Artificial Intelligence being trialled to spot potholes in Surrey
The county council is one of the first in the country to try it out
Artificial Intelligence is being used to spot potholes in Surrey.
Surrey County Council is one of the first local authorities in the UK to trial the technology as a way of finding defects on roads.
Computer vision cameras are fitted to dashboards inside council vehicles.
The software can then report measurements including location, height, width and depth.
It can also track the development of potholes that do not need immediate attention by taking repeat measurements over time to ensure they are dealt with when necessary.
AI technology is also being trialled to gather data on traffic movements to help design new schemes.
And sensors are being piloted to measure road temperature to inform decisions on winter gritting.
Surrey County Council’s Cabinet will be considering further transport improvements at their next meeting on 30 March 2021.
These include the introduction of a community "HGV Watch" scheme to help prevent drivers of large goods vehicles using unsuitable routes and new projects to improve walking and cycling routes in Guildford, Woking, Reigate & Banstead, Spelthorne and Farnham.
Cabinet Members will review a new rail strategy for Surrey which sets out the council’s priorities for the provision and operation of rail services over the coming years.
Cabinet Member for Highways, Matt Furniss, said: "We are always looking at ways to improve Surrey’s roads and keep the county moving.
"We are well aware that potholes are an area of concern for our residents and want to do all we can to help improve this situation. Whilst we have fixed 200, 000 potholes over the last four years, this cutting-edge AI technology can improve how we detect them for safer and even better managed roads. This trial is part of our £200m investment in Surrey’s highways over the next five years which will see us improve approximately 350 miles of road and 180 miles of pavements.
"With transportation responsible for 46% of Surrey’s carbon emissions, we are also committed to encouraging more active travel to help our environment and will be investing £6m to enhance walking and cycling facilities."