Safer and more efficient journeys predicted thanks to digital map

A new, digital model of England’s motorways and A roads is expected to deliver safer and more efficient journeys.

Data from Ordnance Survey (OS) has been used to develop a digital representation of the strategic road network (SRN) for National Highways.

The model contains information about the 4,500 miles of motorways and A roads that make up the SRN in nearly 30 different layers.  

This includes attribution data about the names, location, lanes and widths of motorways and A roads, transport links and nodes as well as height and weight vehicle restrictions.

There is also a built-in mechanism for continuous improvement through user feedback and reporting of data quality issues.

The model also aims to ensure common geography across five recently released National Highways APIs, which hold datasets such as road and lane closures and diversion routes. 

It has been released publicly via the Digital Lab Open Data Hub to support the commercial and public sectors in making informed decisions and to support innovation on the SRN.

With the model as its foundation, the Digital Lab data services provide Government and local authorities with better visibility of events, such as roadworks on the SRN, including where these impact local authority roads.

This, says National Highways, will help improve the management of congestion due to closures and diversions and support the economy by enabling the freight and logistics industry to more accurately predict journey times and deliver goods and services safely.

Car manufacturers will also benefit from the provision of updates on signage, speed restrictions, hazard warnings and road closures fed directly into in-vehicle navigation systems, alongside other navigation apps. This allows the planning of safer and more efficient journeys for road users.

Furthermore, the likes of academics and charitable organisations will benefit from having a single, authoritative model and geospatial data for their research.

John Kimmance, chief customer officer at OS, said: “The efficiency of the strategic road network plays a vital role in driving economic growth, maintaining a balanced and resilient transport system and supports environmental and sustainability goals by potentially helping to reduce congestion and emissions.

“Working with Ordnance Survey to use the most trusted and accurate data as a foundation in the new network model, National Highways has developed an innovative tool designed to enhance journey safety and efficiency for all users, while also supporting cost-effective planning across both public and commercial sectors.”

Davin Crowley-Sweet, director of digital technical competence at National Highways, says the partnership with OS is a “major milestone” for National Highways.

“By making the network model data publicly available, we empower our partners such as wayfinders, local authorities, and researchers to enhance services, improve efficiency, and innovate,” he added.

National Highways has estimated that delays on England’s roads, including the SRN, cost around £3 billion per year.

The latest figures released by the Department for Transport (DfT) show that delays are growing across England’s road network, with the average delay now at 11.6 seconds per vehicle per mile, compared to free flow. That is a 5.5% increase on year ending June 2024. 

In terms of different regions, the average speed on the strategic road network (SRN) shows London’s slowing by almost 4mph over the past year, and nearly 5mp an hour since covid.