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Turning policy into practice: how Tracsis supports the Department for Transport’s 2026 Transport Data Action Plan
In March 2026, the Department for Transport (DfT) published its new Transport Data Action Plan (DAP) – a landmark strategy setting out how data will underpin the future of the UK’s transport system. The message is clear: better, more accessible and more connected data is essential to delivering a more efficient, integrated and user-focused network.
For organisations across the sector, the challenge now is implementation. And at the heart of that delivery sits one critical foundation: high-quality traffic data.
A step-change in how transport data is used
The DAP outlines a major shift in how transport data is managed and applied. Its objectives include improving how data is used, shared and understood across the sector, with the aim of enabling better passenger information, driving innovation, and supporting more efficient transport design.
A key theme throughout the plan is the need to break down silos. Today, data is often fragmented, inconsistently formatted, or difficult to access – limiting its value and slowing innovation.
To address this, the DfT is pushing for:
Greater interoperability across systems and organisations
API-first approaches to data sharing
Improved data standards and governance
Increased use of analytics, AI and digital tools
The ambition is a fully connected, data-enabled transport ecosystem – supporting seamless, multimodal journeys and better decision-making at every level.
Why traffic data is fundamental to the DAP
While the Action Plan spans all modes of transport, its success depends on the availability of reliable, real-world data. This is where traffic data plays a crucial role.
Traffic data, vehicle speeds, journey times, queue lengths and pedestrian movements – provides the truth of how transport networks actually operate. It enables:
Evidence-based transport planning
Network performance monitoring
Congestion and capacity analysis
Input into transport models and digital twins
Real-time operational decision-making
Without accurate and consistent traffic data, the DAP’s ambitions around integration, analytics and improved passenger outcomes cannot be fully realised.
From data gaps to data maturity
The DAP acknowledges that data across the transport sector is often incomplete, inconsistent, or deprioritised, particularly at local authority level.
Addressing these gaps is critical. Local transport networks, where most journeys begin and end, require robust, up-to-date datasets to support planning, investment and policy decisions.
This is precisely where specialist traffic data solutions make the difference.
How Tracsis supports the delivery of the Action Plan
Tracsis Traffic Data provides the high-quality, structured and actionable datasets needed to bring the DAP to life.
1. High-quality data collection at scale
Tracsis delivers comprehensive traffic data through:
Classified traffic counts
Journey time and speed surveys
Queue length and congestion analysis
Pedestrian and active travel monitoring
These datasets directly support the DAP’s priority to improve data quality, consistency and coverage – ensuring decision-makers have access to reliable, real-world insights.
2. Enabling data-driven planning and investment
The DAP emphasises more efficient transport design and implementation.
Tracsis data feeds into:
Junction and network modelling
Local transport plans and infrastructure design
Business cases
By providing robust evidence, Tracsis enables authorities and consultants to move from assumption-based planning to data-led decision-making.
3. Supporting interoperability and integration
A central ambition of the DAP is a connected data ecosystem, where information flows seamlessly across modes and organisations.
Tracsis supports this by delivering:
Standardised, structured datasets with QA indicators and metadata
Outputs compatible with modelling tools and data platforms
Integration-ready data that can feed into wider systems
Automated reporting and visualisation tools
This ensures traffic data can be easily combined with other datasets - such as public transport, environmental, or infrastructure data, to support whole-journey analysis.
4. Preparing for real-time and API-driven data
As the DfT moves towards API-first data sharing, traffic data must be digital, accessible and scalable.
Tracsis’ use of modern data collection techniques - including video and sensor-based methodologies, enables:
Faster processing and delivery
Digital outputs suitable for integration into live systems
Future readiness for real-time applications
Use of readily accessible platforms - Conduit & AI Portal
This aligns directly with the DAP’s vision of dynamic, responsive transport systems. And with our dashboards and data hosting via Conduit and AI Portal, this valuable data is readily accessible with web-based access for multiple users.
5. Enabling advanced analytics and AI
The Action Plan highlights the growing role of AI. With our Smart Temporary Surveys and our soon to be released upgraded AI Platform, Tracsis provides the foundational datasets needed to:
Calibrate transport models
Train AI algorithms
Support scenario testing and forecasting
Enable digital twin and geospatial applications
Build accurate predictive traffic models
In this way, traffic data becomes not just a reporting tool - but a driver of innovation.
6. Bridging capability gaps across the sector
The DAP recognises that not all organisations have the same level of data capability.
Tracsis supports local authorities, consultants and transport bodies by:
Providing specialist expertise in data collection and analysis
Delivering consistent, standardised outputs
Providing data hosting and visualisation services
Reducing the burden on in-house teams
This helps accelerate progress towards the DAP’s goals across the entire transport ecosystem - not just in the most digitally mature organisations.
From strategy to delivery
The Transport Data Action Plan sets out an ambitious vision for a smarter, more connected transport system. But delivering that vision depends on turning policy into practical, usable data.
Traffic data is a foundational layer of that system, and Tracsis provides the tools, expertise and insights needed to make it work.
As the sector moves towards a more integrated, data-driven future, the ability to collect, structure and apply high-quality traffic data will be critical. With proven solutions and a focus on actionable insights, Tracsis is well placed to support clients in meeting the demands of the DAP and unlocking the full value of transport data.
Find out more about how Tracsis can support your data strategy and transport planning objectives here.