When the latest phase of the Traffic Management Act 2004 was introduced last year, Highways Authorities were faced with making significant changes to the way they operated to ensure that roads were being managed effectively in line with TMA requirements. By implementing web-based TMA compliant software, Cornwall Highways, Maintenance and Construction (CORMAC) has been able to fulfil its Network Management Duties, minimising road congestion and disruption to vehicles and pedestrians. The software supplied by Exor Corporation enables CORMAC to comply with new Noticing requirements and ensures better works management and co-operation between traffic authorities and utilities.

CORMAC is Cornwall Council's Direct Labour Organisation, employing around 400 people across the whole county with an annual turnover of circa £30 million. CORMAC carries out a wide range of Civil Engineering and Highway Maintenance work, ranging from minor repairs to roads and footways, through to multi-million pound road building schemes. All work is tendered for in open competition, and in addition to County Council work CORMAC also carries out civil engineering work for Other Civil Engineering Clients and developers. It makes a significant profit on the work it does and all of this is returned to the County Council to fund further road maintenance work. In addition, the presence of CORMAC ensures that the market in Cornwall is regulated and the Council is able to secure work efficiently and effectively. It also provides a large resource to deal with emergencies, such as snowfall or flooding.

At the start of last year, CORMAC realised it needed to upgrade its IT systems in readiness for the Traffic Management Act (TMA) 2004, which came into effect on 1st April 2008. The aim of TMA is to reduce congestion and disruption on the road network, improve journey times and coordinate street works for the benefit of road users. Simon Deacon, Highway Services, Operations Manager at CORMAC says, "The TMA places a Network Management Duty on all traffic authorities, and when the Act came into effect it meant that new Notice procedures were required before any works could take place on the road network. We realised that in order to implement the new TMA regulations we needed to enhance our IT infrastructure so that the provision of Notices could be automated."

Deacon continues, "We looked at two software suppliers. However, when we looked in detail at the products, it became clear that only Exor would be able to meet the 1st April deadline for TMA compliance. They impressed us with their implementation timetable, and they also had experience of helping other Local Authorities to meet the new TMA Noticing requirements. It was also reassuring to know that Exor was one of the founder members of the EToN Developers Group (EDG). This meant they had been involved in all TMA negotiations with the Department for Transport (DfT), and therefore they had extensive TMA knowledge."

The Exor system is a modern web-based solution that enables Councils to meet all of their responsibilities under the TMA. It represents many years of Research and Development which has culminated in a suite of spatially enabled applications available over the internet, combined with Mobile applications in the field. Exor is delivering the solution to CORMAC as a Managed Service which provides high capacity, resilient Internet connectivity and significant cost savings.

Summarising the benefits of Exor, Deacon says, "The Exor system is delivered via the web which makes remote access and support very simple. The system also includes integrated mapping which makes it easier to co-ordinate Works and enables spatial queries within the system. And because Exor is highly configurable we are able to use the system in a way that suits our specific reporting requirements. Having a Managed Service agreement with Exor also means that all upgrades to the system are seamless so there is never any disruption to our day-to-day operations and processes."

Following a successful three-month trial of the system, CORMAC signed a 12 month agreement with Exor and continues to utilise the system to meet all of its ongoing TMA requirements. Deacon says, "The Exor team, and the software solution they have provided, met all of our expectations. They delivered on time and they have provided an excellent service to date. The legislative requirements of TMA will continue to change and evolve over time but Exor provides us with a platform that allows us to adapt quickly and easily."

Deacon concludes, "By utilising the Exor system, we have seen a significant improvement in the management and maintenance of the road network. The Noticing procedures that need to be followed before any work takes place have enhanced communication and collaboration with utilities and other works promoters, which in turn helps to improve the condition of roads for all users."

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