CHARM: forward-looking, nationwide system for road-traffic management
The world of road-traffic management is evolving. Look at the technological and social developments that are taking place around you, in our cars and in the infrastructure, for instance. Rijkswaterstaat's response to this is the CHARM program.
With this approach we can do what Dutch society expects from us, now and in the future: safe and smoothly flowing road traffic. By implementing a new IT platform (called DYNAC) for use in the traffic control centres and, on the roadside, CHARM assists road inspectors and officers on duty. This makes CHARM a crucial link in the process of safeguarding traffic management in the Netherlands.
CHARM has an important role to play in streamlining road-traffic management, ensuring that it is dependable and that the underlying systems can be maintained affordably. As our road network is used so intensively, the Netherlands sets high standards for road-traffic management. In the past technological advances came thick and fast, often in the form of one-off custom solutions.
That’s why the people in our traffic-control centres now have to deal with many different systems. It is laborious, and expensive in terms of both management and maintenance. And if we want to change anything, it is difficult because the systems are entangled like spaghetti. Not to mention the fact that the workload is greater due to the increase in the area.
Phased implementation
The use of the new platform is being rolled out in phases, starting with the phase for monitoring and operating cameras, plus monitoring rush-hour lanes. The national traffic-control centre (VCNL) and all regional Rijkswaterstaat control centres (in Helmond, Utrecht, Wolfheze, Velsen and Rhoon) are already working with the CHARM system.
The 2nd phase, covering deployment of roadside mobile variable messaging signs and logging information on incidents, for example, was implemented in late 2023 at VCNL and the traffic-control centre for the south of the Netherlands.
Safe and smoothly flowing road traffic: now and in the future
The new platform ensures that the current traffic-management functions continue to work, as old IT systems are replaced. Furthermore, new opportunities for improved traffic management can be exploited because new digital functions can easily be implemented. Also, people and resources can be deployed more effectively in traffic management, and IT can be managed more efficiently. This makes our road-traffic management future-proof.
Project period
03-2015 - 12-2026
Programme
Connecting Europe Facility (CEF)
Project website
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