Mobiie, an IBI Group and Egis Joint Venture, takes over the operation of Traffic Scotland’s National Control Centre today [07 March], with previous operator Amey moving onto the maintenance and upgrading of the county’s motorway and truck road technology. Â
The Traffic Scotland National Control Centre works to provide a 24/7 response to major travel incidents and severe weather, as well as monitoring the daily operation of the trunk road network, which accounts for 38% of all traffic in Scotland.
By managing the operation of the control centre, Egis and IBI Group have committed to improve the safety and efficiency of the road network by delivering core services. This includes the provision of traffic data management and road network performance reporting with data from over 3,500 traffic monitoring units.
The control room also provides communication of traffic and travel information for the Scottish road network via radio, digital and social media channels, this includes more than 300,000 Twitter followers.
Additionally, Mobiie will be responsible for planning and responding to special events, roadworks and incidents, utilising 340 Variable Message Signs and over 1,000 Motorway electronic signs on the network.
It will also be required to manage the 1,200m2 control centre, in South Queensferry on the outskirts of Edinburgh, which features a Forth Bridges exhibition room that welcomes visitors and dignitaries.
Acknowledging the end of the contract, Kenny White, principal engineer, Amey, said: “As the Amey managed Traffic Scotland operations and infrastructure service contract concludes, I would like to thank everyone who has worked and supported our service delivery, contributing to accurate and timely information shared with road users and stakeholders across the trunk road network since October 2012.
“On reflecting on achievements, much has changed in terms of needs and expectations of road users, and the technology and innovation required to deliver this. We have been faced with challenges such as keeping traffic moving during major events such as the Commonwealth Games, Ryder Cup, COP26, the closure of the Forth Road Bridge, the opening of the Queensferry Crossing, severe weather conditions including the Beast from the East, and of course Covid-19.
“Our control room operators, front-line workers maintaining equipment, and back-room staff have worked tirelessly to inform travellers and other stakeholders via status reports, ITS equipment and social media.”
