Meeting of Polis working group on ITS, London, 12-13 April

Hosted by Transport for London, the meeting kicked off with a viewing of the Olympic video and a technical visit to the London road network control room which comprises the traffic control centre, bus control centre as well as the transport police control centre. The decision to colocate the three control centres was taken following the 2005 London bombings with the aim to ensure a coordinated response to incidents. The control room has been operational for some 3 years. 

The meeting provided an opportunity for TfL to talk about some innovations in traffic information. TfL has become proactive in informing customers about traffic conditions by embracing social media, improving its website and releasing traffic data.  For the first time ever, it has undertaken information campaigns to promote itself as a trusted source of traffic information. Releasing transport data was the subject of the open data session during which TfL was able to show its experiences to date and next steps and the UK and Irish transportation authoritiy provided the national perspective. Members agreed to provide input on their own local and national context for open data through a short questionnaire that Polis will circulate shortly.

The presentations from these sessions plus the many other sessions organised (EasyWay, ITS impacts assessment, FP7 call on 'integrated network management' and sustainable bus corridor management) can be downloaded from the members section of the Polis website.

For further information about the TE&M WG, please contact Suzanne Hoadley.