Highways Agency

CCTV Monitoring

Aim

To expand the existing operation of closed circuit television monitoring on the national road network which provides police control centres with 'real-time' traffic flow and incident information.

What it means for motorists

• Improved response to incidents by the emergency services
• Major incidents and congestion are effectively monitored and managed
• Rapid overview of network conditions provides up-to-the-minute information for traffic management services and the media
• Camera will allow strategic traffic management for the national Traffic Control Centre

Main features

• Widely used on heavily trafficked motorways such as the M1 and M6. Also used on motorways near heavily populated areas such as the M25 around London, M60 around Manchester and the M5 / M6 / M42 around Birmingham.
• Video images of traffic flows on major routes in the South West were made available via the Internet during the 1999 Eclipse.
• Average cost of £60k per site, including initial installation cost of approximately £100k per police control office (this cost does not include the provision of optical fibre cables as part of separate contracts).

Plans for the future

• Existing CCTV cameras could be supplemented by interlinked motorway monitoring systems throughout England during the next three years.
• In the next four to ten years there could be additional coverage at key sites on the most important dual carriageway trunk roads i.e. those linking the motorway network to major towns/cities, key ports and airports.
• Potential for pre-trip information about traffic flow, including 'real-time' video images available via the Internet.

For more information please contact the Highways Agency Press Office on 020 7921 4323/4389/4029.