The Department of Transport (DoT) in Abu Dhabi has introduced a new Road Vehicle Traffic Counting System (TCS), under which it will deploy 175 next-generation devices on main roads across Abu Dhabi.
The traffic counting stations offer presence indicators and accurate measurements of vehicle volume, occupancy, speed and classifications in 12 separate lanes, up to 76m away.
The installation of the sensors is part of the DoT’s efforts to set up an advanced highway network in Abu Dhabi.
With the new project, which is worth more than AED7m ($1.9m), the department aims to provide accurate real-time data for the planning, design, operation and maintenance of main roads.
Scheduled to be completed during Q3 2013, the system will be operated by solar energy.
The stations will be permanently located and connected to the traffic central system through wireless communication technologies.
All data collected by the stations will be transmitted to the DoT’s Main Road Division, which will recommend changes that can be made to road management.
According to the DoT, the information will be more reliable and represents the actual roadway conditions compared to the existing mathematically-modelled data gathering.
DoT Main Roads Division general director Faisal Ahmed Al Suwaidi said that the new system is consistent with the department’s attempts to provide an advanced integrated road network.
The system provides better safety indicators on main roads, along with historical and real-time traffic information for the assessment of main road improvement and traffic management.
It estimates and assesses highway design parameters and operational requirements, and determines highway classifications, while calculating the level of service on main roads.
The Road Vehicle Traffic Count System has been piloted on Al Raha Beach Main Road E10.
Globally, the system has been adopted in over 45 countries such as the US and Canada, and across Europe, Asia, the Middle East and the GCC.
