An uphill battle: How AI-powered infrastructure inspections for local authorities can change the game
Oxford-based AI specialists Mind Foundry have written a thought piece aboutAI-powered infrastructure inspections for local authorities and how they can use the power of artificial intelligence to build a comprehensive view of a structure’s health. There are approximately 246,000 miles of road and 80,904 bridges in the UK, and each of these individual assets requires monitoring, maintenance, and management […]
ITS UK to offer new ‘partner’ lite membership for local authorities from September
ITS UK will be launching a new ‘partner’ membership tier in September to allow local authorities to join the organisation without paying a membership fee. This new ‘lite’ membership will give some, but not all, of the benefits of ITS UK membership in return for the organisation’s participation with the sector. Partner members will be […]
Record local authority attendance expected at next week’s LCRIG Innovation and Learning Festival
The LCRIG Innovation and Learning Festival next week is set to be the biggest yet, with record-breaking attendance from local authorities across the UK. More than 320 attendees from over 90 local authorities have registered, sending senior decision makers and representatives from England, Scotland, Wales and North Ireland. In addition to this local authority presence, […]
NOW Wireless produces guidance document to help local authorities with traffic signal efficiency
Highways and transport technology company NOW Wireless has produced a guidance document for local authorities looking to improve the efficiency of their traffic signals as part of the Intelligent Traffic Management Fund (ITMF). The guidance details how different solutions have been deployed with local authorities over the last few years to help make traffic signals […]
Local authorities have cut 90% of bus services in England since 2020, new research shows
More than 90% of council-run bus services have been cut across England since 2010, according to research by the i newspaper. It said a combined 16 million miles of bus routes had vanished up to March 2023 across the 10 worst-affected areas, which are topped by Cumbria and Hull. The other areas which have seen […]
More than half of the local road network has less than 15 years’ structural life left, says 2024 ALARM survey
More than half of the local road network in England and Wales is reported to have less than 15 years’ structural life left as the amount needed to fix the backlog of carriageway repairs increases to a record high of £16.3 billion. This year’s Annual Local Authority Road Maintenance (ALARM) survey report, published today (19 […]
Many local authorities are failing to take enough action to reduce emissions from the transport sector, says co-director of Climate Emergency UK
Too many local authorities are failing to take enough action to reduce emissions from the transport sector, according to Isaac Beevor, co-director of Climate Emergency UK. The organisation launched the Council Climate Action Scorecards last week, the first ever holistic assessment of all UK local authorities’ climate action. “At Climate Emergency UK we truly believe in the […]
LGA: Don’t take transport powers away from councils
It is councils – who know their communities best – that should be trusted to make local transport decisions not Whitehall, according to the Local Government Association (LGA). Responding to the Government’s plan for motorists, Cllr Darren Rodwell, Transport spokesperson for the Local Government Association, said: “Councils want to work with the Government to make […]
Rise in flash flood compensation claims
Local authorities in England are grappling with hundreds of compensation claims for flash floods, as central government budget cuts leave councils struggling to upkeep local roads and ageing drainage systems. Between January 2020 and December 2022, councils received 740 claims from property owners for flood damage caused by sudden downpours. Councils accepted liability in 128 […]
Local Authorities invited to Quantum Computing Workshop
The Department for Transport is hosting two workshops next months for Local Authority Heads of Innovation, Principal Engineers or those working in Technology in the Highways area to discuss prioritising quantum technologies in transport. Quantum technologies are emerging technologies that use subatomic particles to provide transformative solutions, many of which are in the transport sector. […]