£5 Million Regional Traffic Control Centre for Jam Busting Patrols

Date published: 22/10/2004

Work on a £5 million regional traffic control centre for the Highways Agency's new jam busting traffic officers is underway in the North West. The new control centre will help keep traffic moving on motorways in Greater Manchester, Cheshire, Merseyside, Lancashire and Cumbria.

Staff in the control centre will help the police manage traffic incidents by deploying new Highways Agency Traffic Officers, who will start to patrol motorways in the North West from Autumn 2005.

The new traffic control centre is being built alongside the M6, between junctions 22 and 23 at Newton-le-Willows, Merseyside. It will monitor traffic conditions across the North West and will be the main base for up to 300 on-road and control room staff operating the new service.

Transport Minister David Jamieson said: "Highways Agency Traffic Officers will play a key role in the Government's plans to ease congestion on the motorway network when they are introduced in the North West and the rest of the country next year. Even minor accidents can cause long tailbacks so rapid clearance of incidents will mean that we can keep traffic moving.

"The Highways Agency is making a breakthrough in traffic management by introducing these highly trained traffic officers, who will work alongside the police, but whose prime responsibility is to manage incidents and keep traffic moving.

"I look forward to the Highways Agency Traffic Officers taking to the road in the North West from Autumn 2005 and the benefit this will bring to motorists."

The Newton-le-Willows headquarters will be one of seven new Highways Agency Regional Control Centres to be built across the country.

Traffic officers will also be stationed at Knutsford, Cheshire; Samlsbury, Lancashire; Milnrow, Greater Manchester; Lowhurst, Carlisle and Millness and Kendal to ensure a quick response to incidents across the motorway network in the North West.

The traffic officer service will be rolled out across the region from Autumn 2005 and in to 2006. Eventually there will be 300 on-road and control room staff operating 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Traffic Officers will work alongside the police to help manage incidents and keep traffic moving.

Traffic Officers will be involved in:

• Assisting the police with motorway accidents
• Removing damaged and abandoned vehicles
• Clearing debris from the road
• Undertaking high visibility patrols
• Providing mobile / temporary road closures
• Supporting the police in their duties

Highways Agency Project Manager David Stones said: "This initiative means that more trained people will be on the roads, ready to help drivers and they will free up police to concentrate on, crime and law enforcement.

"The police will still retain responsibility for investigation of criminality and, for major accidents; they will be in charge at the scene and in control offices. However, additional Highways Agency resources will help to coordinate resources of other emergency services, manage traffic and re-open routes as quickly as possible when the police have completed their investigations."

Greater Manchester Police Superintendent Janette McCormick said: "The introduction of the Highways Agency Traffic Officers will enable police officers to be released from routine traffic management roles to concentrate on tackling crime. The joint working between the police control rooms and the Highways Agency control centre will ensure Police and Highways Officers will be able to support each other and give the best service to the public".