ITS UK has aunched a new campaign, Stuck on Red, highlighting the urgent need to address the decline in the UK’s traffic signal infrastructure.
With a significant proportion of traffic signals reaching the end of their operational life, ITS UK warns that the current state of roadside infrastructure is holding back progress on road safety, congestion reduction and decarbonisation, while increasing costs for local authorities and creating a barrier to future innovation, including in connected and automated vehicles.
The campaign aims to raise awareness among policymakers at all levels, from Ministers and parliamentarians to regional leaders and local councillors, of both the risks associated with continued underinvestment, and the benefits of modernising traffic management technology.
Stuck on Red is launched accompanied by a RAG rated heatmap showcasing the current state of England’s traffic signal infrastructure. The map shows that England already faces 51% of its assets at life-expiry, with a two-year projection showing how the situation will deteriorate to 61% all assets expired if not addressed.
ITS UK is calling for a targeted rolling programme of investment in traffic signal upgrades, an investment that would require only a small proportion of existing road funding and would quickly see returns on investment from reduced costs for local authorities.
Max Sugarman, Chief Executive of ITS UK, said:
“Traffic signals are a vital part of our road network, but we are reaching a point where many of these assets are life expired, or soon to reach expiry.
“This is a risk to our road users and a cost burden on local authorities with tight budgets, as well as a missed opportunity to effectively unlock innovation, and use technology to deliver safer, more efficient and more sustainable journeys.
“Through our Stuck on Red campaign, we are making the case for targeted investment in this essential infrastructure. With relatively small levels of funding, we can unlock significant benefits for road users, businesses and the wider economy.
“We will be engaging policymakers across the UK to ensure this issue is understood and addressed, and urge industry and government at all levels to support this critical issue.”
John Pickworth, Managing Director, Swarco, added:
“Whilst digital technology is often invisible, it’s crucial we keep it update to date and fully operational. Advances in security and resilience often get forgotten, but the industry is working tirelessly to ensure we keep the networks flowing smoothly. The Stuck On Red campaign is a great example of the industry working together to ensure our networks are protected – but we need support and funding to address long term investment challenges. SWARCO are proud to support the campaign in working with our customers to maximise the performance of their networks.”
Paul Owen, Traffic Technology Director, Telent, commented:
“Reliable traffic networks are critical to the safe and efficient movement of people and goods, with local authorities responsible for keeping them running. Working closely with councils, Telent sees increasing pressure from ageing traffic signal assets, tightening budgets and higher public expectations. Many systems are now operating beyond their design life, increasing cost, risk and maintenance complexity.
“Telent supports the Stuck On Red campaign as it highlights the consequences of delayed renewal, including higher failure rates, rising maintenance costs, safety concerns and growing cyber risks. These pressures make it increasingly difficult for authorities to maintain performance and deliver value for money.
“Long‑term, predictable funding is essential to address obsolescence and support planned renewal. It would enable councils and industry to invest in more resilient, future‑ready infrastructure, reduce whole‑life costs and deliver safer, more reliable networks for communities.”
Paul Campion, CEO, TRL, said:
“Across the UK, ordinary people and businesses are seeing the impact of ageing traffic technology every day, from rising congestion and emissions to missed opportunities to improve safety and network performance.
“Modernising traffic technology does not need to be expensive or complex. Open, flexible systems can help authorities renew ageing assets, avoid long‑term lock‑in and deliver safer, cleaner and more reliable networks. #StuckonRed highlights the urgency of acting now, because other sectors, from telecoms to rail and energy, have shown that delaying renewal only leads to higher costs, reduced resilience and lost opportunities when ageing systems finally fail.”
Wilke Reints, Managing Director, Yunex Traffic, concluded by saying:
“The Stuck on Red campaign rightly shines a light on an issue that those working with local authorities see every day. Ageing traffic signal infrastructure is increasingly difficult and costly to maintain, and it limits our ability to deliver safer, more reliable and more sustainable journeys. Modern, well-maintained signals are a foundation for reducing congestion, improving road safety and enabling future innovation such as connected and automated vehicles. Yunex Traffic strongly supports the call for a targeted, rolling programme of investment that helps authorities move away from reactive maintenance and towards long term value. With relatively modest investment, we can unlock significant benefits for road users, communities and the wider economy.”
As part of the campaign, ITS UK will publish new evidence and analysis – including heatmaps on the state of traffic signals in Scotland and Wales – and engage directly with policymakers and ITS UK members to highlight the real-world impact of ageing infrastructure.
(Picture: ITS UK)
