• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

MayorWatch

London News and Comment

  • NEWS
  • Twitter

How Transport for London and Waze are using data sharing to keep London’s traffic moving

December 10, 2017 - Martin Hoscik@MayorWatch

TfL’s 24-hour control centre monitors the road network for traffic incidents.
Transport for London has revealed how a data sharing partnership with sat nav firm Waze is helping to keep traffic moving though the Blackwall tunnel, one of London’s main traffic arteries which carries more than 36 million journeys each year.

While most journeys through the tunnel are completed without incident, its status as one of London’s busiest river crossings means any interruption to traffic flow can quickly result in delayed journeys and serious economic harm to the capital, with annual losses estimated to be almost £7m.

Six months ago TfL started working with Waze, a smartphone app which has more than a million users in the city, to tackle two of the most common causes of hold-up in the tunnel – drivers who run out of fuel and those who fail to realise their vehicle is over-height.

“Because we’re a sat nav we know where people are and where they’re going, and when they’re completely stopped we can serve little messages to them to remind them to do things,” said Waze’s UK head, Finlay Clark.

“When TfL said ‘people break down almost one a day with no fuel’ we said ‘well we know where they are, we know where the petrol stations are, we can offer them the chance to re-route’.

“We started this in May and we’re still running it today and in that time we have routed well over 450 people out of the traffic to a petrol station, what TfL have also seen is that’s reduced the number of people who’ve broken down by about 50 percent.”

“We’ve seen some really positive results,” confirms Glynn Barton, TfL’s Director of Network Management.

“I think it’s proved that targeted campaigns really work and can have an impact and I think it really proves that working in partnership with people who have a very different approach to the marketplace than we do, in terms of the platforms they can offer, the direct interaction with customers, the type of mutual benefit that you get from that, that’s something’s I think we really need to build on.

“There’s so many opportunities to do much more with this.”

While Barton says it’s “very difficult to quantify”, the decline in incidents suggests drivers may be more likely to heed alerts conveyed by a trusted app than via external signage.

And, by virtue of being completely free to TfL, Waze’s alerts are far better value for the taxpayer than installing additional digital displays along known problem routes.

A dedicated team also monitors the capital’s road tunnel network.

The successful trial at Blackwall is part of a deeper partnership between the two organisations which sees Waze incorporate the agency’s publicly available open data, for example details of planned road closures, into its app to help route drivers away from problem areas.

In turn, Waze supplies anonymised data from its user base to TfL’s 24-hour traffic control centre which, alongside feeds from its own CCTV network and other data providers, is used to identify any congestion hotspots and traffic incidents which are then publicised via social and broadcast media.

Clark stresses that “there never will be” any charge to TfL for the services it provides, saying: “We know that in order to make complex cities like London, that were never designed for the number of cars that we have in them today, work we need to be smarter [and] we need to work directly with TfL.”

“From our side that’s why our open data policy is so important, because it does stimulate this type of partnership and it makes it much easier,” says Barton.

In addition to helping keep traffic moving, Barton and Clark suggest their partnership could also help make roads safer by, for example, alerting drivers when they’re in areas with high level of cyclists and need to take extra care.

“This is just the beginning, as we’re now exploring how the new technology can give us even better insights into London’s roads and enable drivers to avoid unnecessary delays,” says Barton.

“This in turn will help make our roads safer and more efficient for everyone.”

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window)

RECENT UPDATES

852 new homes to be built in Acton by Transport for London

HGV operators in London urged to apply for a Direct Vision Standard permit

TfL proposes bus and tube cuts and annual fares increases to achieve long-term financial sustainability

London’s entire bus fleet now meets ULEZ emissions standards




Popular

1,700 extra Santander Cycles are coming to London’s streets

TfL confirms changes to Older Person’s Freedom Pass and 60+ Oyster card hours

TfL fares to rise in return for £1.6bn Government rescue package

Election for Mayor of London and London Assembly postponed until 2021

FEATURED

City Hall to move to Docklands as Mayor seeks to raise £55m for frontline services

‘Concern’ over TfL’s ability to deliver major projects in wake of Crossrail cost overruns

City Hall halts London Overground ticket office closures but many will still see opening hours reduced

Transport for London confirms bus cuts will go ahead despite passenger opposition

GOT A STORY?

As the original London news and scrutiny site we've been casting an eye over the capital's public services and politicians since 1999.

 

Many of our top stories started with a tip-off from a reader - if you've got something you'd like us to cover get in touch and we'll do the rest.

Stay In Touch

  • E-mail
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Copyright © 2021 MayorWatch Publications Limited · MayorWatch is Registered Trademark · All Rights Reserved · Contact Us · Terms of Use · Privacy Policy

MayorWatch Publications Limited · 20-22 Wenlock Road · London N1 7GU · Company Number 6291816

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.