Councils in York and Thurrock are to pilot a new technology in an attempt to change the way the authorities map and maintain roads by identifying potential potholes and other road damage – using bin lorries.

The Department for Transport funded trials of ‘pothole-spotter’ technology, £183,000 in Thurrock and £184,000 in York, use high-definition cameras affixed to the front of refuse-collection vehicles (RCVs) to take high-quality pictures of roads and pavements and build up an accurate picture of the state of the town’s roads during the vehicles’ weekly rounds.

By using an integrated navigation system and intelligent software in this way, council officers hope to gain access to an extensive image library of Thurrock and York’s roads, which will help them to identify problems that have the potential to become potholes.

The trials are looking at how council resources can be used as efficiently and effectively as possible to deliver the optimum outcomes for residents, while reducing negative experiences for road users.

The trials will be delivered with the aid of waste and resources consultancy SOENECS and the software’s developer Gaist.

‘The ultimate local authority efficiency’

David Greenfield, founder of SOENECS, said: “RCVs are the only vehicles to regularly traverse local highway networks weekly, and follow the same route each time.

“This makes them the best vehicle to use to monitor the condition of roads, pavements and street furniture, identifying issues before they become problems. The ultimate local authority efficiency – one vehicle, two roles.”

Looking forward to the potential of the trial, Director of Innovation and Research of Gaist, Dr Stephen Remde, said: “This project is really exciting and will capture the highest ever levels of technically-advanced data that will provide us with a real insight into how roads deteriorate and defects form such as potholes, surface durability and day-to-day traffic volume damage.

“Computer vision technology is advancing rapidly and we seek to capitalise on new ‘deep learning’ data analysis techniques we have, to analyse and manage the huge volumes of video and related data that can be used to improve the safety of roads and provide more cost-effective repairs.”

Reaction from council members in Thurrock has been positive, with Council Leader Cllr Rob Gledhill, saying: “Thurrock was selected as it is recognised by government as being ready to test innovative new techniques to improve the efficiency of local services, and for which the reliability and quality of its road network is crucial for residents and businesses alike.

“This is the first initiative of its kind – using cutting-edge technology and innovation that leads to better road conditions at less cost.

“I am very pleased Thurrock has been chosen by the Department for Transport as a partner in this pioneering project, and I look forward to sharing how it worked with colleagues in other local authorities.”

Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport Cllr Brian Little added: “Highways maintenance is of great importance. The scheme will provide us with the level of detail not seen before on how problems on the highways become defects and then potholes.

“I am also delighted that we’re using existing council vehicles in such an innovative way.”

Executive Member for Transport and Planning in York, Cllr Ian Gillies, said: “We welcome investment in this pioneering technology which will hopefully allow the council to reduce the amount of money spent fixing potholes each year by repairing road surface defects before they escalate into potholes.”