The Transport Technology Forum has updated local authorities waiting to hear if their applications for a share of £40 million of new money to make traffic signals more efficient have been successful.
As part of the Department for Transport’s Plan for Drivers, announced by Secretary of State Mark Harper last October, the money is being 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.
All English Councils and combined authorities outside London were able to apply for a share from two funds – the Traffic Signals Obsolescence Grant (TSOG) and Green Light Fund (GLF). Another £10 million of TSOG will be shared across all authorities. 118 of the 121 eligible local authority areas in England made an application either directly or via a Combined Authority.
The TTF Manager Darren Capes, who is ITS Policy Lead at the Department for Transport, has written to all the authorities who applied to describe this response as “incredible”, and that the assessment team, managed by the Local Council Roads Innovation Group, LCRIG, is now working through the evaluation of the applications and that he expects to be able to provide an indicative list of the successful authorities by the end of the month.
Once authorities are informed, they will have ten days to provide an initial programme of schemes, including projected start and end dates and costs. Authorities are expected to complete this before the funding is released. The funding will then be transferred to authorities to be spent in 2024-25 to 2025-26.
Mr Capes has also updated authorities about a further £20 million of funding earmarked for the Intelligent Traffic Management Fund (ITMF). 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. Detailed guidance is currently being prepared and will be published by mid-February, with the application process for ITMF opening on 1 April and closing on 30 June 2024.
(Picture – TTF)
