About Us - A Summary
ROMANSE is a partnership between Hampshire County Council and Southampton and Portsmouth City Councils which aims to influence travel behaviour by the provision of up-to-the-minute traffic and travel information and the use of modern traffic management techniques.
There are currently three ROMANSE control rooms; one in Winchester operated by Hampshire County council, one in Portsmouth operated by Portsmouth City Council and one in Southampton operated by Southampton City Council. The three control rooms utilise the latest hi-tech systems, many of which were developed as part of the European Commission funded ROMANSE project, to deliver traffic and travel information and control in a coherent and integrated manner across the County of Hampshire.
History of the ROMANSE project
ROMANSE - Road MANagement System for Europe
In 1992 Government estimates indicated a 100% increase in road traffic by 2020. Using only traditional construction technologies and road management strategies such a rise could prove disastrous.The ROMANSE project commenced in Southampton during May 1992 as a pilot scheme to develop a flexible solution to increasing congestion. By making better use of existing infrastructure and resources, ROMANSE aimed to maintain sustainable economic and social transport systems.Utilising Intelligent transport systems (ITS) ROMANSE would provide accurate, timely and accessible information to travellers both before and during their journeys. People could then make informed choices about their route, time of journey and, most importantly, method of transport. The system would even allow them to change route whilst travelling to avoid congestion and by so doing would maximise the efficiency of the existing network. ROMANSE was run by a consortium of partners from the public and private sectors led by Hampshire County Council and Southampton City Council. The project provided real time information to travellers, network managers and transport providers across the City of Southampton and the southern part of Hampshire.
The systems developed as part of the ROMANSE project are now being expanded geographically and technically as an intrinsic part of Hampshire, Southampton and Portsmouth's operational and network management responsibility. Enhancements have been made to many systems and new ones are now being installed.
Please consult the 'Data Sources' and 'Delivery Channels' links above to find out more about our technology.
System Integration
Each system is important in its own right, but it is the integration of all the elements which has made the ROMANSE project so effective. The recently installed Central Office Management for integrated Traffic (COMET) system replaces the old Integrated Traffic Management Computer (ITMC) It operates all off-line Urban Traffic Control (UTC) functions and serves as a processor and data store for all other systems. The system also interfaces to the Travel Information Highway (TIH) which enables data to be exchanged with other interested parties.
Public Attitudes
The final stage of the ROMANSE project included a programme of extensive monitoring and evaluation with a particular emphasis on public attitudes. All the studies indicated a widespread public desire for access to better travel information whilst planning and undertaking their journeys. The positive public response to all the ROMANSE systems during the pilot project has enabled the financial support to be obtained to continue with the ROMANSE partnership and to expand these systems into other towns and cities within Hampshire. Given continuing public encouragement for systems such as STOPWATCH, a sustained, perceptible modal shift towards public transport is no longer inconceivable. The use of Intelligent Transport Systems will be crucial to encourage greater use of buses, rail and other environmentally acceptable forms of transport. |