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City drivers call for smart traffic measures to cut commute times

Almost two-thirds (65%) of city-dwellers are frustrated with the levels of congestion in their city and want smart city measures to combat rising commute times.

London traffic jam

Unsurprisingly, Londoners were the most frustrated with traffic levels

The study by security and traffic management solutions provider ATG Access found that Londoners were the most frustrated with traffic levels (76%), followed by city dwellers of the South East (74%) and the South West (68%).

The study, which also looked at the range of solutions which could combat the issue, found that Brits think that smart city measures would be the most effective in improving traffic flow and commuter time (74%).

Conducted as part of ATG’s ‘Smart cities: Turning the dream into a reality’ report, the research identified that three-quarters (75%) of those surveyed want smart traffic lights implemented to respond in real-time to the volume of traffic on the roads, while just over two-thirds (67%) called for better traffic light control measures during busier times.

The survey found much lower rates of demand among commuters for more traditional methods of easing traffic flow with just 37% wanting to see more parking restrictions on busy roads and 40% seeking dedicated cycling and bus lanes during busy times.

Further demonstrating the public’s appetite for investment in smart measures, over half (57%) of those surveyed admitted that they would be happy for a portion of their tax contributions to go towards smart traffic lights in their city.

Gavin Hepburn, managing director at ATG Access, commented: “Smart city concepts such as responsive traffic flow measures – ranging from smart traffic lights, to programmable smart bollard systems which control traffic – can drive efficiency and drastically cut commuter times. Not only does this have the potential to save the economy £9bn a year, measures such as these can also dramatically improve a cities’ level of air quality.”

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Natalie Middleton

Natalie has worked as a fleet journalist for over 20 years, previously as assistant editor on the former Company Car magazine before joining Fleet World in 2006. Prior to this, she worked on a range of B2B titles, including Insurance Age and Insurance Day.