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The Project Control Framework
On 1st April 2008 we launched the Project Control Framework. The Framework sets out how we, together with the Department for Transport, manage and deliver major improvement projects.
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Airwave and Service Providers - Update
April 2009
Multi-agency communications at incidents has been a recurring theme at cold debriefs across the country. This is usually due to the fact that communication has not been conducted as efficiently as it could have been. In order to improve this, the TIM team has been investigating the potential to roll-out secure airwave communications to the Highways Agency's service provider community.
Plenty of work has been undertaken on this project in the past 2 years, with the last article being issued in January 2008 outlining the agreed Operating Model. This gave an overarching structure to the way communications would take place between the Traffic Officer Service and its service providers.
This month, the Bulletin gives an update on the project, featuring the first phase of delivery being undertaken in the South West region.
Phase 1 Delivery in the South West
Airwave radios have now been procured and are beginning to be rolled out to Incident Support Units (ISUs) in the Highways Agency's Area 2. This enables ISUs in the South West to communicate directly with on-road Traffic Officers instantly over the Airwave radio system.
Since their roll-out onto the strategic road network, Traffic Officers have used the secure radio system to communicate with the Regional Control Centre and other on-road crews. However, communicating with ISUs has previously been conducted using mobile telephones. This has proved at times to be both slow and unreliable.
Dave Elwyn, Delivery Manager for the project, says:
"This project is just one of the ways we are improving the way we work with our service providers in order to benefit our customers. Communicating directly over Airwave should reduce the time we take to deal with incidents and also improve safety for people working on our network.
"A good example of this is when Traffic Officers perform a rolling road block while ISU crews retrieve debris from the carriageway. The teams have to keep in constant contact to be sure the road remains clear and Airwave radios can do this much more reliably than mobile phones."
The Airwave radios are being introduced in phases in the South West region before being used nationally. ISU crews working on motorways started using the new system on 27 April. It will then be introduced to ISUs working on all-purpose trunk roads in Areas 1 and 2.
It should be in place in all seven regions by the end of 2009.
Has this article been worthwhile reading? Why not take a moment to send us your comments, thoughts, or questions. Please email TIMBulletin@highways.gsi.gov.uk
