The management of traffic flow across Stoke-on-Trent will continue to be supported by critical infrastructure specialists Telent, following a successful initial six-year contract.

The contract renewal from Stoke-on-Trent City Council means Telent will be responsible for the maintenance and supply of the Council’s Intelligent Transport System (ITS) equipment, including traffic signals, street furniture, variable message signs, and remote monitoring systems.

The extended partnership between the Council and Telent will also help manage periods of increased traffic flow and congestion caused by Stoke City and Port Vale football fixtures in the city, Trentham Live events, the Station Road improvement scheme, and the Potter’s Arf marathon.

Telent will self-deliver temporary traffic management to improve quality control, risk management, flexibility, emergency responsiveness, and control of health and safety risks. Telent’s Optima Hub, which is deployed at 129 sites across Stoke, will be used to collect data from the ITS equipment and make it available in a simple, easy to analyse platform. The data can be used to assess the condition of the roadside assets.

“Our extensive experience with Stoke-on-Trent City Council gives us the knowledge to consistently deliver tailored, innovative solutions and enhance the efficiency of the contract with cost savings and process improvements, alongside quality and safety advancements,” said Paul Owen, Director of Traffic Technology at Telent. “With our Optima Hub solution, the City Council will have access to data integrated from multiple sources, presented in a user-friendly format, empowering them to safely monitor and manage traffic equipment.”

The renewed contract, first awarded in 2018, extends Telent’s longstanding partnership with the City Council for an additional four years, with potential extensions for a further two years.

“Telent has proven itself as an innovative, experienced partner of our traffic management project and is helping the council deliver value for residents as we improve traffic flow across the city,” Will Willis, Senior Engineer – Infrastructure at Stoke-on-Trent City Council. “We’re looking forward to building on the success of the past six years with Telent and its solutions, including Optima Hub, which has provided invaluable insight into the performance of our assets and will assist the reduction of congestion, both day to day and around popular events happening in Stoke.”

Telent is committed to delivering social value alongside its regional contracts. In Stoke-on-Trent, this commitment includes offering youth apprenticeships, and supporting Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), as well as Voluntary, Community & Social Enterprises (VCSEs). Telent will also focus on reducing fleet emissions and waste while promoting eco-friendly practices among its suppliers.