The UK consists of cold winters, But it seeks solutions to mitigate its cruelty, Therefore, several local councils have begun installing networks of sensors that monitor weather conditions and road conditions to help authorities make informed decisions and send municipal teams to the right place. And at the right time.
Climate plays a crucial role in determining a country’s life form, the priorities of its government and the lifestyles of its inhabitants. Just as the weather every day contributes to determining the mood and productivity of humans. While many countries spend a lot of money to maintain moderate temperatures, Other countries find themselves challenged to protect their citizens from the threat of extreme cold.
The United Kingdom is at the forefront of those countries, It experiences long and harsh winters that have different effects on both people and the economy. For example When the temperature drops, snow falls, and a layer of ice forms on the roads, The result is what is physically called “reduced adhesion of surfaces”, Which causes traffic slips, drivers lose control of their vehicles, almost completely paralyzes traffic in mountainous areas and causes very dangerous collisions.
In more severe cases, Winter may bring storms that kill people and disrupt vital sectors such as transportation, electricity, education and others. This is exactly what the UK experienced towards the end of 2022. The storm brought a total disruption to an economy already teetering due to the energy crisis, the swing of the global economy and the consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Therefore, Municipalities and local councils across the country are pursuing various policies to mitigate winter conditions and increase traffic safety. By shoveling, transporting or sprinkling ice with salt or sand, The former helps to dissolve it, The second contributes to reducing friction. While some may think that these two substances are available in abundance everywhere, In fact, they are not, Salt stores are limited across the kingdom, meaning authorities need to carefully consider their decisions before sending teams to treat roads with salt.
To speed up response to problems on the roads, Sunderland City Council has launched a million pound project that uses modern technology to cope with and protect against winter phenomena.
The main objective of the project can be summarized as finding a way to make informed decisions about measures to enhance traffic safety. To achieve this, Installation of sensors on light poles has begun in 10 locations across the city. These devices will regularly measure the road temperature and send the data to the Environmental Services team, which will combine it with forecasts from weather stations. Based on these data, Municipal teams will be immediately directed to roads that need or are about to intervene.
The beginning will be from the roads that public buses cross and those that are more congested, Being the main arteries of life in the city, They are the roads that people pass daily to work or study, They are also routes of emergency vehicles, goods and municipal services. Authorities have stockpiled more than 13,000 tonnes of salt to melt ice that may form on highways.
Norfolk County has had a similar experience, However, it has adopted different priorities due to its urban nature and the diversity of its roads, The sensor network in some areas was denser than in others. Managed via IoT technology and long-range and low-power wireless networks.
Also in Hampshire, The provincial council collaborated with a private road maintenance service provider to implement a similar project that collects data and forecasts from various sources, In a way that takes into account the large temperature differences between one region and another, Which may reach 15 ° C. The Hampshire Council also takes other considerations into account, The sensor network collects data on various weather conditions such as wind speed and direction or rainfall rates.
On the other hand Any malfunction that may affect these devices is enough to derail the entire process, This is one of the most prominent challenges that await local councils in the UK. Any incident or deliberate sabotage may damage the sensors, It therefore cannot be treated as the sole source of data, Rather, it complements a wider system that includes weather stations, human teams and a hotline that allows citizens to report any traffic emergency.
But proof-of-concept was the first challenge to this innovation. Projects of this kind must generate rapid operational returns, tangible cost savings and a substantial difference in the decision-making process.
This network will contribute to increasing the efficiency of winter operations, Shortening the efforts of municipal service teams, Saving the enormous cost to local councils and people alike due to traffic disruptions, He estimated that each road would save £5,000 a year. Increased road safety also means saving lives. Not to mention that targeted operations eliminate the need for periodic tours that municipal cars used to perform, This will reduce the burden of their emissions to the environment.
References:
https://edition.cnn.com/2022/12/12/uk/uk-snow-weather-disruption-gbr-intl/index.html
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-tyne-63634972
