£2.7 million fund to help reduce motorway closures
A new £2.7 million fund for 3D laser scanning technology could help police forces in the UK clear motorway accidents more quickly and help them reopen motorways sooner, reducing traffic jams and delays.
Roads Minister Mike Penning announced the new funding , revealing that 27 police forces across England were to benefit. Together with police and the National Policing Improvement Agency (NPIA) contributions, the funds will be enough to purchase 37 scanners between them.
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The technology saves time by quickly making a 3D image of the whole crash site, rather than investigators painstakingly surveying multiple sections of a scene. This digital image of the site can then be viewed on a computer screen remotely allowing investigators to take measurements of where vehicles are in relation to each other and examine other important evidence.
The wider roll-out of 3D laser scanning technology is part of a Government-led initiative known as ‘CLEAR’. This initiative is designed to reduce delays caused by incidents in order to keep traffic moving – a vital element to the UK’s prosperity.
Mike Penning said: "There is nothing more frustrating than being stuck in a traffic jam for hours on end. But even worse than that is the shocking £1 billion cost of those lost hours for our economy. That is why we are determined to improve the clear-up of accidents so we can get our motorways re-opened as quickly as possible.
"Today’s £2.7 million DfT funding award will see 3D laser scanners rolled out quickly where they are needed most. This will benefit drivers by reducing incident clear up times by 39 minutes on average.
Last year (2010) there were more than 18,000 full or partial motorway closures lasting a total of more than 20,000 hours.
A Government strategy to tackle congestion caused by motorway closures and drive down the £1bn annual cost to the economy was published in May by the Minister.
Assistant Chief Constable Sean White, of the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO), said: "On behalf of the police service we welcome enormously this important funding opportunity that has been made possible by Government through the Department for Transport. The provision of the latest, leading edge 3D laser scanning technology to assist in the expeditious and detailed scanning of collision scenes will make a very important contribution to properly investigating fatal and life changing collisions whilst always being mindful of the level of economic and other disruption that closures of the strategic road network inevitably cause.”
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