Severe traffic congestion is experienced in most major cities around the world, and South Africa is no exception. This can have a negative effect on productivity, the running costs of vehicles, the environment and the time people spend with their families

It is often too costly to provide additional road capacity within restricted space, and alternative solutions must be explored in order to optimise the road capacity.

Another major challenge is the ability to deal efficiently with crashes and incidents when they occur, specifically when such freeways are already operating at or above the intended capacity.

SANRAL, realising the increasing constraints on the provision of infrastructure to effectively manage its road network and improve road safety, investigated alternatives by focusing on operational issues in response to road users’ needs.

SANRAL deployed Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) on the major freeways in Gauteng, aptly referred to as the Gauteng Freeway Management System (FMS). 220km of the Gauteng Freeway Network is equipped with ITS.

The aim of the FMS is to:

– Reduce congestion
– Improve road safety
– Keep motorists informed
– Respond rapidly to traffic congestions