How do you manage more than 160 temporary traffic signals as one wireless scheme? Could connected vehicles tell you when road markings need replacing? And how can the highways sector make newcomers feel more welcome?
Another bonus edition of Highways Voices brings together more conversations from Highways UK 2026, with Paul Hutton, Adrian Tatum and Libby McMahon exploring technology, safety, sustainability and the people behind the industry.
The Traffic Group’s Group Marketing Manager Will Credicott reveals the scale of a temporary traffic management scheme near the M62 outside Leeds, involving more than 160 wirelessly controlled signals. Hear how careful design helps accommodate changing traffic flows, protect pedestrian movements and prevent queues building back towards the motorway.
He also introduces Metro Solar, which he says has delivered at least four times the runtime in early tests, offering the prospect of fewer battery changes, fewer site visits and lower emissions. There is even time for a traffic signal beanbag challenge, with Paul’s throwing technique leaving room for improvement.
Roadworker protection is another theme, as Nissen UK Managing Director Ilyas Sharif discusses an incursion warning system designed to alert teams through sound, flashing lights and wearable devices. He also explains how remote monitoring and traffic-responsive green times could help improve the management of portable signals.
Meanwhile, WJ’s Rob Elsby explores how connected vehicle data can help authorities understand where road markings are deteriorating. Rather than relying solely on periodic surveys, information about whether vehicles can detect the markings could provide a more frequent picture of network condition and help target maintenance budgets.
“There’s no point in remarking a road just because it’s part of your cyclical maintenance when you’ve still got a high-performing line there,” he explains.
On decarbonisation, Uberbinder Co-Founder and Chief Executive Jett Yang praises National Highways’ approach to setting out the challenge, but argues that implementation remains the hurdle. Hear why risk aversion can hold back collaboration, how investment needs change as technologies mature, and why innovation needs to become everyday practice to fulfil its potential.
Road Safety Foundation Executive Director Dr Suzy Charman explains the Safe System approach: accepting that people make mistakes and designing roads, vehicles and speeds around the limits of what the human body can withstand. She also considers the capacity, funding and wider professional involvement needed to translate ambition into local delivery.
The episode looks at the industry’s welcome for new entrants, too. Boundary Marketing Director Helen Blood discusses the InRoads networking initiative and how helping people make their first connections can open up an industry built on relationships.
Real Highways’ Ross Bullerwell shares why even small businesses can help address skills shortages through apprenticeships. He is also announced as a contributor to Highways News’ Expert Eye series, bringing experience from both the public and private sectors to questions of investment, maintenance and whole-life value.
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