£1.6m boost to Smart City plan for better travel around Cambridge

The team building a Smart Cambridge app that will help people move around the city is in line to get a share of a £1.64million funding boost.

The City Deal is discussing allocations of funding for 11 projects in the coming weeks.

The Smart Cambridge app is being developed by Cambridge firm Building Intellect and will better inform people's movement around the city.

It was given £65,000 for initial development, with the app expected to be launched in the summer.

But the Smart Cambridge programme involves more than just the app: the large increase in investment will focus on three further aspects relating primarily to better data collection in the city.

A City Deal spokesperson said:"The Greater Cambridge City Deal is proposing to scale up the Smart Cambridge programme using the latest data and digital technology to develop innovative transport solutions for the city and beyond.

"The Smart Cambridge programme is collaborating with councils, academic researchers and businesses on a range of cutting-edge technology projects to transform journeys across the city and beyond.

"These include developing an 'intelligent city platform' with the University of Cambridge, to collate data from around the city to improve city systems including bus times, traffic networks and parking."

A 2050 strategy and a 'movement and spaces' research project are also among new bids for funding.