National award for TfWM’s congestion-busting drone network

The ground-breaking drone network which is helping transport managers tackle traffic congestion across the West Midlands has won a UK National Transport Award.

Transport for West Midlands (TfWM) drone network received top honours in the Digital and Technology category at the prestigious public transport industry oscars.

The drones have been developed to relay live footage of traffic queues, accident scenes and road closures to the Regional Transport Coordination Centre (RTCC) to provide a better view of road conditions and improve decision making. The information on road conditions can be passed on the travelling public via the WMRoads social media channels.

The TfWM drone team

This has proved particularly useful in covering gaps in the region’s static CCTV camera network.  Last year the team also carried out the first urban trial of a remote operated drone from the roof of Walsall bus station.

TfWM, which is part of the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA), was highly commended in the Excellence In Road Safety, Traffic Management and Enforcement category for the M5 junction 1 works.

And Lynne Harrison, a TfWM customer intelligence support officer was also highly commended in the Frontline Worker of the Year Category for gong that extra mile to keep colleagues and others updated on the latest incidents and events during transport strikes last year.

Anne Shaw, executive director of TfWM said: “These awards show how our teams here at TfWM are always looking to innovate and go further to improve journeys for everyone, saving our residents time and keeping them safe while travelling. The honours are well deserved.”