Traffic Management Centre

Managing the road network pro-actively

Here at the council, we are dedicated to ensuring a safe, efficient and sustainable transport network for residents, businesses and visitors to our county. 

Cambridgeshire’s road network spans approximately 2,800 miles and managing this diverse and large road network presents challenges.

In the past, we used traditional methods to coordinate street works, process Temporary Traffic Regulation Orders (TTROs), and communicate with the public. These methods were often time-consuming and resource-intensive, leading to inefficiencies and potential disruptions for road users.

Now, however, we use a wide range of digital solutions, supplied by Causeway One Network, which enable us to deliver a modern and holistic strategy for network management and public engagement. These enable us to collaborate more effectively and increase efficiency and meet the needs of our evolving road network.

Watch the video below and read on for examples on how we are strengthening road network communication.

Public communication

Effective traffic management ultimately comes down to how well-informed Cambridgeshire residents and businesses are about their journeys, in real-time.

By using digital content management software, we can now provide the public with comprehensive, accurate and timely information regarding road and street works, as well as any public events that disrupt the roads. This includes files, images and videos about the road events and up-to-date contact information. With this approach, we have been able to reduce significantly the need for residents to make enquiries, as we are pro-actively putting out the information residents need in a timely and accurate way.

Additionally, the Live Link app we use empowers our Traffic Management Centre (TMC) to send real-time road closure data to major sat-nav apps, aiding drivers in making informed decisions that help keep traffic flowing.

We can get road closure information straight out to customers and road users through satellite navigation systems and applications. This allows road users to make better decisions on their journeys. The algorithms in sat-nav apps can automatically divert road users around any problems so they reduce the problems and keep everything moving.

Significant reduction in traffic delays around public events

With the power to analyse historical traffic patterns, we can now look back at previous events and how they impacted traffic flow, enabling us to adjust traffic management measures and reduce disruption in the future.

By enhancing the road event information available on the One Network map, we can service more enquiries digitally, reducing the volume of inbound emails and calls the public needs to make.

A good example of this is managing traffic flows to and from the Imperial Wall Museum in Duxford. The museum has a full calendar of events throughout the year, with sometimes 20,000 people attending an event day. Last year, there were some long delays on the A505 in both directions outside the site. This year, we used traffic data to analyse the delays and make small changes. The result was we saw reductions in traffic delays.

Our live Traffic updates map helps you plan your journey.

Modern traffic management

Other tools enable the TMC team to monitor live traffic flow, analyse historical traffic patterns and manage congestion proactively. This approach is helping the council improve journey reliability, enhance connectivity and reduce carbon emissions, supporting our aim to achieve Net Zero by 2045.

Previously, we used different platforms to monitor traffic within Cambridgeshire, but they were not particularly accurate. Shifting to a digital solution has enabled us to get more accurate information in a timely manner. We get a live view of congestion on the network, which means we don’t need to rely on our street inspectors to go and visit a site in person, because we have the information directly in front of us. Monitoring live traffic allows us to be more responsive and dynamic when it comes to inspections. Street work inspectors only need to go to site when disruptions occur. This means fewer journeys, lower carbon emissions, and cleaner air in Cambridgeshire.

Streamlining street works and TTRO management

Before moving to a shared, digital solution, we used a manual process for processing TTROs. For each TTRO application, a form had to be filled out and sent to our Street Works team, which started a long process of email communication usually taking three months from submission to permission being granted.

Now, digital tools enable seamless collaboration between the Street Works and other Highways teams, reducing delays and duplicative administration. We have improved efficiency in how TTROs are processed. We can now get a TTRP processed within about two or three days.

Improvements by numbers

• 87 working days saved annually with 45% reduction in TTRO processing time
• Time taken to process a single TTRO application down from 55 minutes to 30 minutes
• TTROs approved up to 31 times faster
• Traffic management plans for road works and events created in under 3 minutes
• 227,000 views of Cambridgeshire County Council road events in one year via the Causeway One Network map
• Lower carbon emissions, as a result of fewer street works inspector site visits

In conclusion

By embracing digital solutions, the council has enhanced operational efficiency, improved communication with residents, and strengthened the overall resilience of its transportation infrastructure. This underscores the transformative impact of technology in public sector operations, setting a benchmark for other councils aiming to modernise their services and deliver better outcomes for road users.

Richard Burnett, Traffic Management Centre Manager, Cambridgeshire County Council, said: “Causeway One Network is absolutely central to the work that we do within the highways and transport service. Without it, my service certainly wouldn't be able to monitor the network and get the information out of the public. The Street Works and Permitting team wouldn't be able to coordinate the works on the network. We're using it, in a number of different ways to make sure that we can digitise everything that we're doing and make things a lot easier for people to save time money and stress across the organization, which obviously gives the best results to the residents of Cambridgeshire.”

Stay informed

Follow us @Cambs_Traffic on X for live traffic updates and information.

You can sign up for email alerts about upcoming events and roadworks in your area on the One Network map. Click the envelope icon in the top left-hand corner of the map and follow the instructions to start receiving alerts.