Don’t let road works catch you out
Easter is fast approaching and Warwickshire County Council has stepped in to try and help motorists avoid the annoyance of queuing through road works.
While road works are essential, the county council recognises that this is little comfort to motorists stuck in a queue, and has committed to a new website database with other local authorities across the country to help drivers keep on the move wherever possible.
There is a new link at http://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/roadworks, which will allow motorists to plan their route, checking for any potential delays.
Not all local authorities have signed up to the new system yet, but joining Warwickshire in helping motorists keep on the move is the Highways Agency with national information on road works on the motorway and trunk road network, neighbouring authorities Northamptonshire and Leicestershire, plus such top tourist destinations as Cornwall and Hampshire.
Cllr Martin Heatley, Warwickshire County Council’s Cabinet member for Environmental Services, said: “We’ve got three Bank Holidays coming up in quick succession, so I’m sure any help in keeping on the move would be well received.
“This new mapping system of road works has come about thanks to our East Midlands e-government partnership and a project called EMPReSS (http://www.empress.gov.uk), the East Midlands Partnership Regional electronic Spatial System. This system piloted the road works mapping, and now enables us to transfer information to the national site.
“This new development should provide huge benefits for the people of Warwickshire by providing information on road works from a growing number of community authorities, crossing boundaries and extending hopefully to cover the whole country.”