Objective 1: Embracing the future

Summary of Objective

There are many interesting and progressive trials of new technology planned or rolled out in Norfolk since the adoption of the LTP4. An important part of this objective is to continue to explore options and funding opportunities as many of the actions are ongoing. Partnership working has been a highlight for this year for this objective. Successful partnerships with District and Borough Councils, service providers and other organisations have helped in attracting funding, driven trials of new technology and promoted the benefits of projects to a new audience. 

Policies

• Policy 1: We will plan and prepare the county for future challenges and changes to ensure the best for our society, environment and economy, and to actively review these developments through time 
• Policy 2: The priority for reducing emissions will be to support a shift to more sustainable modes and more efficient vehicles, including lower carbon technology and cleaner fuels; this includes the facilitation of necessary infrastructure 
• Policy 3: Innovation and new technologies will be embraced and used proactively in order to achieve our vision, including responding to new targets set by the recently adopted environmental policy 
• Policy 4: We will work with people to shape the way they travel, why they are travelling and whether they need to travel, encouraging behaviour change and interventions that can help to increase the use of sustainable transport. 

Delivery highlights

• In 2024-25 NCC has continued liaison with the Shared Rural Network (SRN) and the four major Mobile Network Operators (MNOs). The SRN is a UK government initiative, jointly funded with the four main phone providers, EE, Three, O2, and Vodafone, to improve 4G coverage, particularly in rural areas, however SRN investment in Norfolk is limited. Engagement has also started with the UEA for the further analysis of coverage data and engagement with OFCOM to support their own drive study in Norfolk. 
• The Streetwave monitoring solution has been extended for a further year. Rather than focus on only two refuse lorries per district, every refuse lorry within a single district will be installed with monitoring equipment. Once surveying for that district is complete the monitoring equipment will be moved to the next district council's refuse vehicles. This will allow us to survey 95% of the county's roads. Two Portable survey devices are now available, allowing NCC to perform ad-hoc surveys on request. 
• A publicly accessible version of the mobile phone coverage checker tool Is now available. This initiative is part of our ongoing commitment to ensuring residents have access to reliable information about their connectivity options within the county. 
• A new portal has been developed to allow residents and NCC staff to report where they have issues with mobile coverage. This will be included with our survey data to build a not-spot picture of Norfolk to assist with our lobbying activities and potential small cell deployment plans. 
• Virtual Vehicle Messaging Trial has been initiated and early testing complete, with the aim to use in-vehicle messaging to display real-time traffic information to drivers. We are looking to expand this trial through 2025 at key locations across Norfolk. 
• Working in partnership 44 on-street chargers in Norwich have been delivered to date. Working with a wide range of partners, we have assisted with installing around 82 additional electric vehicle charge points during 2024/25 in rural and tourist areas, as well as more urban areas where there is limited off-street parking.  There are now around 800 publicly available vehicle charging points across Norfolk.   
• We have secured £8.8m from the government's Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) Fund and are currently finalising a new procurement framework, which will see this funding being used to support a significant roll-out of additional charge points starting in 2026. 
• We are taking advantage of AI and machine learning technology to better manage our transport networks and are looking to continue developing this. The first tranche of AI cameras has been evaluated and proven to provide a useful insight into how our highway network is used at a more granular level than before. We are now exploring ways that the data pipeline process can be further streamlined so that the data is more readily available to all highway teams. 
• Travel Norfolk journey planner tool allows users to plan multi-modal journeys for work and leisure. The planner suggests the best driving, cycling, public transport and walking route by time, CO2 produced and price. More information on how the Travel Norfolk website has been improved to increase accessibility can be found under Objective 5. 
• NCC has been working with Sustrans to deliver behaviour change initiatives aimed at encouraging employers and communities to travel more sustainably.   

Work for next period

Mobile Survey devices will now be installed into all bin lorries within an individual district. Following a survey of all roads the survey equipment will be moved to a new district and the exercise repeated so that 95% of Norfolk roads will be surveyed over the next 12 months. 

Further engagement will continue with the tech industry to seek improvements in identifying not spots for digital connectivity. We will also investigate small cell technology for mobile coverage improvements in rural areas, which would provide localised coverage. Small cell technology can utilise existing infrastructure such as lampposts or other utility poles and improve overall network performance as well as extending into hard to reach areas.  

In 2025-26 we will continue to work in partnership with District Council colleagues undertaking air quality data collection in order to better understand the impacts of different transport interventions. 

In 2024-5 a study on Norfolk freight evidence was undertaken which explored the state of freight and logistics in Norfolk including how much freight moves through the county, where it is going, what kind of freight it is, what the future of freight looks like and what the role of Norfolk County Council is to support freight. The work also considered elements of logistics such as home deliveries and first and last mile logistics and where challenges and opportunities are. The work has proved valuable in understanding freight in the county.  

We now intend to develop a freight strategy for the county, to make sure that freight can best support the economy and to take advantage of the opportunities it presents, in balance with how to deal with challenges that can arise. We plan to engage closely with neighbouring authorities and Subnational Transport Bodies (STBs). This will ensure our work on freight is well joined up with neighbouring authorities as freight works across our county's borders.