AI and fresh thinking at the heart of new highways innovation hackathon
Highways professionals, software developers, researchers, students and communications specialists are being invited to work together to tackle some of the biggest challenges facing local roads at a new innovation hackathon in Northampton this September. The WNC Highways & Innovation Hackathon 2026, taking place on 8 September at the University of Northampton’s Waterside Campus, aims to […]
Birmingham joins National Parking Platform
Birmingham City Council has become the latest local authority to join the National Parking Platform (NPP), marking what the platform’s backers describe as another milestone in the expansion of the initiative designed to make parking payments simpler and more flexible for motorists. As one of the UK’s largest local authorities, Birmingham’s addition is being described […]
SWARCO urges local authorities to ask tougher questions before investing in digital twins
Local authorities are being urged to focus less on the technology behind digital twins and more on the practical problems they are trying to solve, in a new thought leadership article from intelligent transport solutions provider SWARCO. Written by John Pickworth, Managing Director of SWARCO UK & Ireland, the article argues that, as Government investment […]
Drivers warned not to rely on next-generation eCall before 2027 infrastructure upgrade
The Department for Transport has issued guidance warning motorists that Next Generation (NG) eCall systems fitted to many new cars and light commercial vehicles may not operate reliably until the UK’s telecommunications infrastructure has been upgraded by 31 March 2027. NG eCall has been introduced in most new cars and vans registered from 1 September […]
JCT looks back on three decades of innovation with ’30 Years: 30 Stories’ series
The founder of the JCT Traffic Signals Symposium, Brian Simmonite, had a simple ambition when he launched the event in 1996 – to create a forum where experienced traffic signal engineers could learn from each other, challenge ideas and return year after year. “The forum will consist of a series of short papers (presented by […]
Road repairs “30% up” in Essex
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has issued a video talking about how 5,000 highway defects have been fixed in Essex since the local elections in May. Speaking ahead of the Clacton by-election, the video features Reform Councillor Mark Webster, who’s Essex cabinet member for highways, talking about increased spending on roads in the county. “Since […]
Highways Voices: Cutting through the carbon confusion – who really owns net zero in highways?
With pressure on local authorities to demonstrate meaningful progress towards net zero, today’s Highways Voices moves beyond the jargon and tackles one of the biggest challenges facing highways teams: who is actually responsible for reducing carbon, and where do you start? First published a year ago, our guest, Zoe Sterling-Wall, who at the time was […]
Road sign misses regulations by a 1.609km
A series of warning road signs have been spotted on a road in Essex using kilometres to measure distance, instead of miles. The signs on the A130 between the A12 and A127 south of Chelmsford show distances in kilometres under a warning for an uneven road. The signs were spotted by a producer at BBC […]
Suffolk latest to use Acusensus phone and seatbelt cameras
Artificial Intelligence cameras are being installed across Suffolk to help detect drivers using mobile phones and failing to wear seatbelts. Suffolk Police says the technology will help officers target offenders and save lives, identify potential traffic offences, with images reviewed before any enforcement action is taken. The technology is designed to support road safety by […]
Durham University research highlights the future of digital kerbside management
Grid Smarter Cities founder Neil Herron has co-authored new research with Durham University examining how digital technology could make urban freight deliveries more efficient by dynamically managing bookable kerbside loading bays. The paper, Real-Time Optimisation for Rescheduling Bookable Kerbside Delivery Bays under Vehicle Delays, was written by Nihal Berktas, Riccardo Mogre, Li Ding and Mr […]