ROUTE FINDER
You’ll soon be able to avoid traffic much better on Google Maps and Waze thanks to the Government’s real-time roadworks tracker
The £10million Street Manager software is due to launch next year, and is free to use by any satnav company
SATNAVS are set to get an upgrade next year that will include real-time roadworks and the traffic they have caused on UK roads.
The Government is investing £10million in a new software called Street Manager that will track jams, which will be free to integrate into existing apps like Google Maps and Waze.
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Street Manager will replace the current system that the Department of Transport describes as "costly and ineffective".
Often out-of-date and incomplete traffic logs will now be directly updated by local authorities and utility companies.
The data can also be shared as push notifications on apps and satnavs, giving motorists the option to choose a new route.
It will also help authorities to co-ordinate schedules so that drivers are not caught up in multiple roadworks during a single journey.
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In addition to Street Manager, the Government also published new guidance on 'lane rental schemes', which allows local councils in England to charge utility companies up to £2,500 a day for carrying out roadworks on busy roads during peak times.
This aims to encourage firms to work during quieter hours, and to further reduce disruption to road users.
Pilot lane rental schemes tested in London and Kent saw congestion on the busiest roads to incredibly drop by a half.
Around 2.5million separate road repairs take place in England every year.
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Roads Minister Jesse Norman said: "Roadworks can often be frustrating for motorists, especially when they cause hold-ups at busy times and delay journeys.
"We want to reduce this disruption and delay, and Street Manager is just one of a number of actions we are taking so that local authorities and utility companies can better plan and manage their roadworks.
"The data opened up by this new digital service should enable motorists to plan their journeys better, so they can avoid works and get to their destinations more easily."
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