New 'centre of excellence' to train people in traffic signal design in West Yorkshire

A new “centre of excellence” could soon be set up train “young professionals in the field of traffic signal design.”
Traffic signals in Halifax town centreTraffic signals in Halifax town centre
Traffic signals in Halifax town centre

In 2018, Councils across West Yorkshire agreed to join forces to develop an Urban Traffic Management Centre.

The new service would work to upgrade the areas traffic lights and improve the computer systems that operate those lights.

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A report into the progress of the scheme says there are 27 staff employed across the region to deal with traffic lights. Of these the average age is 50 and 70 per cent of staff are over the age of 48.

It adds: “Consequently, it was identified that staff shortages would be exacerbated in the near future as staff retire, therefore training and development of younger engineers into this field was seen as critical over the next decade.”

A scheme run by Leeds City Council will attempt to train a new generation of traffic light engineers, and Bradford Council’s Executive will be asked to support this programme.

The report adds: “This will ensure that we are able to offer high quality training for urban traffic control staff in West Yorkshire and that the city region remains at the forefront of exploiting and adopting the latest changes in new and emerging traffic management technologies.”