Speed limiter trial launched in London

14 June 2009

A six-month trial of Intelligent Speed Adaptation (ISA) technology, which aims to reduce road casualties and help drivers avoid speeding penalties, has been launched in London.

As part of the trial being run by Transport for London (TfL), a London bus will be fitted with ISA.

The TfL Road Safety Unit is also set to trial the technology in a licensed taxi, alongside 20 TfL vehicles driven by road engineers, traffic managers and highway inspectors.

RoadSafe, which manages the ‘Driving for Better Business’ campaign believes that ISA systems should become the next ‘must have’ option for safety conscious fleets

The trial will see the intelligent technology enable drivers to select an option where acceleration is stopped automatically at the speed limit specific to any road in London within the M25 area.

The unit can be disabled at the touch of a button, at which point it reverts to an advisory status where the current, legal speed limit is displayed as a driver aid. There is also a complete over-ride switch with disables the system entirely.

The practical uses of the technology will be tested in the six-month trial after which a report will be submitted to London Mayor Boris Johnson, and the technology will be made available to external organisations.