Video Traffic Surveys
VIDEO TRAFFIC SURVEYS
Northern Link offers a wide range of video traffic surveys throughout the UK, including Scotland. We use bespoke high tech equipment, long range infra-red cameras, together with solid state digital recording and storage media, which enables us to provide the highest levels of data integrity and traceability.
Almost any type of traffic survey can be carried out, at virtually any location, using a variety of video cameras and methods. High quality video is obtained, meaning vehicle types can be clearly identified even at the largest motorway location.
Video provides the flexibility to undertake road traffic surveys such as:
Junction turning counts
Roundabout turning counts
Queue length
Driver behaviour/vehicle conflict
Pedestrian movements/behaviour
Visitor surveys for country parks
Video is also highly suitable for environmental surveys:
Cycle paths
Canals/rivers
Bridleways
Our Midlands area hosts a specialist full-service video traffic survey provider to Northern Link, including high-integrity data collection and in-house analysis and reporting. Video records are of superb clarity with colour images day or night, allowing for accurate enumeration. In-situ equipment installations are unobtrusive and discrete; aerial mounting reduces visual impact and the possibility of tampering, vandalism, or sabotage.
Link counts, single junctions, intricate networks
A common application of video surveys is at link count sites, either as a spot survey or annual monitoring as part of a continuous monitoring programme. Typically, local authorities or developer-led schemes require the survey of single junctions or a handful of junctions and sometimes multiple junctions that make up an intricate network.
Queue lengths
Queue length data is a fundamentally important parameter as well as proxy for understanding how a junction copes or operates under different traffic flow conditions (e.g. peak, off-peak or additional traffic impact), or under different junction control techniques (e.g. priority or signal-controlled, etc.). Typically, observed queue data is used to validate the output from junction modelling programs.
NMU surveys
Pedestrian and cyclist surveys are required in many situations, whether at crossings on junctions already being considered as part of a survey, or as a standalone survey. Many facilities include shared use by both pedestrians and cyclists, so there is often a need to understand proportions, operation, or conflict. Certain applications require the determination of PV2 values (for understanding pedestrian-vehicle conflict), and GRAF analysis (the consideration of guard rails).
Number plate capture, or ANPR
Our number plate capture service includes both the number plate and the vehicle classification. Time records can be supplied to second or minute accuracy or any convenient aggregate threshold. Our number plate capture rates range from near 100% to 100%, dependent on site, daylight, sunlight, and physical factors.
Typical number plate applications include car parks to determine duration of stay, identifying rat-running and origin-destination (OD) or cordon point (CP) studies. OD/CP studies, study between points in a network, require number plate data to determine specific travel (OD pairs) between relevant cordon points. Any number of cordon points can be considered for a full or limited cross-matrix of journeys, easily determined from the gathered number plate data.
Evidence, integrity, review
Video surveys provide the evidence required to either verify or prove data. Hence service and report integrity can be checked against the video evidence. Subject to storage of video data, the records provide unlimited opportunities for review.
Analysis
Northern Link. in conjunction with approved suppliers. also offers a complete data storage and analysis service in order to extract the required information from the traffic survey. The raw data is stored in an electronic format, ready for later analysis and final presentation in our bespoke reports or web based reporting packages.
Please contact us for further information.