Road-condition intelligence for local authorities

A true digital twin of your road network.

RoadPulse combines very low-cost passive sensing with existing condition surveys and roadworks records—giving councils and elected members a living view of coverage, condition and change.

Built to complement—not replace—SCANNER, PAS 2161, AI surveys or established safety inspections.

Road-condition observations Passive & low cost
PMS 04-117Repeated observations
Change signalReview suggested
Routine routesincluding unclassified roads
All hoursno camera or daylight needed
PMS-alignedconsistent segment references

01 No cameras or personal data

02 No specialist survey vehicle

03 Rapid collection at traffic speeds

04 Survey and roadworks data included

The approach

Passive collection from journeys already happening.

The principle is simple: fit a very low-cost logger to an ordinary vehicle and let it collect during normal journeys. RoadPulse turns repeat coverage into useful evidence between periodic surveys.

01

Fit once

A small, removable logger is fitted to a vehicle already travelling local roads. There is no camera or specialist survey equipment.

02

Collect passively

The logger auto-calibrates and records road response at normal traffic speeds, without adding work for the driver or council.

03

Build the digital twin

Observations are aligned to PMS segments and enriched with existing survey history and roadworks records.

01Passive RoadPulse observationsRepeat condition evidence from routine journeys
02Existing road surveysAuthority-supplied RCI and SCANNER history
03Roadworks recordsDfT Street Manager works and dates
Road digital twinOne evolving, PMS-aligned evidence base
A complementary layer
Safety inspectionsDefects, risk and response
Formal condition surveysPeriodic network evidence
RoadPulseFrequent change and trend intelligence

Building network coverage

Complementary fleets produce stronger coverage.

Phase 1 indicates that useful coverage depends on more than vehicle numbers. The strongest mix combines sufficient mileage, varied routes, regular movement at traffic speeds and natural access to local and unclassified roads.

National delivery fleet

Scale and repeated local journeys

RoadPulse’s collaboration with a major national delivery company is expected to generate extensive, repeated observations across residential and local roads.

Selected council vehicles

Route diversity and local gap filling

Council vehicles reach different destinations and can complement delivery routes, improving coverage across the authority without creating additional journeys.

Combined result Broader coverage, repeat evidence and less reliance on any single route pattern.
Strong council candidates

High route variability and good local-road reach make these particularly useful starting points.

Housing repairsSmall and medium vans
Highways supervisorsInspection and oversight vans
Property maintenanceFacilities service vans
Building & environmentalCars and small vans
RoadPulse recommends the vehicle mix and supplies enough loggers to achieve useful coverage for the authority’s network. Selection considers route variability, mileage, access to local roads, time moving at traffic speeds and how each vehicle complements existing delivery-fleet coverage.

Already covered for formal surveys?

Good. RoadPulse is designed for the gap around them.

RoadPulse does not ask a highways team to replace SCANNER, PAS 2161 reporting, AI surveys or professional inspections. It extends intelligence across local and unclassified roads that formal surveys may reach less frequently, between scheduled survey cycles.

The practical question
What visibility do you have across the rest of the network, between surveys, without sending anyone out to collect it?
Established programme

Formal surveys remain authoritative

  • Approved and established condition evidence
  • Scheduled survey coverage and engineering baselines
  • PAS 2161 and other formal reporting requirements
  • Professional inspection, confirmation and response
RoadPulse adds

Extend intelligence across the wider network

  • Passive observations from vehicles already travelling
  • Repeated observations across local and unclassified roads
  • Change and deterioration signals between formal cycles
  • No additional survey journeys or staff collection effort
Why mature highways teams are valuable Phase 2 partners

High-quality SCANNER, AI and inspection data provides the reference evidence needed to test RoadPulse rigorously. Phase 2 can compare the datasets, establish where passive inertial monitoring adds useful frequency or coverage, and identify where it does not.

From data to decisions

Not another list of problems.

RoadPulse is being developed to identify change, rank the strongest signals and produce a manageable review list—helping limited inspection and maintenance resources focus on the places most worth investigating.

“

The value is turning wider, more frequent coverage into a focused and explainable shortlist for professional review.

For highways & asset teams

Target existing resources

Use repeatable evidence to focus inspections, surveys and analysis where signals are strongest.

For elected members

Strengthen local scrutiny

Ward-level reporting and consistent PMS references support clearer priority-setting and conversations with officers and residents.

For finance & planning

Build a longer view

Track deterioration and compare condition before and after recorded roadworks to strengthen maintenance plans and future funding cases.

For residents

Make progress more visible

Create clearer summaries of network coverage, priorities and change—without presenting sensor events as confirmed potholes.

Phase 1

Early evidence from Coventry.

RoadPulse is approaching the end of its initial development trials. Working with Coventry City Council, Phase 1 has tested the collection model and the way observations can be translated into practical local reporting.

Extending passive coverage

RoadPulse is also collaborating on a pilot with a major parcel-delivery company. Selected delivery vans will contribute road observations during routine journeys—exploring how existing commercial fleets can increase repeat coverage without additional survey journeys or data-collection effort.

Explore the benefits for fleet operators

Coventry is RoadPulse’s development and reference partner. The information is indicative and remains subject to professional review.

Earlsdon Ward example

From network coverage to a focused review list

Shareable example
Dark map of Earlsdon Ward showing road segments coloured by indicative RoadPulse condition bands
Earlsdon Ward Indicative road-condition observations mapped to the council’s existing PMS road segments.
27.1 mileswith current RoadPulse output
88.9%of in-scope network length covered
4.1×the available mapped RCI coverage by road length

Earlsdon report dated 15 September 2026. Comparison uses the RCI data uploaded and successfully mapped in RoadPulse; it does not represent survey information held elsewhere by the authority.

01Summary PDF report

A concise ward-level overview for elected members and officers.

02Repair-prioritisation spreadsheet

A transparent ranked list with component scores, confidence, policy weightings and links to each PMS segment.

03Interactive map data

Toggle harsh response, sustained vibration, coverage, freshness and available survey context in Kepler.

RoadPulse flags patterns for review. These are triage indicators—not engineering findings, confirmed safety defects or statements that a repair is required.

Invitation to shape Phase 2

From condition snapshots to earlier warning.

Phase 2 will focus on measuring deterioration over time, testing earlier warning signals and turning the strongest changes into a manageable review list for councils.

Over time, a proven history of repeat observations could also support more predictive maintenance planning. That is a longer-term ambition, not a current claim.

We are inviting a small number of councillors to lead trials within their authorities. This is an opportunity to influence the next stage of development—not a procurement or sales approach.

Discuss a Phase 2 trial

How a trial would work

Lead

Councillor sponsor

The principal contact, helping shape information for scrutiny, local priorities and resident discussions.

Support

Highways officers

Provide operational input so the trial fits established systems, professional practice and reporting needs.

Explore

RoadPulse

Supplies and supports collection, aligns outputs to PMS segments, and develops the maps, reports and trend intelligence.

Phase 2 focus
  • Deterioration over time
  • Earlier warning signals
  • Manageable, ranked review lists
  • Useful local reporting

Start a conversation

Could RoadPulse add value in your authority?

We would value a candid professional discussion about where more frequent road-condition intelligence could—or could not—be useful.