By Tom Austin-Morgan

One of the major programmes National Highways has recently launched, after years of conversations with customers and stakeholders, research, and collaboration with technology providers and the Department of Transport, is called ‘Digital for customers’, as part of the wider Digital Roads project.

Digital for customers aims to better inform road users by providing them with trusted travel information with which popular apps such as Google Maps or Waze sometimes struggle.

“We don't want to become a rival to Google Maps, because that's just not achievable on our business models,” says Susan Shaw, Digital Change Director, National Highways. “And why would we? People like those apps. What we need to do is create partnerships with them and create data flows and feeds that enable them to input our data into their services.”

The way most satellite navigation apps work is by reporting traffic when a user’s GPS data shows their vehicle is moving slower than usual. The app will then re-route according to the next shortest route. But this data is not fool proof, and this is what National Highways is looking to rectify.

Shaw explains: “They’re keen to get hold of our data that will have more accurate information about what’s actually happening on the roads. Customers will then get the same information regardless of whether they’re using their mobile phone, sat nav, or if they’re simply following roadside signs.”

The portal, through which their 20-odd partners (including Google and Waze as well as freight organisations and bus companies) have subscribed, has been live from the beginning of April 2024 and currently shows information about planned road closures.

As yet, the portal is a data feed. But in time this feed will be integrated with journey-planning apps. 
The next iteration of the portal will include close-to-real-time data and information on unplanned road closure caused by accidents or hard shoulders becoming active on smart motorways, as well as digital variable message signs and speed managed areas.

“Speed managed areas are critical from a safety perspective,” says Shaw. “Everyone can tell a story of where they've been going through a section of motorway where the gantry signs are showing 50mph speed limits but the sat nav is still telling you that you’re in a 70mph zone.

“There have been a number of major health and safety infringements of people going through speed managed areas at the wrong speed because they're following their sat nav speed rather than what's actually on the road signs.”

Image: Susan Shaw, Digital Change Director, National Highways; credit: Susan Shaw

Vehicles of all shapes and sizes

Another area is standardising diversion routes that are suitable for all traffic, including HGVs and coaches as well as cars and vans, rather than routes that could take tall vehicles on routes with low bridges or heavy vehicles across bridges with weight limits.

Not only will this prevent further traffic incidents and jams but will also allow for journey times to be more predictable so both private and business customers are spending less time on the road and getting to where they need to be on time.

“At the end of the day, if we want to be a customer service provider, we've got to be a good customer listener,” Shaw states. “So, we're looking at better ways to enable customers to give us feedback and to voice their concerns. All of this is packaged around a service that we call ‘Digital labs’ where we hold interactive sessions for our various customer types.

“A recent session was held on how we can improve around mobility and help drivers who have certain challenges and issues when they're using the network; how we can enable journeys for them with better information about where there are disabled facilities on the service for example.”

Over the next 12 months, National Highways intends to iterate based on feedback and user experience of the portal as well as collaborating with local authorities so the portal data can be spread further into towns and cities, not just the motorway network.