The two councils of Exeter City and Devon County plan to reduce traffic congestion around the city during its expansion through a big data scheme.

The expansion of the city of Exeter includes a growth plan to deliver 12,000 new homes, 60ha of new business land and 40,000m2 of new retail space by 2026.

The increase of population, is set to add pressure on infrastructure and public transport services. Therefore, as the lead councillor for Exeter city development, Rachel Sutton, admitted: “We already use a range of traffic management measures across Exeter. However, traffic levels and journey times remain unpredictable”.

This initiative, the Engaged Smart Transport project, will count with the collaboration of both councils, many private sector partners – such as the Japanese corporation NTT DATA and the Finish manufacturer Vaisala – and the University of Exeter. Therefore, it will combine the use of real-time traffic and weather sensor data, eye witness reports from social media and behavioural information to analyse factors affecting travel behaviour.

In addition, the Exeter Big Data scheme aims to enhance the lives of residents and commutes, to boost the local economy and to support the public health efforts to reduce avoidable vehicle emissions.

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