Smart technology is at the heart of a congestion busting package which will be rolled out under a NSW Liberals & Nationals Government to keep drivers moving on the State’s motorways and city streets.
Premier Gladys Berejiklian has announced another $695 million in congestion busting measures, which are only possible because of the NSW Liberals & Nationals Government’s strong economic management.
The measures include:
- $400 million to install intelligent traffic lights at 500 intersections across Sydney and in centres such as Wollongong and Newcastle. These lights are able to read the flow of the traffic and change from red to green to clear traffic queues, reducing the number of stops in traffic by up to 15 per cent.
- $200 million to upgrade major motorways, including the M1 between Gosford and Sydney, into smart motorways by using technology that automatically adjusts speed on the roads and controls vehicles entering the motorway, to smooth traffic flow and increase capacity.
- $95 million to trial digital parking and clearway signage. This is about reducing the number of parking and clearway signs and replacing them with one digital sign which shows the restrictions which apply at that time of day, removing any confusion for drivers.
“We are making this investment in new congestion busting technology at the same time we are upgrading roads and building new motorways which will set Sydney up for decades to come,” Ms Berejiklian said.
“We understand drivers want to spend less time in traffic and these new measures combined with new and upgraded roads will ensure everyone can spend more time doing what they need to or what they enjoy.”
Minister for Roads Melinda Pavey said the announcement is on top of the $475 million investment to remove another 12 pinch points and introduce drone technology to monitor incidents in real time.
“In total our congestion busting package is worth $1.2 billion which we know will make a real difference,” Mrs Pavey said.
“Congestion costs Sydney around $6 billion each year so this is a critical long-term investment in our future.”
The additional $1.2 billion the NSW Liberals & Nationals Government is committing to congestion busting is more than four times the amount Labor claims it will spend on pinch points.