BRITISH SMART SUBWAY

SMART SUBWAY

British highway to become internet-
connected 'network of sensors' over
50-mile stretch
In a team-up between the UK's
Department of Transport, BT and
Cambridge start-up Neul, the A14
(which connects Felixstowe to
Birmingham) will be transformed into
the country's first internet-connected
road, with the aim of preparing the
country for future tech from wireless
toll chargers to automated cars. The
smart road will include a network of
sensors across a 50-mile segment,
with data transmission delivered over
white space. Ofcom approved the
project yesterday, alongside its plans
for the rest of the spectrum space.
According to the regulator, "sensors
in cars and on the roads monitor the
build-up of congestions and
wirelessly send this information to a
central traffic control system, which
automatically imposes variable speed
limits that smooth the flow of traffic,"
Ofcom said. "This system could also
communicate directly with cars,
directing them along diverted routes
to avoid the congestion and even
managing their speed."
Initial plans for the A14 aren't
focused on these borderline zealous
goals just yet. Instead, the project
aims to gather information on the
cars that use the A14, before focusing
on heavy goods vehicles, feeding back
to a database that the government's
Department for Transport will be able
to access. As The Guardian notes, the
project would offer a cheaper method
for data connectivity and gathering
traffic information compared to the
mobile network techniques used by
companies like TomTom. Instead of
connecting to pricey mobile masts,
the project will tap into small base
stations attached to street lamps or
BT exchanges, many of which already
exist along the hectic A-road.