology, Ford says that we could see self-driving cars that can drive for you, improving your average journey time and making you more fuel efficient.

Today’s technology for tomorrow’s traffic

Ford says that the technology to drive this type of vehicle is available today, calling it Traffic Jam Assist – a system that can judge the distance between you and the cars in front, behind and either side of you, controlling speed and distance so that you maintain a consistent speed, reducing the stop-start nature of human-driven vehicles.

Using simulator studies, Ford says that travel times could be reduced by as much as 37.5% and delays by up to 20%. And with Ford’s cruise control, the driver can take charge at any time just by pressing the brake or the accelerator or moving the steering wheel.

Ford not the only traffic assist brand

Ford’s system is designed to work in specific conditions – slow moving traffic in defined lanes. Other vehicle brands have also been working on similar technologies – Volvo has announced its City Safety and Pedestrian Safety systems and Toyota also previewed a self-drive car recently. It’s safe to say that most car manufacturers will be looking at ways that technology can both keep us safe and keep us moving in the years to come.

Speed surveys and queue surveys from RDS

At Road Data Services we can help to mitigate traffic congestion by providing precise survey data through speed surveys and queue surveys across the UK. Our systems give you all the information you need to plan routes, improve roads and make things better for road users. Just contact us today to find out more about our traffic surveys.

Around the country, local pedestrian surveys are helping to make life safer for those who walk and cross the roads. Prompted by a variety of concerns from traffic blind spots to speeding traffic outside school gates, local communities are benefitting from surveys that show how new traffic planning or adding a pedestrian crossing can help to reduce accidents.

Safer to walk in Scunthorpe

A particularly busy road in Scunthorpe is benefitting from an investment of £70,000 in improved road safety measures which should make it a much safer place to walk. Following council surveys which showed over 40 accidents in the past five years, 18 of which involved pedestrians, the speed limit will be reduced to 20mph, a zebra crossing will be added and the road could also benefit from speed bumps.

Warwick town centre re-introduces crossings

A traffic scheme in Warwick town centre that hoped to make the streets more pedestrian friendly has come in for criticism in the past year, and the Council has now decided to install a new pedestrian crossing. Having removed a zebra crossing for the original scheme and introducing “informal crossing points”, the Council hoped to make the streets easier to cross. However, pedestrians using the area have called for a crossing to be re-introduced and are delighted that the Council has agreed.

Speed checks may change crossing

Residents in Biddulph, Staffordshire, have been campaigning for a pelican crossing instead of a zebra crossing on a particularly busy road. They say that drivers are exceeding the 30mph speed limit and not stopping at the existing crossing, which makes it extremely dangerous for people to cross. After receiving a petition from over 200 people, the local council is carrying out a speed survey and has already introduced some measures to reduce speed and protect pedestrians.

Pedestrian surveys from RDS

We can carry out a variety of speed surveys and pedestrian surveys to collect data on journeys, crossing usage and general opinions about road safety. Contact us today to find out more.

Local and national newspapers are full of reports on the trouble or potential for trouble caused by new developments. All new building work, whether an out-of-town supermarket, new housing or urban redevelopment needs to facilitate the traffic flow, and that often starts with a traffic survey.

Why commission a traffic survey?

In order to plan for the best traffic flow around a new development, developers, town planners and consultants need to know what’s happening now. Accurate data from traffic flow monitoring, that describes existing route usage, journey times and types of vehicles using current routes will help decision makers to anticipate the effect that additional traffic levels and new access points may have.

Collecting traffic survey data

A professional survey company can collect data in a number of ways, including manual counts and video surveying. A complex development may need a survey that covers a number of different elements and requires a variety of collection methods. This allows planners to get a clear picture of what’s happening now. In addition, surveyors can collect opinions from the local community and from road users, providing direct feedback from personal experience.

The dangers of traffic ignorance

If you go ahead with development plans without seriously considering current and potential traffic implications, your plans are likely to be rejected at the first stage of the planning process, costing you time and money. It makes sense to have the traffic data information you need and use it to enhance your planning application.

Talk to Road Data Services today to find out more about how our range of traffic surveys and interview surveys can help your next development.

RDS are delighted to have won several large traffic counts in Birmingham, Nottingham and Norwich this week.

Road Data Services have been commissioned to carry out a large traffic survey in Bristol next week, we will use a mixture of video surveys for the traffic counts and manual observation methods for the queue survey element. This project is part of a larger job that involves numerous traffic surveys in 2013.

RDS are delighted to have won several traffic surveys in Leeds,Grimsby and London as well as many ATC surveys across the country.

We are very happy to have won several traffic surveys in Hull, Maidstone, Nottingham and Bristol today as well as ATC surveys in Northampton, Luton and Leeds.

RDS is glad to see the snow melting so that we can get up to date with our traffic surveys.

Classified Counts | Speed Surveys | Video Surveys | Parking Surveys | Public Transport Surveys