Radio road-travel news is a valuable service
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The exercise was carried out for the BBC specialist statistics programme 'More or Less' on Radio Four.
It followed a comment from a listener suggesting radio travel news would be largely irrelevant to listeners.
But an analysis of a typical travel report broadcast during the evening rush hour showed 16 per cent of drivers on England's motorways and trunk road network were on the stretches of road mentioned by 'Sally Traffic' on BBC Radio Two.
Highways Agency data showed there were 47,000 vehicles on the eight stretches of road at the time.
Speaking on the programme Steve Crosthwaite, from the Agency's National Traffic Control Centre, said this figure actually understated the importance of the travel news because it did not count drivers approaching the incident or further afield who would get advance warning and could change their plans accordingly.
The Highways Agency operates one of the most sophisticated networks in the world, which is constantly monitored by more than 6,000 vehicle detection systems and 2,000 CCTV cameras. This data is used to supply live traffic information to the BBC, more than 240 independent radio stations, websites, phone services and its own service 'Traffic Radio' broadcast continuously on DAB digital radio.
"Radio Two is just a part of the story there are many, many more communications channels we use to get information to road users so they can make informed decisions about journey planning," explained Steve Crosthwaite. "The most targeted of all are our overhead variable message signs, which are 100 per cent relevant and 100 per cent targeted to drivers on that particular stretch of motorway."
Research carried out for Traffic Radio showed 86 per cent of people hearing relevant information will make some change to their journey - either delaying the journey, changing route or deciding to use another mode of travel or postpone the journey.
An analysis was made of the content of the travel bulletin broadcast by Radio Two at 17.20 on Wednesday 29 April. Of the 19 incidents mentioned, 2 were in Scotland, 2 in Wales, 7 on local authority roads and 8 on the Highways Agency network. The maximum reading from vehicle counters buried in the road surface of the stretches of road/motorway was then compared to the total estimate for 17.00-18.00 based on similar detectors across the network. There were 301,325 vehicles on the network and at least 46,816 in the immediate vicinity of the incidents. This figure underestimates the relevance of the travel news because it does not count any traffic approaching the incident.
The Highways Agency's strategic road network accounts for three per cent of England's roads, but carries a third of all traffic and two thirds of freight traffic.
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