The UK government awarded £1.5m to three projects to trial innovative technologies and new ways to use data to reduce congestion and improving driving conditions in towns and cities.
The funding forms part of Govtech Catalyst, a £20m fund to help solve local transport issues through technology.
According to the government, this could help reduce costs to the UK economy resulting from congestion by calming rush hour traffic and improving air quality and road safety for drivers.
In Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, Vivacity, in partnership with Siemens, will use its sustainable software to monitor traffic and flag incidents in real time to allow traffic control operators to stop traffic jams forming.
Working with Oxfordshire County Council, technology SME IM23 is creating a tool that predicts and tackles congestion by helping traffic controllers understand how to keep traffic moving while making efficient improvements to their road network.
In York, Inrix plans to use its Performance Analysis Trajectory Help tool to optimise and improve traffic signals in the city.
The projects will be managed by the Department for Transport for 12 months.
Grant Shapps, transport secretary, said: “Congestion isn’t just bad for our environment, productivity and communities – it also has a huge impact on our national economy.
“That’s why, as well as our multi-billion-pound investment in rail and buses to improve connectivity, we are opening up city centre, transport and traffic management to new digital innovators.
“Transport technology is a growing global sector with the potential to help reduce congestion, emissions and improve connectivity.
“These projects show how world-class UK transport tech companies are helping millions of people in our towns and cities every day.”
Want to learn more about how data and digital technologies can improve urban transport? CiTTi Exhibition takes place on the 3rd and 4th of June at Coventry’s Ricoh Arena. Register your interest to attend at www.cittiexhibition.co.uk
