Why sticking to standards is not an option, with TOPAS, SWARCO, Yunex Traffic and Telent
“The question isn't whether we can afford to maintain TOPAS, it's whether we can afford to become a nation where every junction is an experiment. Every upgrade is a gamble, and every innovation is incompatible with the last.”
What happens to your network when every junction becomes an experiment—and every upgrade a gamble? That's the subject on this Highways Voices.
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Kealie Franklin from TOPAS, Traffic Open Products and Specifications, which verifies compliance with specifications for traffic control products, is guest on the podcast, along with three key suppliers, Martin Andrews, Services Director at Yunex, Rob Harding, Engineering Manager for Telent’s traffic business and SWARCO's Head of Product and Solutions, Derek McLean.
They discuss why standards are not bureaucracy, but are the foundation that enables innovation, protects public investment and ensures compatibility across the UK network. With connected vehicles, AI-driven detection, and automated transport systems accelerating, the conversation suggests the stakes for getting this right have never been higher.
You'll hear clear insight into why interoperability won’t happen without us creating, and then demanding adherence to, rigorous standards, which are essential for safety today and connected and automated vehicle readiness tomorrow.
There's a practical understanding of how TOPAS enables innovation rather than restricts it, including emerging updates such as enhanced detector messaging protocols and that a sharper procurement perspective helps us avoid false economies, vendor lock-in, and long-term maintenance risks caused by non-compliant or incompatible equipment.
Whether you're a local authority or part of the supply chain, this is an important 30 minutes, and well worth your time.
Highways Voices is brought to you with our partners the Transport Technology Forum, LCRIG, ADEPT and ITS UK.
