The New South Wales Government has deployed a new drone technology that will enable faster responses to emergencies and traffic snarls on key road corridors.
In an Australian first, Transport for NSW will be able to fly drones alongside and across highways for remotely piloted scheduled flights, without spotters, enabling them to rapidly respond to incidents near Greater Sydney traffic hotspots.
The first drone-in-a-box units will be installed along the M1 at Mooney Mooney and the Hume Highway at Narellan. The initiative falls under the Drones for Roads Program, announced by the NSW Government in 2024.
From the Transport Management Centre (TMC) nerve centre, accredited pilots will deploy and supervise drones housed more than 50km away, slashing the time it takes to get eyes on an incident.
In a first of its kind approval by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority, teams will be able to carry out beyond visual line-of-sight operations beside traffic travelling at highway speeds of more than 100km/hr.
Every flight is fully supervised by an accredited TMC pilot, and the drones are equipped with extra fail-safe measures, approved fight areas, and onboard diagnostics.
The TMC has reported a significant reduction in disruption recovery times when a drone has been deployed to help get people moving faster after a traffic disruption on NSW roads. In the last year drones have responded to around 150 incidents, more than 120 where there have been full lane closures.
Transport for NSW currently has a fleet of around 80 drones with five pilots based out of the TMC, and 100 accredited pilots across NSW.
Drone live streams provide critical real-time situational awareness to Transport teams, helping push timely information to drivers through variable message signs and apps, such as Live Traffic.
NSW Minister for Regional Transport, Jenny Aitchison, said that the State Government is delivering real investment in technology like Drone-in-a-box, which is a smarter, safer way to bust congestion on some of the busiest roads after crashes or other incidents.
“This program, funded by the NSW Government Drones for Roads program, will cut response times, helping keep our roads and highways moving,” Aitchison said.
“We’re rolling out these drone-in-a-box units across key routes in Sydney, and we’re exploring opportunities for more drone-in-a-box units in key regional corridors.
“Drones are already helping us guide emergency responders through traffic to reach those who need help, set up detours, and get an overview of the situation streamed directly to those who need that information, the drone-in-a-box makes the response quicker.
“Each drone-in-a-box will be able to cover a distance 8km from its home – so 16km of road. They can charge in just over half an hour, so it’s a very quick turnaround until they’re ready for their next mission.”
Transport for NSW Executive Director of Operations Management, Craig Moran, said that this is the next step in a visionary program by the Transport team to improve visibility and improve efficiency across our road network.
“Feedback from the TMC is, when a drone is in the air, we can clear hazards and facilitate a return to normal operation much faster,” Moran said.
“Remote flying means the TMC can keep a closer eye on known hotspots, and stream information to our Commanders and Emergency Patrollers before they arrive at the scene. It also frees up our field pilots to respond to other issues on the network.”
