Motorists on State Highway 1 and 76 driving into and around Christchurch now have access to real-time travel information.
CTOC partners, the Transport Agency’s Southern Regional Manager, Jim Harland (left), the Christchurch City Council’s Environmental Committee Chair Cr Phil Clearwater and Environment Canterbury’s Commissioner Rex Williams at the recent launch of the real-time travel signs on State highways 1 and 76 which provide motorists with better information on travel times into and around Christchurch.
Three Variable Messaging Signs (VMS) on the two highways are displaying travel times to various destinations along the two routes.
The information enables motorists to make informed decisions about the routes on which they drive around the city.
Sensors have been installed along the two highways, State Highway 1, from Belfast to Hornby, and the new Christchurch Southern Motorway (SH76), from Hornby to Lyttelton, to collect travel data to be displayed on the VMS and uploaded to the Transport for Christchurch(external link) website.
Road users can also use the virtual VMS information on the website to check journey times before leaving for work or home.
Real-time travel information is one of the initiatives of the Christchurch Transport Operations Centre (CTOC) to improve travel within the city by ensuring all road users are better informed about road works, travel delays, detours and road closures.
CTOC is a partnership between the NZ Transport Agency, Christchurch City Council and Environment Canterbury to provide customer information about what is happening on the roads; make the most of the existing urban network; and manage temporary changes to the operation of the network.
The Transport Agency’s Southern Regional Director Jim Harland says by monitoring travel times, CTOC will be able to better understand what is happening on the network and make changes to its operation to keep everyone moving.
For some months now, CTOC has been collecting basic journey time information on the route from the Christchurch International Airport to the Central City and from Hornby to the Central City, along Riccarton Road.
He says this information is continually reviewed to look at whether the network is performing better or worse and what measures may need to be taken to improve traffic flows.
Check out www.transportforchristchurch.govt.nz(external link) - it is where you will find all the latest information on what is happening on the Christchurch transport network and where you can download free the app to keep you up-to-date with network changes when on the move.
