Oxfordshire's roads will be used to trial AI-assisted automated decision making in traffic control rooms with the aim of reducing congestion.

Alchera Data Technologies, Oxfordshire County Council and the Greater Cambridge Partnership have teamed up with Cambridgeshire County Council to secure funding for the project from Innovate UK.

A range of data regarding vehicles, active travel and roadworks will be used to enable smarter decision making in regional control rooms.

Currently, regional traffic control rooms grapple with the process of using different types of data concurrently, limiting their understanding of disruptions on the roads.

They resort to making manual decisions that can affect the movement of pedestrians and vehicles.

With Alchera's AI closely monitoring road conditions in real-time, authorities will gain recommendations to improve traffic flow.

The results will demonstrate to authorities how they can reduce congestion, make bus services more reliable, and promote sustainable travel, all of which will support in reaching their Net Zero targets.

Anna Jordan, co-founder of Alchera, said: "It’s fantastic to be working with two of our long-standing customers on this project.

"In both regions, we already integrate with thousands of sensors to ingest and analyse the mobility data underpinning this work.

"Dealing with real-time data in potentially congested, urbanised areas is challenging, so helping to automate the difficult decisions control rooms must make every day is paramount to a well-functioning transport network.”

Oxfordshire and Cambridge are both already using Alchera’s Data Hub platform.

They can access mobility data through this platform, which helps them in making informed decisions concerning travel.

Katie Parnell, future mobility and placemaking team leader at Oxfordshire County Council said: "Partnering on this project was an easy decision.

"As regions, we share close strategic links and face similar challenges which can be addressed by making better use of the data we already have available.

"Oxfordshire County Council are keen to support innovation that decreases our carbon footprint and makes sustainable travel a better option for our citizens."

Daniel Clarke, head of innovation and technology for Greater Cambridge Partnership, added: "This project will give us an insight into how roadworks affect different travel options.

"By understanding these impacts, we can shape our strategies to encourage more people to choose sustainable travel.

"Imagine smoother journeys, less time stuck in traffic, and shorter commutes – that's what we're aiming for.

“The Greater Cambridge Partnership's goals are to cut congestion, improve bus reliability, and make sustainable travel a more attractive and viable option for everyone in our community.

"This is not just about roads - it's about making everyone's daily travel experience better, greener, and faster."