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The NSW government is rolling out “drone-in-a-box” technology to monitor and quickly respond to traffic incidents.
Drones will be remotely piloted beyond visual line-of-sight along highways around Greater Sydney, with the first units installed on the M1 at Mooney Mooney and the Hume Highway at Narellan. This will allow spotters to see accidents and traffic jams more quickly, the state government said.
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“Every flight is fully supervised by an accredited Transport Management Centre (TMC) pilot, and the drones are equipped with extra fail-safe measures, approved flight areas, and onboard diagnostics,” Transport for NSW said in a press release.
Each drone can cover a distance of 8km from its home base, or 16km of road, and will fully recharge in half an hour. Operators will pilot the drones from the TMC, up to 50 kilometres away.
According to Transport for NSW’s executive director of operations management, Craig Moran, the initiative, part of the Drones for Roads program announced in 2024, will improve both efficiency and visibility on Sydney’s road network.
“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,” he said.
“In the last year drones have responded to around 150 incidents, more than 120 where there have been full lane closures. 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.
“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.”
Jenny Aitchison, NSW Minister for Regional Transport, said the drones are a “smarter, safer way to bust congestion” after major incidents.
“This program, funded by the NSW Government Drones for Roads program, will cut response times, helping keep our roads and highways moving,” she 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.”
“Drone-in-a-box” technology is also seeing use with other agencies, including the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service, which last year awarded a tender to Sphere Drones for a program to monitor natural hazards.
