DfT unveils Street Manager roadworks planning service

Street Manager

Street Manager

Motorists will soon be to avoid roadworks when planning their journeys thanks to a new digital system funded by the government.

The Department for Transport (DfT) is investing up to £10m in Street Manager, a digital planning service due to launch next year. It is anticipated that the service will make more consistent, accurate data on street works available to drivers.

Unlike current data on roadworks, which is often out-of-date and incomplete, Street Manager will generate real-time data and will be free for technology companies and app developers to use.

This will allow existing apps and providers, such as Waze and Google Maps, to enhance their services by making them more accurate. The DfT also hopes other firms will create new products to help drivers avoid jams by sharing roadworks data via satnavs and app ‘push’ notifications that help motorists choose a new route.

Roads minister Jesse Norman said: “Roadworks can often be frustrating for motorists, especially when they cause hold-ups at busy times and delay journeys. We want to reduce this disruption and delay, and Street Manager is just one of a number of actions we are taking so that local authorities and utility companies can better plan and manage their roadworks.

“The data opened up by this new digital service should enable motorists to plan their journeys better, so they can avoid works and get to their destinations more easily.”

Street Manager will replace a system currently used by local authorities and utility companies. The new system will allow them to accurately record and share data better on the 2.5m roadworks that take place in England each year. The DfT hopes Street Manager will help councils and utilities collaborate on joint works and better coordinate timings so that drivers do not get caught up in multiple works.

It is also expected to support local businesses across the country by helping stop delivery vehicles from getting stuck in traffic jams caused by roadworks.
Alongside the launch of Street Manager, the government is publishing new bidding guidance on lane rental schemes that enable councils across England to charge utility companies up to £2,500 a day for carrying out roadworks on the busiest routes at peak times.

The new guidance will also help utility companies to work with local authorities to avoid charges by coordinating works, or working at quieter times. The DfT expects this will benefit all road users, and especially those travelling at peak times.

Pilot lane rental schemes in London and Kent saw congestion on the busiest roads drop by half, saving drivers time and boosting the economy.

Transport secretary Chris Grayling has recently called on companies to carry out works on pavements, where possible, instead of under roads to avoid disruption to motorists. Street Manager is just one example of how technology is transforming transport, Grayling said.