Know about the roadworks before the school run.
Know Before checks your regular journeys every day. If something’s planned, you hear about it days ahead, in plain English: which days, about how long it adds, and when to set off.
Free, with no adverts. Now piloting in Gloucestershire, for iPhone and Android.
Most roadworks are planned weeks in advance
Councils and utility companies apply for a permit before they dig up a road, and the permits are published as open data in DfT Street Manager. Know Before checks them against your journeys every day and tells you before you set off, on the Sunday before, the night before, or up to eight weeks ahead.
How it works
Adding a journey takes about a minute. After that, we only send an alert when something is planned on your way.
-
1. Save your regular journeys
The school run, the commute or Tuesday swimming. Pick the days, the time you need to be there and the way you usually go.
-
2. We check them every day
Every new roadworks permit, closure and set of temporary lights is matched against your route, your days and your times.
-
3. You hear about it before you go
An alert with the road, the days and a time to set off, up to eight weeks ahead. If you don’t hear from us, nothing is planned on your route.
Four alerts, and you choose which you get
You can turn each one on or off in the app and choose the time it arrives.
- Your week aheadSundays
- One summary of everything planned on your journeys this week.
- The night beforeOnly if tomorrow’s affected
- A reminder with the time to set off, so the morning isn’t a scramble.
- Early morningOnly if something new came up
- Emergency works or anything that appeared overnight.
- Coming upUp to 8 weeks ahead
- Early warning of planned works. We’ll remind you the week before and the night before.
Example alerts
School run: allow about 7–12 extra minutes Tuesday and Wednesday. Lights on Tewkesbury Road.
Lights on Tewkesbury Road. Set off by 08:18 to be there by 08:45.
Lights on Bristol Road from Mon 30 Nov until Fri 4 Dec, about 6–10 min.
Made for the school run and the commute
Plain English and real times
Which road, which days, roughly how many minutes it adds and what time to set off.
Clear about what’s confirmed
We say whether works are only planned or have started, and where the information came from.
Free, with no adverts
We never sell your data, and there are no ad trackers. Your journeys are stored in the UK, in London.
Join the Gloucestershire pilot
We’re looking for parents and commuters in Cheltenham, Cotswold, Forest of Dean, Gloucester, Stroud and Tewkesbury to try it on their own journeys and tell us what works.
Leave your email and we’ll send you a link to the app when your place is ready. That’s the only email we’ll send.
Questions
Where does the information come from?
Roadworks, closures and temporary lights come from DfT Street Manager, the official record of works on England’s roads, published as open data. Floods and weather warnings are coming soon.
How much does it cost?
Nothing. There are no ads and we don’t sell your data.
Where does it work?
Gloucestershire for now, while we run the pilot. We’ll add more of England after that.
What about buses and trains?
Car, walking and cycling routes work today. Bus and train are coming soon.
Who makes Know Before?
Doccrs Digital Ltd., a small company based in Gloucester. You can contact us with questions or feedback.
How do I delete my information?
In the app, “Delete all my data” on the Alerts tab deletes everything we hold for you straight away. For anything else, including a pilot sign-up, send us a deletion request and we’ll do it within one month.
What do you do with my location?
We only use it to work out your route. It stays on your account and is never shared.