Esri UK partnership helps local authorities plan active travel and low carbon projects

• Esri UK customers gain access to digital kerbside data from AppyWay
• Lambeth Council among first users

Esri UK today announced that AppyWay has joined its partner programme, giving Esri customers easy access to digital kerbside data for the first time. 

The move allows local authorities to better understand the UK’s complex kerbside restrictions when planning active travel and low carbon initiatives, including EV charge point, e-scooter or cycle hangar projects. Over two thirds of local authorities in England and Wales are Esri users.

AppyWay provides accurate and granular digital maps of the kerbside, showing all traffic regulation orders (TROs), such as on-street parking, permit parking and yellow line restrictions, covering over 500 towns and cities. By replacing traditional paper-based TRO information with a digital version, AppyWay opens up new ways in which this data can be applied.

Integrating seamlessly into Esri geospatial applications, data from AppyWay adds another dimension to existing information on street furniture, air quality, tree surveys and roadworks, for example. This additional insight will help local authority planning, highways and traffic teams make decisions on how best to use their street space for new sustainable mobility schemes and meet active travel and net zero targets.

Lambeth Council is one of the first authorities exploring how the new integration will deliver benefits and support its Kerbside Strategy and Transport Strategy.

“The new partnership – and specifically the dynamic availability of data from AppyWay via Esri UK’s web feature service – allows our organisation to maximise the benefits of accurate kerbside and roadway information, for a range of ‘business as usual’ and project work, relating to traffic management orders, licensing, road and parking bay closures, controlled parking zones, as well as wider GIS analysis alongside existing geospatial data,” said Tom Brown, Spatial Information Manager at Lambeth Council. “Crucially, AppyWay’s approach also ensures resources do not have to be devoted to ongoing manual data management, meaning that once established, data is automatically and instantly available to our Esri ArcGIS users across these and any future projects, as well as being deployable in other software platforms.”

“Combining AppyWay’s authoritative kerbside data with Esri’s industry-leading geospatial tools adds significant value, allowing local authorities to unlock the full development potential of the kerb,” explained Dan Hubert, CEO and Founder of AppyWay. “With 55% of UK homes not having a driveway there is increasing pressure placed upon kerbside space. AppyWay data is the ‘digital grease’ for creating new, low carbon on-street services and achieving the optimum ROI for this finite amount of real estate. Our partnership with Esri UK means local government can benefit from improved access to kerbside information to make better decisions in their transition to net zero.”

Tipped to be a key component of the upcoming Future Transport Bill, AppyWay is helping councils transition to digital TROs today, readying them to meet the DfT’s future requirements for kerbside management.

“The new partnership places AppyWay digital kerb data into the hands of those that need it most – the planners, designers, engineers and architects tackling the geographic challenges involved in creating more net-zero places to live,” said Laura Dean, Partner Manager, Esri UK. “Esri UK customers can now take advantage of AppyWay data in their workflows, using it in maps, apps and dashboards. Bringing this intelligence into the ArcGIS system adds critical context to decision making, helping local authorities plan more effectively and create a more sustainable future.”

About Esri UK 

Founded in 1969, Esri is the global market leader in Geographic Information System (GIS) software, with 4,000 staff in 73 countries. Esri UK has over 450 employees with offices in Aylesbury, Cambridge, Edinburgh and Belfast. Public sector customers include National Highways, the Environment Agency, Transport for London and over two thirds of local authorities in England and Wales.