Transport for London (TfL) has successfully implemented a new solution from AMT-SYBEX and T-Mobile to improve travel conditions and enforce traffic regulations more effectively on London’s Red Routes. The 580km stretch of red routes have to be kept moving and, using these T-Mobile MDA III’s plus a mobile bluetooth printer they can keep the Tfl Road Network clear by serving Penalty Charge Notices. It’s not all about tickets though – the T-Mobile MDA III also has and onboard camera to feed images and real-time information back to supervisors at the TfL Control Centre. This can include vital management data on areas of congestion, broken down vehicles and damage to road signs and Red Route markings.
Derek Williamson, Director of Business Sales at T-Mobile UK said…
“Anyone that has travelled through London appreciates how important it is to keep the Red Routes clear. This project will enable police personnel to conduct their job more effectively and will ensure that the TfL Control Centre has the most up-to-date information possible when trying to ensure that these routes, which are the lifeblood of London, are kept clear.”
Full press release below.
Transport for London (TfL) enforces Red Routes more effectively with AMT-SYBEX and T-Mobile
TfL equips Metropolitan Police with mobile technology solution to enforce London’s Red Routes
London UK, 6 September 2006 – Transport for London (TfL), has successfully implemented a new mobile technology solution from AMT-SYBEX and T-Mobile to improve travel conditions and enforce traffic regulations more effectively on London’s Red Routes – the capital’s most important roads.
The TfL Road Network, known as the Red Routes, accommodates one third of all road journeys made in the Capital. Under a special services agreement with TfL, Metropolitan Police personnel patrol 580km of the network each day with a brief to ensure that traffic can move freely without being impeded.
As part of a contract, which will run to the end of the decade, AMT-SYBEX has provided a turnkey solution for this “on-street” activity. The solution, based on AMT-SYBEX’s Field Data Collection System (FDCS), uses wireless GPRS infrastructure technology from T-Mobile to enable real-time flow of information to and from the streets.
With the cooperation and support of TfL’s Transport Policing and Enforcement Directorate and the Metropolitan Police, a phased training and roll-out programme was successfully delivered to 850 users. Ongoing managed service provides onsite repair, replacement and restocking of consumables to more than 25 bases throughout London.
Replacing traditional paper-based systems, on-street enforcement staff are now equipped with a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA). Weighing a maximum of 300g, the T-Mobile MDAIII devices have built-in cameras and are supplied with Brother MW140BT, Bluetooth-enabled printers.
Pre-loaded with TfL map data, the PDAs enable personnel on the streets to issue Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs). Importantly, they also enable the delivery of real-time information back to supervisors at the TfL Control Centre via a hosted data warehouse. This can include vital management data on areas of congestion, broken down vehicles and damage to road signs and Red Route markings. Integration with TfL back office systems has also improved the previously manually-intensive notice processing method. Photographic evidence of contraventions, captured with the PDAs, can now assist in the event of a representation being made.
TfL are undertaking a number of initiatives to improve traffic flow along London’s red routes and the parking enforcement solution forms a key part of the drive to ‘Keep London Moving’.
Ian Whitefield, Mobility Solutions Manager at AMT-SYBEX says, “Many organisations like TfL are replacing traditional paper-based tasks with electronic information solutions that can be used on the move. Enabling personnel to deliver accurate information as incidents occur means radical improvements in efficiency can be achieved. We are pleased our Field Data Collection System is being used to such great effect in London and is helping TfL deliver on its commitment to reduce congestion and improve the frequency and reliability of transport services across the city.”
“Anyone that has travelled through London appreciates how important it is to keep the Red Routes clear,” says Derek Williamson, Director of Business Sales, T-Mobile UK. “This project will enable police personnel to conduct their job more effectively and will ensure that the TfL Control Centre has the most up-to-date information possible when trying to ensure that these routes, which are the lifeblood of London, are kept clear.”