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Local roads, stronger guidance and connected technology will shape the next phase of transport delivery, according to Darren Capes, Head of Road Infrastructure Technology at The Department for Transport.
That reality places the relationship between central government, local authorities, suppliers and consultants at the heart of effective network management. Capes described his role as one of advocacy, helping government understand a sector that sits beyond the organisations it directly controls. As local government reorganisation progresses and mayoral authorities gain influence, that task will become more important.
The direction of travel is towards greater localisation. Stronger local democracy, funding closer to the places where it is spent and more powers outside Westminster are expected to reshape transport delivery. Government’s role will therefore change too. Rather than attempting to prescribe every local solution, the Department for Transport will concentrate more heavily on policy frameworks, standards and practical guidance that enable authorities to make confident decisions for their own networks.
This shift comes as traffic management grows more complex. Connected data, vehicle automation, digital twins and artificial intelligence are moving from conference terminology into operational reality. Road users increasingly expect reliable information, responsive services and better use of data, while authorities must decide which technologies suit their places and priorities. Capes argued that government must support those choices without pretending that one solution will work everywhere.
Road safety offers the clearest illustration of why this matters. Britain achieved decades of falling casualties through improvements in education, road design, materials, vehicle safety and driver training, yet progress has slowed over the past ten years. With around 1,500 people still dying on the roads annually, accepting a plateau is not an option. The road safety strategy’s ambition to cut fatalities substantially by 2035 demands a different approach.
Traditional engineering will remain essential, but its returns are diminishing because many of the most effective physical interventions are already established. Technology must now help deliver the next reduction. Better infrastructure data, connected vehicles and more intelligent network management can support safer journeys while also tackling congestion, emissions and energy use. Since local authorities operate the overwhelming majority of the network, they will carry much of the responsibility for turning that potential into practical outcomes.
Capes contrasted today’s challenge with the road design world he entered in the 1980s, when the main interface between vehicle and highway was four patches of rubber. Infrastructure professionals can no longer work without understanding what vehicles detect, what data they produce and how they communicate. Vehicle developers must likewise understand the information available from the network and how it can support safer, more efficient travel.
Services such as satnav routing, eCall and safety data sharing already show what is possible, but provision remains fragmented and often proprietary. The next step is a genuine system of systems, built on open, scalable and predictable arrangements. Government’s task is to help establish the architectures, standards and models that allow vehicle-to-infrastructure and infrastructure-to-vehicle data to flow in both directions.
Services such as satnav routing, eCall and safety data sharing already show what is possible, but provision remains fragmented and often proprietary. The next step is a genuine system of systems, built on open, scalable and predictable arrangements. Government’s task is to help establish the architectures, standards and models that allow vehicle-to-infrastructure and infrastructure-to-vehicle data to flow in both directions.
The Connected Vehicle Services framework is central to this work. It defines, in accessible terms, the services that road users and operators should expect from connected data, including improved route guidance, better safety information and a clearer understanding of network conditions. Once those services are described, the sector can identify which standards already exist, where guidance is needed and where government may eventually need to intervene.
For local authorities, the framework will connect policy ambitions with deliverable services. A city seeking cleaner streets, safer journeys or better access to employment will be able to explore which connected services support those goals and what level of investment they require. Industry should gain a clearer signal about the technologies and research likely to matter to the public sector.
The Manual for Smart Streets will provide the practical home for much of this guidance. Designed as an interactive online resource, it will lead practitioners from early thinking through specification, procurement and the full technology lifecycle. Its purpose mirrors the role long played by established guidance for physical highways, while aligning digital delivery with the refreshed Manual for Streets.
UTMC is also set to evolve. Created more than 30 years ago to use internet protocols for connecting roadside equipment and central systems, it remains foundational. The modern problem, however, is no longer a shortage of standards but an excess of competing approaches. Revised guidance will help authorities and suppliers make consistent choices so systems developed in different places can interoperate, scale and combine as governance arrangements change.
A modernised code of practice for roadside electronic equipment is nearing consultation. The existing material reflects the technology of the early 2010s and no longer gives practitioners enough help with current systems. Capes stressed that good guidance matters especially where authorities have lost specialist capacity. Clear, relevant advice can preserve quality and confidence even when teams are smaller or more multidisciplinary.
The closure of TOPAS creates a further transition. Its standards and accreditation work remain valuable, but its financial model has proved unsustainable. DfT intends to preserve the benefits of a trusted standards landscape in a different form and will seek sector input once ministerial approval allows the work to proceed.
Throughout the update, Capes returned to the need for government and industry to develop policy together. The Transport Technology Forum remains the principal venue for that conversation, allowing DfT to explain its work and giving practitioners a direct opportunity to challenge, refine and influence it.
Attention is also turning towards the ITS World Congress in Birmingham in 2027. Expected to attract between 15,000 and 20,000 delegates over five days, the event will combine international exhibitors, technical sessions and research from across the connected transport sector. For the UK, it is both a showcase and a rare chance to learn from global practice on home ground.
The message from DfT is therefore one of change accompanied by opportunity. More decisions will sit locally, technology will carry greater expectations, and standards will need to become more useful and coherent. Success will depend not on government acting alone, but on authorities, industry and practitioners shaping an interoperable transport system together.
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