The smart technology transforming Sydney's busiest roads
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Smart motorways are becoming more prevalent across Australia, with three of Sydney’s most congested roads now getting the upgrade.
One of Sydney's busiest roads now has smart technology to help reduce the number of accidents and ease traffic flow.
From December 9, smart motorway technology has been installed at 24 points along 5.5 kilometres of the Western Distributor road between the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Anzac Bridge – a route used by 130,000 cars each day.
But what is this technology and how does it work?
What is a smart motorway?
A smart motorway is a freeway that uses traffic management systems to keep vehicles moving at a safe and consistent speed, provide more predictable travel time estimates and reduce vehicle emissions.
Typically this is in areas that are particularly busy and prone to congestion.
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The tech uses digital signage on an overhead gantry to provide real-time updates on traffic incidents and lane management and to show speed-limit changes.
But it also includes things such as ramp signals, CCTV and weather monitoring stations.
As a result, the technology can automatically detect when there has been an incident and post messages to advise drivers on what to do.
First introduced on the M42 in the UK in 2006, Australia has only adopted the concept more recently, with similar technology installed on the M4 and M8 in Sydney, as well as on roads in Melbourne and Brisbane.
Do smart motorways work?
The purpose of smart motorways is to reduce the impact of accidents and provide faster journey times, as well as help authorities to remotely monitor the road network and respond more quickly.
Since the technology was introduced on the M4 in 2021, crashes have decreased by 25 per cent, and travel times have improved by 20 per cent – while incident response and clearance rate times have halved, according to Transport for NSW.
"Smart Motorway technology will provide motorists with crucial, real-time information on Western Distributor traffic conditions to communicate to drivers how to best travel along the motorway for a safer and more consistent journey," said Transport for NSW's Deputy Secretary, Camilla Drover.
"The technology also allows rapid responses to incidents by relaying speed and safety information to guide motorists through the affected part of the corridor.
"This will reduce crashes and improve safety and provide an improved and smoother driving experience for motorway users."
Can you stop on a smart motorway?
Yes, you can.
Unlike in the UK, where some kinds of smart motorways have had the hard shoulder completely removed or only sometimes open to traffic, in Australia, our freeways continue to have a hard shoulder to use in an emergency.
In the UK, smart motorways have come under fire for being ‘dangerous’ because if a vehicle breaks down on a road without a hard shoulder it can block a lane.
According to the latest National Highways figures, you are three times more likely to be killed or seriously injured if you break down on a smart motorway without a hard shoulder than a road with one, reports the BBC.
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