The Manager of the Transport Technology Forum, Darren Capes, is to host a question-and-answer webinar to assist local authorities with applications for a grant from the £70 million earmarked to make traffic signals more efficient.
The online session on Monday 4 December will support authorities apply for a share of the money, which was announced in the Government’s Plan for Drivers last month. It is split into three separate allocations, and the challenge process for two of them, worth a total of £40 million, is now open.
These consist of £20 million in the Traffic Signals Obsolescence Grant (TSOG) to upgrade traffic signal systems, replacing unreliable and obsolete equipment to improve reliability, and £20 million in the Green Light Fund (GLF) to tune up traffic signals to better reflect current traffic conditions and get traffic flowing. The allocations process, which is being managed by the TTF, is the same as that used for the 2021 Traffic Signal Maintenance allocation, and is open to all English local highway and combined authorities outside London. Applications are open until 22 December 2023.
There is also another £10 million in TSOG to be shared amongst qualifying authorities without the need for them to apply.
“This is the biggest investment in traffic signals in living memory,” commented Mr Capes, who is ITS Policy Lead at the Department for Transport. “We want to make sure that all authorities understand the process, which is deliberately designed to be simple and straightforward, and the webinar will help answer any questions anyone has. I encourage all authorities to take part so they don’t miss out on the opportunity to be allocated a share of funds.”
Once bids have been submitted, they will be assessed during January with award letters sent out at the end of February, and money available to authorities in March 2024. Successful bidders will have two years to deliver schemes and will be required to report on progress regularly during the delivery period.
A further £20 million will be awarded from the Intelligent Traffic Management, which will be applied for between April and June 2024 with funding awarded to successful applicants in September. Separate guidance and support will be delivered in the New Year.
The TTF is working with by the Local Council Roads Innovation Group (LCRIG) to manage the challenge process on behalf of the DfT. Authorities who made applications for TSM in 2021 will still have login details for this which can be used again, but LCRIG will support authorities in accessing the process.
(Picture – TTF)
