HawthorneVillager.com

Did a quick a search for previous threads, but I couldn't find anything regarding the topic...

I've noticed several new installations of cameras at intersections: Thompson/Steeles, and some others.

What are the intended purpose for these?

Just curious.

They are traffic management cameras. There was a thread awhile back and I think Colin Best explained it. Can't remember what he said though.

Hi Retrodiver. Cuchulainn is right, they are traffic management cameras which are better than the older style buried coil monitors that have problems due to winter conditions and more wear and tear on the road surfaces.

http://www.insidehalton.com/news/articl ... tle-camera

A number of municipalities including the Region which has also installed them at Louis St. Laurent Blvd. and regional road #25.

Colin Best
Local & regional councillor
Wards 2,3,4,5 North of Derry road.
Vice-Chair Halton Planning & Public Works Committee

_________________
Become a Fan! Visit my website! Email: colin.best@milton.ca Twitter Follow! 905-878-3623

Thanks Colin,

Although the hardware would be more reliable, would it not take more man-power to look over the footage and draw a conclusion than the old method which I would imagine give you data for the time of day?

I would imagine its all digitally controlled and the only man-power would be installing the new systems and printing out the results (or repairs should they need it).

Wouldn't there have to be someone watching the footage and drawing a conclusion?

I doubt it, would simply have to count the amount of large objects in motion through the intersections, at what speeds, times, intervals and all that, the rest would be worked out by a simple computer program and output in any way they would want. At which point any one person could be given a summary of all reports, or let the computer even search for the peak times or changes based on past information.

Were far more advanced these days than you give credit for

If its manual labour then yea that's pretty stupid, because a program could likely be purchased for less than the cost of a workers salary.

Gotcha, never thought of recognition software.

As long as they are not red light cameras, I'm okay with that.

Why, are you planning to run some red lights in the near future?

and when I first saw them, I figured Tony had finally got his photo radar survey approved...

Really? Your first instinct was tony got something accomplished?
That's always my last conclusion, no matter the subject. Sometime's I have to dig to determine who's work he is taking credit for, but I'm rarely wrong.

_________________
No, no. You know who was right all along? The Mongolians. They knew that you just can't wall yourself off from the outside world. Putting walls up never helps anything. Tearing them down brings us together.
-Randy-South Park

Gents,

Yes those are traffic management cameras. They are autonomous and feed data directly into the traffic cabinet at the side of the road. They can also stream data back to a central management system. The technology has significant improvements over the antiquated loop technology. Also has a lower cost of ownership over the life of the product. Loops break frequently and our winters are pretty harsh on them. Not to mention they need to be replaced during road resurfacing.

Full disclosure, I work for the company that manufactures and services them. It was probably one of my guys along with the town of Milton who installed the camera. The town is spending our money wisely on traffic infrastructure.

Great, sinnerman, I have a question for you:

What is the range on these cameras? As-in how far away can they see a car coming? The really stupid thing about the loops in the ground is that your car has to be on top of them, so they can't really see you coming. Some municipalities have these loops a few metres away from the intersection, so in some cases the traffic flow doesn't even stop. So do these new cameras have the capability of seeing traffic coming from far away? If we're investing in new technology, I hope it's better technology that can improve traffic flow in this region.

Sorry, been a busy week. The actual range of the camera is not the issue. Performance is a metric of how the camera is aimed and what the primary function is. For stop bar detection/loop replacement the camera is aimed to see the stop line and typically 60' - 80' feet back. Therefore it can see several car lengths back from the intersection. In actuality, the systems knows when a car enters into its viewing area and when it leaves. If the camera is aimed for advanced detection, it can see further down the road and watches the cars approach the intersection and has the capability of sending a signal to extend the green time if there is traffic on the main corridor.

Hope this helps.

so these cameras are controlling the green lights in real time?