Smart Commuter concept launched for Northamptonshire

Steer Davies Gleave has been working with Northamptonshire County Council and major local businesses to develop an innovative Smart Commuter Concept, as part of their recent Local Growth Fund and LSTF bid to the Department for Transport.

The Smart Commuter concept will bring live and user-focused travel information to Northamptonshire and offer it to people in a way that suits how they lead their lives and which reflects the growing importance and value of new technology. The initial focus for the concept is Northampton, but it will also be rolled out to other towns and cities across the county. The project is part of the wider Northamptonshire Arc portfolio of initiatives.

Craig Nelson, Steer Davies Gleave, said “The Smart Commuter Concept is particularly innovative because it integrates a range of different technologies. We believe that with future growth in mobile internet technology, there will be an expectation amongst travellers that information should be simple to access, live and delivered in a way that can be accessed while on the move. Northamptonshire's Smart Commuter Concept aims to provide any person who utilises real-time travel information the latest technology to implement smarter ways of commuting".

Tony Ciaburro, Director of Environment, Development & Transport at Northamptonshire County Council said “Northamptonshire has one of the fastest growing economies in the country, with 80,000 new homes planned over the next 15 years. Growth will inevitably put pressure on the existing infrastructure, particularly the transport network. The Smart Commuter project is really exciting as it will help us to maximise use of the existing network, it also complements a number of ongoing improvement projects; most notably the Smart Living Programme, increasing digital fluency within the county and will help a larger percentage of people to utilise the Smart Commuter tools.”