Highways England plumps up contract for National Traffic Information Service by £12m after brief chat with vendors
- Reference: 1590588368
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2020/05/27/highways_england_traffic_information_system_tender/
- Source link:
The money up for grabs has increased since the government agency published its [1]prior information notice , which in February valued the work at £50m. Suppliers were invited to a market engagement due to take place on 5 March.
Big consumers of road traffic data are satellite-navigation companies but the group also includes third-party road data aggregators, traffic information service providers, road industry representatives, other government and local authority agencies, freight sector representatives and operators.
The current National Traffic Information Service, which dates to 2011, is designed to provide a continuous data feed to help people plan their road journeys and avoid delays. It also supports agency operations teams get to grips with planned and unplanned "traffic events" on the strategic road network. Meanwhile, historic data is used to help measure network performance and plan for future changes.
The [2]contract notice said the agency is looking for a new system to perform this function as well as collect "traffic event information from multiple data sources including third party in-vehicle data and over 10,000 roadside sensors."
After some processing, the idea is to publish traffic information and travel advice to Highways England's roadside LED signs, the service's website and mobile phone apps and data feed APIs.
After a transition period, the new service is expected to offer "improved availability and reliability of traffic data and information for Highways England's customers and internal business functions". It is also expected to provide "an adaptable and scalable IT system that will enable Highways England to meet its evolving traffic information needs and make best use of automation to streamline the need for manual intervention."
Highways England said the winning supplier should remove "under-used traffic data sources, including automatic number-plate recognition", and "under-used output channels such as event emails."
The prior information notice specifies a "a flexible and scalable cloud-based IT system that aligns to the UK Government's Technology Code of Practice and makes best use of automation to improve efficiency of the service". It said: "On completion of transformation, the supplier will operate the service to achieve the required performance levels for a further period of 3 years."
No such requirements appear in the tender.
The prior information notice also specifies continued support for DATEX II, the European Union standard for traffic data, which feeds the agencies data into Google Maps. This requirement is also absent from the final notice.
[3]A report from the Office of Rail and Road [PDF] , which monitors Highways England's performance, says the agency has a particular problem with the accuracy of roadworks data. "Customers and users of roadworks data, in particular the freight and logistics sector, use this data to help plan their operations and journeys weeks in advance. Low levels of accuracy are leading to a lack of trust and are reducing the value of roadwork information. This means missed opportunities for Highways England to inform road users and to help organisations plan more efficient journeys."
The Register has contacted the body for comment. ®
[1] https://ted.europa.eu/udl?uri=TED:NOTICE:86334-2020:TEXT:EN:HTML&src=0
[2] https://ted.europa.eu/udl?uri=TED:NOTICE:247225-2020:TEXT:EN:HTML&src=0
[3] https://orr.gov.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0004/41386/highways-englands-provision-of-traffic-data-and-information-march-2019.pdf
The problem with using the Cumming as a measure of distance is that one cannot be certain about how far it is.
It's 260 miles, with a optional 30 miles extension the following day.
Utterley Useless
The motorway I live near and use pretty much everyday got overhead dot matrix signs and live traffic information about 10 or 12 years ago. Absolutely totally useless. Signs saying lane closed, when there is no lane closed, thus causing congestions. Signs saying queue on slip road when there is not a single car waiting. Signs saying congestion ahead when the road is totally clear. Signs giving info about delays on other motorways 100 miles away, but no mention of the hour delay you are about to run into the back of. Signs saying long delays ahead when the delay is no worse than normal (5 or 10 minutes).
An utterly useless government department and utterly useless technology implementation. And as for smart motorways with no hard shoulder? Whoever thought of and approved that idea should be in prison for life on multiple counts of manslaughter.
Re: Utterley Useless
You forgot the excessive use of the variable speed limit system when neither the traffic volume nor current conditions justify it (yes, there are times when it's needed, but it's quite obviously being used beyond that).
Re: Utterley Useless
"excessive use of the variable speed limit system when neither the traffic volume nor current conditions justify it"
Sometimes it justifies itself - switch on the signs and cause congestion.
I remember it being used on an "experimental" basis round the western section of the M25. I didn't use that section on a daily basis but it did seem odd that the days I drove round there were always the experiment days and never the control days. It was also noticeable that between the cameras the traffic flowed a little more freely and then bunched up at the next camera.
Re: Utterley Useless
Have you noticed with the varible speed system, they often have all the signs saying 60 and then somewhere in the middle there will be just one saying 50 with a camera on it. 60 60 60 60 60 60 50 60 60 60 60. It's easy to miss if you are paying attention to the other traffic instead of the overhead signs.
Re: Utterley Useless
Oh, and the distraction when they use the information displays for non-urgent messages (like "Red X Enforced" and "Don't Drink and Drive"), particularly ones that are "terminal inexactitudes".
Re: Utterley Useless
"Signs saying lane closed, when there is no lane closed, thus causing congestions."
They may be new signs but it's the same old same old from the days of those signs in the central reservation although the speeds on those weren't enforceable. There's be 10 miles or so of signs saying "50" or "60" and the "End". I remember one occasion taking my daughter back to University (she's now well into her 40s) stuck in a queue for about half an hour on the M1 past Chesterfield with a 2 lane closure showing. Eventually I joined the renegades ignoring the sign and driving down the outer lanes. There was no sign of any closure. After that I ignored them totally; Mk 1 eyeball gave adequate warning of any real trouble.
"a new system to perform this function"
Why ? Is the hardware rusting ? Why can't modular elements be added ?
Why is it that, even at government level, we have a culture of consumerism and throw out the old, it's time to buy some new stuff ?
So they want to modernize. Well, here's the deal : your new system ? Make independent modules out of it. Do not make any part require all other parts to function. Also, make it so new parts can be added at a later time. That way, you can add or upgrade individual modules without having to fork out for an entire system the next time.
Or is that just too 3rd millennium for you ?
While They're Tinkering
Please could we:
a) have public access to the traffic cameras back on (they've been "access denied" since the Coronavirus lockdown started), and
b) how about putting a certificate on www.trafficengland.com, so that it's secure?
The big question....
Will it still be able to say "FOG" on bright sunny days?
If not, scrap it
the winning supplier should remove "under-used traffic data sources, including automatic number-plate recognition"
I'm sure they'd get lower bids if they could leave the ANPR cameras in place and sell on the data to 3rd parties.
On the subject of roads is it time for a new Reg unit? 260 miles would be a Going and the return journey of the same length a Cumming so we can measure the Cummings and Goings.