5G sensors to be installed in bid to reduce West Midlands congestion

A network of 5G sensors will relay live traffic information to the regional control centre to enable swift action to be taken as queues build up and enable buses to be diverted, diversions to be put in place and issue instant warnings to motorists.

The traffic data will also be used to spot traffic trends and help plan future transport development.

West Midlands 5G and Transport for West Midlands have joined forces to work on the project to demonstrate how 5G technology can make a major impact on the road network.

The project centres around the Key Route Network, a set of A and B roads equivalent to seven per cent of the available network but which carry more than half of all traffic within the region.

This has resulted in congestion hot spots affecting drivers and bus passengers alike something which the Road Sensor Networks project hopes to alleviate.

In its first phase, the project aims to capture a more granular picture of traffic flow through the deployment of various of 5G enabled sensors, radar and cameras across the key route network.

TfWM, which is part of the West Midlands Combined Authority, has been working with partners such as WSP, Siemens, Earthsense and Vodafone in delivering the project.

Mayor of the West Midlands Andy Street, who chairs the WMCA, said: “This sensor network is yet another example of how the West Midlands is at the forefront of 5G technology and the cutting edge of transport innovation. 5G is far more than just quicker streaming of movies, and this works shows the difference it will make to people’s everyday lives across the region.

“The Road Sensor Network project will form a key part of planning and developing our future transport network, allowing us access to data that would otherwise have not been possible without 5G. Projects like this show how critical it was we got ahead of the game and won the right to be the UK’s first regional 5G testbed back in 2018.”

The project supports the Regional Transport Coordination Centre and Local Authority Traffic Control Centres to provide real-time insights about traffic flow and capacity on the roads.

To date the region has relied on manual surveys of traffic flows using pneumatic tubes or limited coverage of CCTV and Automatic Number Plate Recognition cameras to gauge the number of vehicles and journeys being undertaken on the region’s roads.

The Road Sensor Network will also deploy environmental sensors to gain greater insight into noise levels, particulates, CO and CO2 counts, as well as weather and humidity data.

Chris Holmes, transport programme director for WM5G said: “The Road Sensor Network project is a great example of how deliberate application of connected technologies can provide the insights necessary to solve some of our biggest transport problems."

The next stage of the £5.8 million Road Sensor Network Project will see around 280 sensors provided by Vivacity and Vaisala deployed across the seven constituent authorities of the West Midlands Combined Authority area, before its conclusion in March 2022. It is hoped the findings will support other regions in developing similar networks to ease congestion hotspots and more intuitively manage traffic flow.