Smart motorways have come under increased scrutiny in recent months. The issue has been at the center of British transport politics due to safety concerns, increased congestion, and renewed public scrutiny. The chance for the government to be bold is in the Transport Committee’s recommendation that smart motorway construction should be halted.
The UK must find ways to improve its motorway infrastructure if it wants to realize the full potential of smart motorways. Jamil Ahmed, distinguished engineer at Solace, believes that the country’s highway network can be improved by a combination of practical changes and innovative technical solutions that leverage real-time data.
The best both of them
The government can take decisive action to ensure that we get the best of both, improving traffic flow in a sustainable manner and maintaining an emergency hard shoulder for the public. Smart motorway critics would be appeased by this plan, which ensures the safety of motorists and increases motorway capacity.
Drivers are not quick enough to spot and move out of the lane for vehicles that have broken down, which is creating dangers on smart motorways. Drivers aren’t responding fast enough to red X signs on overhead gantries that aren’t being posted quickly enough to protect stopped cars. This hybrid approach will improve safety by limiting the hard shoulder to vehicles equipped with the appropriate technology.
The public will not be allowed to use these lanes. This will restore the status quo and boost confidence in future projects. Similar to bus lanes in the past, motorway capacity will only be available to certain types of vehicles. These vehicles will be equipped with the necessary technology, including sensors and real-time updates to incidents, as well as automated braking systems. All of these will provide multiple layers to protect against further accidents. This hybrid model’s hard shoulder is a foundation for smart motorways in the future.
Platooning
Platooning, a technology-driven method of platooning, could make it possible to create a new Flexi-smart lane. Platooning, an innovative way to improve the safety and efficiency vehicles while reducing congestion and fuel emissions is one of the best. Platooning is a way to change the way trucks drive.
You can create a safer and more uniform entity by having them drive in close proximity to one another using radar and magnet technology. This would make it easier for them to stop or slow down in concert across the convoy. This is yet another example of how real-time data flows across vehicles, systems and devices can create new capabilities.
eHighway Technology
This is an opportunity for the government to encourage green solutions like eHighway technology. This refers to providing overhead electricity supply, similar to trams but on a highway, creating a green, climate-friendly solution for our motorway haulage problems.
eHighway technology, with its overhead lines held up by roadside masts and transports energy directly to specially equipped trucks. This eliminates the need for charging stations and battery storage capacity that are currently lacking, which discourage electric vehicles from long-distance haulage.
The role and importance of in real-time
These radical approaches will only succeed if data access and data transfer are real-time. Event-driven Architecture is a common way to do this. An event refers to any data change within a system. An example of an event is the overhead red “X” that appears on a motorway. This indicates that a breakdown has been detected and reported.
Event-driven architecture makes sure that information from such events is sent to all people and systems in real time. This is because data cannot be used to make decisions or represent the current state of the world.
Not only is it beneficial for the automotive industry to move to real-time data strategy, but also for other industries. They are being used in many industries, including capital markets, retail, logistics, and aerospace.
Smart motorways are a contentious topic. They were created to make it easier for people to travel safely and reduce emissions. This is currently not the case. The government can implement the necessary solutions through technology innovation and real-time data management to increase efficiency and safety for British motorists.
