West Midlands Combined Authority has approved funding for a £28 million package of initiatives to tackle congestion.

Its board has allocated £16m for a regional control centre and £12m for road and traffic signal improvement projects focused on congestion hotspots.

Andy Street, Mayor of the West Midlands, said: “This investment means anyone who visits, works or lives in the West Midlands should benefit from more accurate travel information, better alternative options during disruption, more reliable journey times and ultimately, less time sitting in traffic.

“It will also see new and better technology introduced to help experts spot congestion before it becomes a problem which in turn will help reduce the impact on our local economy and the quality of our air.”

The first phase of the package will see a regional transport coordination centre (RTCC) set up by the end of this year to provide an at a glance view of the transport system to identify and solve congestion issues quickly.

Data collected by the centre will also be used to help shape improvements to the road network by highlighting congestion hot spots.

The £28m package also includes:

  • Upgrading traffic lights and CCTV and connecting them to the RTCC
  • Installing new technology to traffic signals, making them more efficient in managing the flow of traffic
  • Monitoring average journey times and enabling real time data alerts
  • Improving roads, junctions and road safety in the Black Country, Solihull, Birmingham and Coventry
  • Refreshing existing customer communication channels and create new ways of informing residents, businesses and visitors of disruptions.