Government plans to open up road data

A review of legislation on traffic regulation orders – which allow for temporary roadworks or permanent road changes – is underway with the aim of releasing the data to third parties, the Department for Transport has said.

The department is considering new legislation that would make it easier to access data on around 50,000 road closures annually.

Tech companies and app developers could use the data on planned changes to build apps using artificial intelligence (AI) that give drivers earlier warnings about disruption and offer alternative routes to avoid congestion. 

Opening up this data could also help with route planning for self-driving vehicles, the department said.