The bidding deadline for £20m of government funding to improve traffic signals has been extended until after the election, but councils bidding for a share of the cash are being encouraged to continue to develop their proposals.
Under the Intelligent Traffic Management Fund (ITMF), grants of up to £2m each are expected to be made to groups led by local authorities.
Applications for the fund had opened and were set to close on 31 July, although the Transport Technology Forum (TTF), which is administering the process on behalf of the Department for Transport, had already warned that the election could see the deadline being extended.
The TTF has now issued advice for local authorities bidding for a share of the cash advising that this deadline will now not apply.
A revised deadline will be confirmed ‘in due course’ once the new government is in place.
The TTF added that authorities are encouraged to continue to use guidance it has issued to develop their proposals during this time.
The guidance, which is available on the TTF website, details the workings of the funding, covering eligibility, possible uses of ITMF, design and standards, and how successful projects should be evaluated and assessed.
The TTF said no further statements are expected before the General Election.
The ITMF is part of £70m of government funding for improvements to traffic signals announced last autumn under three separate challenge processes.
It aims to provide cash to deploy advanced technology for traffic control, including using emerging technologies such as machine learning and artificial intelligence to optimise traffic flow and balance traffic across wider areas.
With the first £50m already allocated, it seems unlikely that an incoming government would scrap the funding.
