Highways Agency iPhone app approaches download record

A mobile phone application released by the Highways Agency has become the fourth most downloaded iPhone app in just over a week.

More than 50,000 people downloaded the app, which takes data from the agency’s national traffic control centre to provide live updates of traffic flow on England’s motorways and A roads via the Apple handset.

The app identifies the user’s current location, shows planned roadworks in the vicinity, displays live traffic updates and tunes in to the Highways Agency’s own digital radio station.

The agency manages its network using data from thousands of vehicle sensors buried in the road surface, CCTV cameras and reports from its own patrols. This information is then fed to websites, phone lines, the media and overhead signs on the motorways.

Non-iPhone owners can also get updates from the agency’s mobile website, which was launched last year.

The website shows where England’s motorways and A roads are flowing freely, including incident reports, traffic speeds and the view from CCTV cameras. There are also options for people to download widgets, a desktop ticker and RSS feeds.

The agency said it does not currently use mobile phone location data to monitor traffic flow and has said it would only do so after full consideration of any concerns about privacy and the effectiveness of the technology.

Taken from: computerweek.com