The evolution of traffic management has been slow and steady over the years but the arrival of digitalisation is bringing wide-reaching changes which are impacting on stakeholders across the industry.
Keeping road workers and road users safe remains the top priority but improving road user experience, minimising disruption and reducing customer complaints are now also key drivers. Add to this a growing focus on environmental and sustainability considerations and the expectations from the traffic management sector are becoming increasingly demanding and wide-ranging.
Chevron Traffic Management’s Professional Services function, led by Client Director, Matt West is leading the charge to integrate technology into traffic management services for the greater good of the industry, its stakeholders and the general public.
“The traffic management industry is almost unrecognisable from 20 years ago”, explains Matt West. Processes, procedures and legislation have positively changed the face of the industry to ensure that safety is and remains top priority. “The arrival of digital technology has been a major development for the traffic management industry, not only for the protection of road workers but also for keeping traffic moving, preventing incidents, improving operational efficiencies and reducing environmental impact.
“It is a game changer for the industry, and it is where Chevron TM Professional Services are focused. Working with digital experts, Highway Resource Solutions (HRS) we are leading the digital revolution by working in collaboration with the industry to develop digital products which are needs-driven and industry-led.
“The Dynamic Speed Sign is a perfect example of this collaboration aimed at delivering “highest safe speed.” It is a digitally-enabled speed limit sign which can be changed remotely to allow 60mph running when road workers are not on site. It can also display a 40mph limit to assist with managing incidents such as live lane breakdowns. This simple sign improves road user experience, removes the need for operatives to manually change limits and ensures that the correct limits are displayed for the duration of the works. Dynamic Speed Signs have been deployed across the UK’s motorway network since summer 2019 to great effect and have the potential to become the industry standard in due course.
“The Intelliframe® is another superb example of digital innovation developed by HRS, which we have implemented successfully on a number of schemes. Simply put, it is a road traffic sign which is digitally controlled and monitored and can be used in a wide range of situations.
“Chevron TM introduced Intelliframe® on the M11 Moor Hall works in Cambridgeshire to create a digital “twin” of a diversion route through the use of digital technology. 25 Intelliframe® signs were manually placed throughout the route. From the moment they went live, these signs were monitored remotely to ensure the integrity and safety of the diversion route and to identify any issues such as sign falls or route clashes. Not only was the end-user experience improved because the diversion route was never compromised, Intelliframe® removed the need for the two-hourly drive-by checks which reduced operational costs and environmental impact.
“These are just two examples of how digitalisation is changing the face of traffic management but there are numerous others. We have also used HRS’s Intellicone® Smart Taper on the A45 Chowns Mill works in Northamptonshire where a serious taper strike was detected and assessed within 10 minutes and fully reinstated within 58 minutes.
“Digitalisation is the future for the traffic management industry and I genuinely believe that the opportunities are endless. For Chevron TM, safety is our business. It’s at the heart of what we do. It’s what we deliver day and night across the UK. It is what we strive to continually improve and drive standards across the industry.
“Our Professional Service team at Chevron TM, is proud to work in partnership with HRS and our colleagues across industry to innovative and pioneer thinking in traffic management and lead the industry in improving standards for all our stakeholders.”
For more information on Chevron TM’s digital services visit https://bit.ly/3pCNbxd
