Blackpool Council Innovate Using Connected Vehicle Data

As referenced in our previous article on the work we are doing in the connected vehicle space, a number of local authorities are now actively exploring this new data offering from the Gaist/AISIN partnership and finding a variety of beneficial use cases.

The data insights, taken from connected vehicles, provides the ability to complement existing road safety provision with insights into the actual impact on drivers in a real-world context. Under the brand name ‘RoadTrace’, the insights process millions of raw data points on the road network to pinpoint areas of repeated harsh braking, providing an extra layer of intelligence to highways safety managers previously unavailable.

When twinned with full-HD, panoramic imagery, the connected vehicle data tells a story unique to each road network- allowing corroborative evidence for safety maintenance whilst highlighting new areas for investigation that road safety managers may be less aware of.

By giving those responsible for road safety a new way of approaching road safety on their network, our local authority partners are finding benefits in a number of areas.

One such authority is Blackpool, an authority known for its innovative
approach to road maintenance who are now turning their attention to innovative road safety solutions on the market to bolster their road safety provision. Having begun using the data at the start of 2023, they are already leading the way, integrating connected vehicle insights into their road safety projects and processes.

Neil McArdle, Senior Highways Asset Management Officer at Blackpool Council outlined their aims for the data:

‘In the highways asset management team at Blackpool we are responsible for road safety initiatives alongside highways maintenance. As with our routine highways maintenance activity, we are continuously looking for ways to make our roads safer and part of this is finding the most innovative ways to maximise efficiency and spend public money where it will have it’s greatest positive impact for road users’

‘The connected vehicle insights have already proven beneficial, providing an additional source of intelligence to indicate where problem areas may be developing that we weren’t previously aware of. For example, the data picked up a school rat run that we weren’t previously aware of and had no way of knowing about until the RoadTrace data prompted us to inspect the area using the integrated Gaist imagery’

The data also provides additional insights for the team at Blackpool to measure the impact of road safety initiatives:

‘We are also looking at using the data to test the effects of new signage or road layouts, seeing how new infrastructure changes harsh braking as an indicator for improved road safety. This is potentially game changing for our understanding of how our work positively impacts local communities, giving us empirical evidence enabling us to continually improve road safety across Blackpool’s network’

It’s clear that Blackpool’s longstanding commitment to innovation is being continued through use of our joint connected vehicle insights offering with AISIN. The potential for the data as an important tool in any road safety professional’s arsenal is becoming more apparent as we work with more local authorities and we look forward to sharing more of these outputs as we go.

Interested in learning more? Book a demo by emailing john.cartledge@gaist.co.uk and find out how this unique connected vehicle data can boost your road safety provision