Transport for London (TfL) has launched a digital-centred strategy aimed at cutting congestion and transforming how the capital’s road network operates over the next five years.
The plan, London on the Move, is the first pan-city roadworks and mobility strategy for London’s highways and sets out a sequence of technology-led interventions designed to make journeys safer, more efficient and more reliable for millions of users.
At the heart of the strategy is a shift towards data-driven traffic management. TfL will complete the rollout of advanced systems and infrastructure upgrades across 6,400 automated traffic signal junctions and pedestrian crossings to optimise flows and improve safety.
Enhancements to the city’s FUSION traffic control system will allow real-time analysis of a wider range of transport data, with future capability for artificial intelligence integration that TfL estimates could cut delays by up to 14 per cent and generate around £1 billion in benefits from reduced journey times.
A key digital innovation will be the expansion of Vivacity AI cameras across London. Unlike conventional monitoring devices, these sensors use machine learning to differentiate pedestrians, cyclists, wheelchair users and vehicles, producing richer mobility data for smarter decisions on signal timings and crossings. TfL is also finalising a data-sharing agreement with boroughs that will pool insights from over 1,000 camera locations to better shape local mobility decisions.
The strategy also places a strong emphasis on improving bus reliability through technology. Using new signal priority measures, TfL plans to extend bus priority features to all 3,500 signals along bus routes by 2030, up from around 2,080 now equipped. Comprehensive signal-timing reviews will be conducted across entire routes for the first time, enabling better bus journey times across the capital.
Other measures such as the BusSense programme – which coordinates roadworks with boroughs to reduce disruption to bus services – will be rolled out more widely following promising early results.
Digital and infrastructure reforms sit alongside an expansion of TfL’s lane rental scheme, which charges utilities for works during peak times to reduce disruption and fund innovative congestion-reducing initiatives.
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said the strategy reflects a “bold new approach” to managing the capital’s streets, harnessing technology and innovation to reduce congestion and support sustainable transport.