Smart/Managed Motorways - An Introduction

Smart, or managed, motorways and freeways use technology, systems and processes to monitor and respond to traffic conditions, reduce congestion and improve journey times. Through maintaining maximum sustainable traffic flows, minimising traffic turbulence and enabling rapid incident response, managed motorways can operate at their optimum levels of safety, efficiency and productivity to support the economy.

This introductory one-day course provides an overview of the main aspects of smart/managed motorways and freeways. Drawing upon the Vic DTP Managed Motorway Design Guide (MMDG) and delivered by some of its authors, the course introduces the latest thinking and practices in planning, design and operation.

Its overview of managed motorways covers mainline traffic characteristics and theory, including capacity and maximum sustainable flow rates, flow breakdown and road safety on urban motorways.