An expert-led session exploring a decade of data-driven transport planning in the Cambridge region, and the blueprint other authorities can follow.

Over the past decade, Greater Cambridge Partnership (GCP) have been on a journey to put data at the centre of how Cambridge and the region plans, manages, and improves its transport network. What started in 2015 with a single VivaCity AI sensor pilot has grown into a permanent network of over 180 live sensors across Cambridge and Peterborough, providing the region with a unified source of high-quality, multimodal transport data.

In this session, we go behind the scenes of our 10-year partnership between GCP and VivaCity to explore how the region built these foundations for evidence-led transport planning and real-time insight to action. 

Join Dan Clarke (Head of Technology and Innovation, GCP) and Shane Foley (Head of Strategic Partnerships, VivaCity) as they map out the building blocks of this success. They will cover how this regional network was built, what it has made possible, and the practical takeaways that other authorities can apply to their own schemes.

WHAT YOU WILL LEARN

✅ How Cambridge built a unified, single source of truth for transport data
Discover how GCP approached the incremental network growth from one sensor in 2015 to 180+ sensors today, how funding was unlocked, and how the transport teams have a continuous, multimodal view of how road users move across the city.

✅ The Power of Partnership
A successful data strategy requires more than hardware; it needs an integrated partnership model. Learn about the building blocks of this partnership programme that enabled expansion of the regional network and ensure insights are fully utilized across the teams.

✅ How data is being used across teams and organisations
Discover how transport data collected for one purpose is made available to multiple teams within GCP and its partner authorities, creating shared value from a single investment, and how the data ecosystem extends to include partners such as the University and Biomedical Campus.

✅ The 3-in-1 efficiency model for Active Travel, Road Safety, and Smart Signal Control
Learn how a single sensor simultaneously captures data for multiple use cases, and how combining these outputs creates real operational savings for authorities managing complex transport networks.

✅ Scheme spotlights: data at the centre of innovation
We will take a closer look at three landmark projects where data has been central to understanding performance and informing decisions:

 ● The UK's first Dutch-style roundabout: how VivaCity data was used to provide the evidence base to understand its performance and assess its success.   
 ● Adams Road Active: how continuous monitoring is capturing real-world usage on the UK’s first designated cycle streets
 ● Smart Crossings: how real-time AI detection is being trialled to improve and prioritise active travel at key junctions across Cambridge

There will be time for Q&A at the end.