Open data gets green light in Manchester

An innovative trial of connected vehicle technology in Manchester is using open data provided by TRL Software to create a demonstration app that helps drivers minimise wait times at traffic lights.

KL Systems, an intelligent transport consultancy and engineering firm based in Durham, has been using freely available data from TRL Software’s SCOOT® 7 traffic light management system to generate in-vehicle alerts to inform drivers how long there is to go until the next change of lights. The trial was part of a wider deployment that also examined the provision of in-vehicle messages that can instantly alert drivers to hazards on the road.

TRL Software spoke to KL Systems Principal George Brown to find out more about the project, its use of open data, and when we might expect to see the technology available in our own vehicles.

TRL Software: George, can you tell us more about what you’ve been doing in Manchester?

George Brown: Sure! It all really started out as a project that was focused on Variable Message Signs (VMS) – the alerts that we see today on physical signs up and down the motorway network – and looking at how we could get those messages directly to drivers via their in-vehicle displays. We then started talking about whether we could incorporate data from traffic lights and got to hear about TRL Software’s SCOOT® 7 deployment in Manchester. What was really important for us was the way SCOOT® 7 uses open data, meaning that companies like ours can easily access the information being generated and use it to create new applications for road users.

TRL Software: And what were you able to do with that data?

George Brown: Specifically with the SCOOT® 7 data provided by TRL, we were able to show that live second-by-second traffic light information can be fed to vehicles without the need for additional, expensive hardware to be installed. We developed a display that tells the driver how long they have until the next change of lights and also the optimal speed to drive at in order to minimise time spent at red lights. That optimal speed will, of course, never go above the speed limit for that location and it will also not be displayed if the optimal speed is too low – as you can’t have cars trundling along at 5 mph just to avoid an upcoming red light. I don’t think the other vehicles behind that car would be very happy with that – especially if they don’t know why the car is travelling so slow!

TRL Software: There have already been other trials of in-vehicle traffic light data. What’s different about your trial?

George Brown: Yes, other people have trialled this concept of what the industry calls Green Light Optimal Speed Advisory or GLOSA, but they have tended to be just that: short-term trials that relied upon extraneous equipment being set up at the roadside or in the trial vehicles – or both! – and then removed at the end of the trial period. If you think about trying to scale that up, it’s a very expensive approach that would require roadside units being installed at every junction where you wanted the technology to work as well as having to upgrade everybody’s vehicles. What we were looking at, on the other hand, was a practical low-cost deployment, based on already available open data, that can also carry on being used even after the initial trial has been completed.

TRL Software: So, your deployment is still active?

George Brown: Yes, once we’d created the app for displaying the info to the driver and then successfully hooked it up to interpret the data that SCOOT® 7 was firing into the cloud, there was no need to set up any hardware, or take any down afterwards. The open data is still being transmitted, because that’s what SCOOT® 7 does, and our app continues to work with it. In fact, we have a research team from Newcastle University who are going to be using it next month as part of their own study looking at GLOSA.

TRL Software: What do you think the main benefits of the technology you’ve been trialling?

George Brown: I think, when it comes to the Variable Message Signs and bringing those directly into vehicles, the benefits are obvious in terms of road safety and cost reduction. People are far more likely to pay attention to road hazard alerts that flash up on their vehicle display, especially if they come with a sound or are even spoken out. The messages could also be tailored to specific vehicles, sending truck-specific alerts only to truck drivers, for example. Once enough drivers had access to the technology, local authorities might be able to switch the vast majority of their alerts into virtual messages, rather than paying six or seven thousand pounds to instal a physical sign at the roadside.

TRL Software: And what about GLOSA?

George Brown: Again, the potential benefits are massive, if you think about the stop/start nature of driving through cities with multiple traffic lights and the positive effects – in terms of journey times, fuel savings and emission reductions – that could be realised by cutting down on the time spent at red lights. But I think we’re still quite far from seeing GLOSA available to the general public. For one thing, you’d have to make sure that people could use the system without being distracted or having it encourage dangerous behaviour, such as accelerating excessively to make a green light. That can probably be tackled with good system designs that might, for example, only inform the driver when they need to slow down rather than speed up.

TRL Software: So, do you think we are still some way from seeing this type of connected car technology in regular vehicles being driven by members of the public.

George Brown: For GLOSA, yes, I would say there is still quite a bit of work to be done. I could imagine it being used first in the commercial sector, by freight and logistics companies for example, as they would appreciate the obvious benefits in terms of fuel and emissions targets and could train their drivers up in how to best use such a system. But there is still a big challenge around the current lack of open data – and that is absolutely essential if you want to have a low-cost roll-out of the technology, ideally on a nationwide basis. SCOOT® 7 has open data as part of its architecture and that means I can set up the technology to work in Manchester and have it also work in Bristol and Stoke – which are also using the TRL system. (And, in fact, I have done just that, driving through all three cities on the same day and seeing the technology working.) But TRL is the only big provider that has made open data part of its offering. I wish other providers would wake up to the benefits of open data, but I guess it’s a great USP for TRL Software!

TRL Software: What do you think the next steps are for these type of connected car technologies?

George Brown: I think (or hope!) that we are past the stage now of running small-scale trials in closed-off settings, such as on test tracks or cordoned-off areas of city centres, just to test that the technology works. We know that it does. What’s needed now is real-world deployment, such as the one we just did in Manchester, but ideally on a city-wide scale and with a greater variety of road types, so that we can really measure the benefits of such a deployment and see how the technology fares in different traffic situations. It would be relatively straightforward to expand our Manchester set-up across any city that is running SCOOT® 7, and then you’d be able to run a controlled trial, where particular vehicle users are enrolled, across the whole city. I think the insights gained from a trial of that magnitude would be extremely valuable for any local authority that wants to improve traffic flow on its streets. So hopefully that would be the next step!

Subu Kamal, Head of Product, TRL Software:

“We’re super excited that George has been able to capitalise on our open-data philosophy, using our market-leading UTC SCOOT. We strongly believe that open data drives innovation and liberates legacy-locked industries. There is no better evidence to support this view than George’s innovative solution, which drives down costs while providing a better end-user experience. It’s also fantastic that is being done on the ground, in one of the UK’s biggest and most progressive cities.

We are focused on making sure that all of our traffic software range remains best in class and that we continue to push the boundaries of innovation for our customers (and ultimately the users of their road networks) to ensure that we keep roads flowing, make them safer, reduce congestion and help to deliver on clean-air targets.”

TRL’s UTC software is designed to work with any hardware in a user-friendly, easy-to-learn, cost-effective manner that supports all modes of transport – saving our customers up to 60% on the total cost of ownership compared to other market traffic management software. To find out more about our products or to see how our open-data philosophy can support your own planned projects, drop us a line at hellosoftware@trl.co.uk

For more on KL Systems’ deployment of GLOSA in Manchester, check out the company’s website.