Inverness Smart Mobility – MESH Project

April 4, 2023


Project Overview

The fundamental deliverable of the project is a scalable and flexible wireless mesh infrastructure that will form the backbone for future digital city services – in particular for Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) solutions coordinated by the City’s Urban Traffic Management and Control (UTMC) database.

Potential new services including Smart Traffic Management, Live Traffic and Public Transport Information, Smart Ticketing, smart street lighting, smart bins, smart parking and tourist information will be able to utilise this wireless mesh infrastructure allowing improved service delivery and incorporating potential for future innovation and expansion. For this operation, the wireless mesh will be used to deliver an Intelligent Transport System.

Inverness area covered by the MESH network

Why is this Needed?

The ITS wireless platform enables the implementation of smart technologies across the city’s traffic signal network. With the exception of a few junctions in the city centre there was limited real-time co-ordination of traffic management.

The wireless platform not only enables this to be rolled out across the city but also improves the efficiency of each junction and enables each site to host intelligent bus priority that will improve public transport journey times and help encourage modal shift. This component of the project involves adding necessary technologies to collect/manage the data to improve public transport reliability, the management of on and off-street car parking as well as the impact of roadworks, major events and road traffic incidents in real-time.

Impact and Benefits

The existing Urban Traffic Management and Control (UTMC) database provides the hub to co- ordinate multiple integrated transport solutions, across Inverness and City Region. Without the UTMC Database these systems will continue to operate in isolation and prevent the development of citizen focused transport solutions and future development.

Complementing the investment in ITS traffic management infrastructure will be improvements to software and infrastructure which will enable facilitate communication of live information across different transport modes. The collection, integration and supply of this information to the public in a variety of platforms is vital to improving the journey experience of both the regular commuter and the first-time visitor to the City region.

This project enables better management of the transport network to help reduce traffic congestion and also enable anyone travelling within the city to make informed transport choices in real-time. This will be achieved by making real-time updates available to transport managers but also directly to the public through a number of channels including a bespoke website, live information displays on street, at public transport interchanges and seek to implement Infrastructure to vehicle communications using Bluetooth Technology.

This Project is delivering the following:

  • A flexible wireless mesh infrastructure across the city’s traffic signal network which enables real- time communication and co-ordination with the UTMC database.
  • The project will seek to implement a range of innovative Services underpinned by this technology, including: Smart Traffic Management; Live Traffic assessment; Live and static Transport Information; Smart Ticketing; Smart Street Lighting; Smart Bins; Smart Parking; Roadworks and Incident management; intelligent public transport prioritisation; and Tourist Information.
  • The aim is to enhance existing infrastructure to allow data generated by disparate systems to be linked, published and focused to deliver added benefit to users.
  • The enhancements to existing assets will deliver data sets via the backbone MESH network.
  • The network will also ensure that any future infrastructure installations will be given a universal pathway for any data generated and also a pathway for information dissemination to the public in the streetscape environment.
  • By linking the assets to a central database with a Mesh pathway a sustainable model is established for any future additions both in data sources, control options and message outlets.

Contact details and further info:

Shane Manning, Principal Traffic Officer, The Highland Council – shane.manning@highland.gov.uk