Global engineering and project management company Atkins has signed a partnership agreement with connected car services provider Inrix to collect traffic information from millions of miles of road.

The information will be used by Atkins to improve master planning, influence the design phase of transport modelling, and meet the demands of new intelligent mobility opportunities.

The improved insights into travellers driving habits is expected to help reduce traffic congestion and improve air quality in cities.

Inrix global public sector general manager Scott Sedlik said: “Atkins recognises there is a growing need for tools to identify trends when planning, monitoring, assessing and communicating the performance of transportation networks.

"There is a growing need for tools to identify trends when planning, monitoring, assessing and communicating the performance of transportation networks."

“This partnership enables Atkins’ project teams to carry out ground-breaking analysis that will not only improve urban mobility but also help drive cost efficiencies for their clients.”

Under the terms of the agreement, Atkins’ engineers and project managers will have access to Inrix XD Traffic, which provides exact real-time traffic information across five million miles of road in more than 47 countries.

Atkins team can also use Inrix Roadway Analytics, and Inrix Trips, which provides insights to understand the movement of people and the journeys they take.

Atkins Intelligent Mobility global product director Lee Woodcock said: “From new smart highways enabling connected and autonomous vehicles, to designing the latest master plans – we are now able to provide a hybrid of our people’s expertise combined with the rich data insights from Inrix.

“By fusing the two together, we provide a globally progressive offering into the intelligent mobility and infrastructure sector. This is a big step forward for our business.”