The English combined and local authorities who shared £50 million of grants to fix traffic signals as part of the Government’s Plan for Drivers are getting an extra month to detail the schemes they intend to deliver.
All eligible authorities received a share of £10m ‘automatic’ funding from the Traffic Signal Obsolescence Grant (TSOG), and 67 authorities also received additional awards from two £20m pots of TSOG challenge element or Green Light Fund (GLF) last month. This money will be spent on a range of solutions including upgrading traffic signal systems, replacing unreliable and obsolete equipment to improve reliability, and tuning up signals to better reflect current traffic conditions and get traffic flowing.
One of the conditions of receiving the money is that authorities provide an initial programme of the signal improvements they will deliver. This is done using an online portal available on the Transport Technology Forum website, supported by the Local Council Roads Innovation Group (LCRIG). Originally, they were expected to complete this by 30 April, but they now have until 31 May. Authorities are also reminded that by the end of October 2024, declarations are required from chief financial officers indicating the intention to use their grant allocations in accordance with the terms set out in award letters.
These programmes are seen as vital in both auditing the effectiveness of the grants, but also in building up a case for more funding in the future. It is essential that recipients of grant funding provide their initial programmes and then update them through the grant period as work progresses. This information will not be used to monitor individual authorities but will be collected to allow the Department to assess overall performance of the grant. The “outturn” data this provides demonstrates the ability of the sector to deliver and helps build the case of ongoing investment in future years.
Applications for a share of a further £20 million of funding earmarked for the Intelligent Traffic Management Fund (ITMF) are currently open. This money, expected to be delivered in packages worth around £2 million each, gives authorities the chance to deploy advanced technology for traffic signals, using emerging technologies to optimise traffic flow and balance traffic across city centres. The application process closes at the end of July 2024 and detailed guidance has been published to help authorities with their bids.
(Picture – TTF)
