Systems Engineering & Assessment Ltd (SEA), part of the Cohort group, has been awarded the status of an approved supplier by the Crown Commercial Service (CCS) to provide traffic technology to the UK’s public sector.
The Traffic Management Technology Framework (TMT2) agreement comprises some 30 companies that are approved to supply traffic monitoring and enforcement cameras and intelligent transport systems (ITS) to local authorities and national transport management bodies. Work valued up to £750m (US$923m) a year is awarded to framework companies by UK public sector organizations, including Highways England (HE), devolved administrations, local transport authorities, and Transport for London (TfL). Companies are pre-qualified for work and invited to compete via the CCS portal. SEA’s ROADflow Traffic Enforcement Team has recently been selected by TfL to further develop and provide ongoing support of its Digital Traffic Enforcement System (DTES), and to develop and support a Parking Enforcement Solution (PES) Mobile Application.
“Our appointment as an approved supplier by the CCS reflects the continued successful development of our ROADflow technology and support services,” commented SEA’s managing director, Steve Hill. “The effectiveness of ROADflow in improving safety and helping to reduce traffic congestion is making an important contribution to the traffic management agenda of local authorities and other organizations responsible for highways.”
SEA has recently been awarded a further contract by the City of Cardiff Council to help the Welsh capital to reduce the congestion impact of traffic growth. The company’s ROADflow technology will be used to provide nearly 30 road traffic camera systems to enforce yellow box-junctions and bus lane regulations. The order for Flexi and Motion roadside cameras, plus Vision vehicles, is one of ROADflow’s largest ever. Following the latest order, Cardiff will double the number of bus lane cameras to about 20, and deploy a further five yellow box-junction cameras. There will also be an option for the SEA technology to be deployed to several other junctions. The council hopes that its Moving Traffic Offences scheme will help persuade more commuters to switch from cars to buses.
SEA’s ROADflow Motion camera system provides sophisticated monitoring of yellow box junctions and enforcement elsewhere, as it tracks vehicles continuously through junctions. The cameras use an in-house rules engine software component that categorizes vehicle movements and allows detection of specific behaviors. The engine was developed to tolerate losing sight of vehicles for short times, which often occurs during heavy congestion. The resulting system achieves high detection rates under all conditions, while minimizing incorrect captures.
Matt Wakelam, Cardiff Council’s operational manager, said, “There’s no issue with ANPR cameras for bus lane enforcement. However, with more possible scenarios at yellow boxes, SEA’s technology gives a better global view.”
SEA’s business manager, Chris Williss, noted, “This is a further significant success for our ROADflow technology. As well as equipment, we will be providing comprehensive support for improved reliability and asset availability.”
