The Department for Transport (DfT) is planning to look into the possibilities of increasing the use of digital technology and data in managing kerbsides on public roads.
It has outlined plans for a two-month discovery project, aimed at better understanding user needs, with a market notice for support from the private sector.
The work will involve building on knowledge from the department’s previous research – on issues such as a national parking platform, electric vehicle chargepoints and traffic regulation orders (TROs) – along with that from other organisations.
It cites work done by GeoPlace on the use of data from TROs and the Alliance for Parking Data Standards.
According to the notice: “The kerbside is a scarce resource dominated by private vehicle parking but facing new demands for access from active forms of travel and new disruptive services, including e-cycles/e-scooters, whilst maintaining essential freight deliveries and servicing.
“User focused research is required into the as-is, pain points, and opportunities for the digitisation and repurposing of the kerbside to support active travel/new forms of mobility and freight distribution/EVs/CAVs, and to consider the constraints of the current regulatory framework (TROs, traffic signing etc).”
Image from iStock, beekeepx
