The Traffic Group: Intelligence-Led Solutions for Fixed and Temporary Signalling
1) The Traffic Group brings together AGD Systems and Traffic Group Signals under one roof - two very different but complementary technologies. How does that combination give your customers something they can't get elsewhere?
The value is in our expertise, technologies and service combine to deliver safer traffic control solutions for our customers. AGD Systems is a company with over 50 years of above ground detection innovation, and it is this foundation of engineering knowledge that drives product development across The Traffic Group.
The ability to design detection and control products that are purpose built for UK roads and applications is key to our products success. The knowledge built up on developing ITS solutions for permanent signalling uniquely places us to transfer some of those benefits to the temporary signalling world in Traffic Group Signals, and has resulted in over 18 product patents, 3 Queens awards for innovation and a number of industry firsts.
2) Your tech talk is titled Fix It in 15: De-risking Roadworks Through Designed-in Safety - can you give us a preview of what that means in practice? What does "designed-in safety" actually look like on a live site?
When we talk about designed-in-safety, we are referring to the process of assessing all the risks associated with the delivery of roadworks and delivering a Safe System approach to temporary signal design. Through our design process, we prioritise vulnerable road users, identify uncontrolled sources of traffic, and configure systems that are tailored to improving the safety and efficiency the site.
3) AGD Systems designs and manufactures everything in the UK, in a carbon-negative facility. How important is that to your customers right now, and is sustainability genuinely shaping procurement decisions in the sector?
Our customers care where their products come from, and value organisations that consider the environmental impact of their manufacturing processes. AGD Systems and the wider Group have long prioritised sustainable sourcing and manufacture. Customers value local relationships, and being able to understand the origins of the products the procure.
4) Traffic Group Signals has invested heavily in autonomous signal technology - systems that can recover from faults without an operative on site. How much of a game-changer is that for traffic management companies dealing with permit conditions and response time pressures?
Our systems have long been designed to reduce the need for manual intervention, reducing operative exposure. When we consider the impact of poor performing equipment on the road network, there is a real cost in project delays, safety reduction and penalties for traffic management companies. Our approach is designed to address all areas of system reliability, from accurate detection, radio communications to power management and efficient signal timings.
5) The AGD650 AI Multimodal Detector can identify vehicles, cyclists and pedestrians in real time. As active travel and mixed-use streets become more common, how is that kind of detection capability changing the way councils think about junction design?
As the changing landscape of transport evolves, detection needs to evolve with it. Councils are having to consider how junction design accommodates new types of road users, such as e-scooters and cyclists, and promote more active forms of travel.
6) Active Channel Management (ACM) addresses one of the most frustrating problems in temporary signalling - radio interference in busy urban environments. How did that technology come about, and what difference is it making on the ground?
Signal reliability is an absolute necessity in the traffic management industry. When exploring ways to address the issue of radio communications, our engineers investigated the root causes of communications problems to arrive at our solution, this involved taking spectrum analyser machines to problem sites, identifying sources of radio conflict and also looking at operational causes. By understanding the patterns of radio channel use, how the equipment is transported and handled and other environmental factors we were able to develop robust, reliable comms which rarely fail, even on the most challenging sites. Secondary to this, we developed a system which can automatically recover in the event of radio conflict, reducing the need for call outs and minimising network distruption.
7) You're platinum sponsors at Traffex this year - that's a significant commitment. What does Traffex represent to The Traffic Group, and what are you hoping to get out of the two days?
The Traffic Group has long supported Traffex, and it remains one of our key events of the calendar year. As platinum sponsors we are looking to raise our profile within the sector, highlight our Group’s synergies and engage with a focussed audience on how we can support them in shaping the future of the transport industry in the UK.
8) Signal Studio allows operators to design, simulate and configure complex schemes before they go anywhere near a live road. How is that kind of digital pre-planning reducing risk and improving efficiency for your customers?
Signal Studio is an award-winning software platform for designing temporary traffic signal schemes. The platform allows the two worlds of permanent signalling and temporary signalling to converge in an intuitive and robust software solution, allowing us to design complex signal configurations with ease.
Due to the flexible nature of our signal hardware, we are able to propose a variety of solutions to suit client requirements, perform necessary safety checks and version control our plans to support our Safe System approach. We are able to assess the safety and efficiency impacts of different designs and simulate them for the end user, allowing them to make a more informed choice.
By taking the design of timings away from the roadside and into a software platform, and adopting permanent signal principles, we deliver stage-based signalling efficiency, compute signal timings to enhance safety for all road users and create scheme designs which maximise the unique performance benefits of our technology.
9) Between AGD's smart city detection work and Traffic Group Signals' temporary infrastructure, you're present at both the permanent and the temporary end of the network. Is there more crossover between those two worlds than people might expect?
What we are learning is that, particularly for the larger schemes, the need to maintain as close as possible to the previous signal configuration is increasingly important. How the scheme is being signalled, particularly through different phases of work, now involves multiple stakeholders – ensuring there are plans to mitigate congestion, improve safety and reduce the impact to the surrounding road network. We are constantly looking at the principles adopted in the permanent signalling world, how site geometry challenges are solved and how signalling design can be adapted for situations unique to temporary works.
10) What's the one thing you want every Traffex visitor to come away knowing about The Traffic Group that they might not know already?
If you are looking for the latest in intelligence-led, future proof traffic solutions for both fixed and temporary signalling applications, look no further than The Traffic Group.
Want to learn more?
Attend Fix it in 15: De-risking Roadworks through Designed-in Safety
This session explores how risk can be reduced by removing people from harm, improving traffic predictability, and introducing safer control strategies at the design stage. By applying permanent signalling principles and new technology in an agile, temporary context — sites of all sizes can achieve safer operations, smoother traffic flow, and reduced risk for workers, road users, and project delivery.
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