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MOTORISTS will have better information on travel times along major roads as 28 interactive signs are switched on across Adelaide’s road network.

Transport Minister Stephen Mullighan said the signs used state-of-the-art technology developed by the Transport Department to track the time taken by vehicles to travel certain routes.

They rely on picking up Bluetooth signals from vehicles or mobile phones in cars as they pass through major intersections.

“Those signals are used to calculate the average time taken to travel between two points and that information is posted on the travel time signs to inform road users of average travel times,” Mr Mullighan said.

The system is expected to pick up about 15 per cent of all passing traffic, based on the prevalence of Bluetooth devices.

However, Mr Mullighan promised the system would not impinge on motorists’ privacy because it did not identify people or their vehicles and data was “dumped” at least once a day.

“We haven’t designed this system so we can capture data so that we can identify vehicles or their drivers,” he said.

The signs will operate 24/7 and also be used to display suggestions about faster alternative routes or warnings about hazards or delays.

More signs will be installed as major road projects are completed, such as the O-Bahn busway extension and the Torrens to Torrens and Darlington upgrades on South Rd.

Asked if the tracking system could be modified in future to collect tolls, Mr Mullighan said the department had not investigated that option.

“This isn’t anything to do with tolls in Adelaide,” he said.