An interview with Dave Stoner, head of Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) at Kent County Council, UK, is presented. Kent's new traffic management centre (TMC) is described. It was developed jointly with Jacobs and will be operated by them on the council's behalf. The characteristics of the Kent road network and existing ITS are outlined. In the past, congestion was simply addressed where it was bad. With current policy, congestion has become a local priority and the council has begun to implement Urban Traffic Management and Control (UTMC), connecting the various ITS installations in the county. TENET's CUTLAS system was selected as the common database. The decision was taken to introduce UTMC at Maidstone initially. The new Fastback bus rapid transit system, with real time information systems provided by ACIS, is described. Kent County Council is also working with the Highways Agency to develop a joint strategy to provide travel information.
Abstract