The Labour government has cancelled a £20m fund for highway authorities to deploy advanced technology for traffic control, which councils had already bid for.
The Department for Transport (DfT) has written to English local authority chief executives to inform them that the previous Government’s plan for an Intelligent Traffic Management Fund (ITMF) has been shelved.
The letter from DfT deputy director Anthony Ferguson states: ‘The Government inherited a very difficult financial position [and] in response to this, a public spending savings exercise was undertaken, and following that review, the decision has been taken to cancel the £20m ITMF.’
Mr Ferguson said he realised this will be disappointing news and the DfT was ‘pleased by the way the sector responded to the opportunity’.
The ITMF is part of £70m of government funding for improvements to traffic signals announced in autumn 2023 under three separate challenge processes.
It was intended to provide cash for English highway authorities to deploy advanced technology, including using emerging technologies such as machine learning and artificial intelligence to optimise traffic flow and balance traffic across wider areas.
Visit Highways to read more.
