Kent County Council (KCC) has reappointed Telent to maintain its traffic signal network following a competitive
tender process, extending a partnership that has supported the county’s roads for more than two decades. As one of Telent’s largest traffic signal maintenance contracts, and one of the most significant of its kind in the UK, the renewal reflects the Council’s confidence in Telent’s ability to deliver consistent high quality, reliable services at scale, whilst minimising disruption to road users.
Traffic signals play a vital role in keeping Kent’s roads moving safely and efficiently. Any interruption to service can lead to congestion, delays and increased risk for motorists, pedestrians and cyclists. By reappointing Telent, KCC ensures continuity of service, with the same experienced engineering teams, local knowledge and
established processes remaining in place from day one.
Under the renewed contract, Telent will continue to provide proactive and reactive maintenance services for traffic signal junctions, pedestrian crossings and associated roadside technology throughout the county. The network includes a significant proportion of complex and legacy infrastructure, requiring specialist expertise to maintain performance, resilience and long-term reliability.
Kent is also among the largest users of Telent’s Optima Hub smart city platform, with 469 sites connected, representing over 60% of its crossings and junctions. This includes a substantial number of legacy
and multi-vendor installations, demonstrating Telent’s ability to manage diverse and ageing infrastructure through a single, unified platform. Optima Hub provides real-time visibility across the network, enabling rapid fault identification and response, helping to minimise disruption for residents, businesses and commuters.
Telent’s reappointment was supported by its strong health and safety record and consistent service delivery, with no major incidents across the lifetime of the contract. Its collaborative approach and deep understanding of the county’s infrastructure have also enabled it to support additional projects and evolving technology requirements beyond the core maintenance contract.
Paul Owen, Director, Traffic Technology at Telent, said:
“Maintaining a network of this scale requires not only technical capability, but deep local knowledge and a team that understands the infrastructure inside out. Being reappointed by KCC is a strong endorsement of our ability to deliver safely, consistently and with minimal disruption. Retaining the same expertise and processes ensures continuity from day one and allows us to continue supporting the county with reliable, responsive services.”
Peter Osborne, KCC’s Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport commented:
“Keeping Kent moving safely and smoothly means having a traffic signal network people can rely on. Telent has consistently done a great job maintaining our infrastructure and stepping in quickly when something needs fixing. We’re really pleased to be continuing this long-standing partnership, helping make sure journeys across the county stay dependable for everyone who uses our roads.”
(Picture: Telent)
