Transport for London (TfL) has announced a new partnership to help upgrade the software used in its traffic management system to provide real-time rapid alerts about incidents across the capital.
The digital transformation project will affect the system used to manage 580km of London’s roads and all of its traffic junctions.
Alerts are generated for TfL through the new system, which was designed to rapidly analyse large datasets, including road accidents, roadworks and congestion.
This is to ensure important information is shared quickly with organisations that rely on up-to-date traffic reports, such as local authorities and emergency services.
Irfan Shaffi, operational control manager at TfL, said: “The transformative system produced from our work with Sopra Steria will enable TfL to manage our surface transport network much more effectively, and gives us a vital tool to keep London moving.
“This project within TfL’s wider Surface Intelligent Transport Systems (SITS) programme, in combination with the other technology tools in development, gives us excellent situational awareness and facilitates the strong green heartbeat needed to deliver upon the Mayor’s Transport Strategy.”
According to a TfL statement, the software upgrade will mean incidents across the entirety of the network can be quickly identified and resolved, minimising traffic disruption and offering a ‘single, unified view’ of London’s roads ‘for the first time’.
TfL hopes the process transformation will both improve road safety and reduce congestion, especially during busy periods and large-scale events.
The upgrade was delivered by digital transformation provider Sopra Steria, with which TfL has worked for four years to design the new system and other digital upgrades.
The initiative forms part of the transport operator’s wider digital transformation journey, as TfL looks to embed its network with smart technology and future-proof operations.
