Tools for collecting traffic data on my street?
Tools for collecting traffic data on my street?
I'm working with my neighbors to petition the city to add traffic calming measures (e.g. speed bumps, one way roads) to my street. I'm also hoping to turn it into a bit of a research project. Does anyone know of any tools to monitor or even automate data collection of the speeds of cars, number of cars going by, how many actually stop at intersections/stop signs, etc? If we're successful with the petition, I think it would be nice to be able to present some data from before and after the traffic calming measures are put in place. Thank you in advance!
There's telraam, or you could go a more DIY route.
18Would a trail cam work? Also, some localities will do a study for you if you can convince them it's necessary. I emailed my county once about a dangerous intersection near an elementary school, and they performed a study a few weeks later. They put those air hoses across the road. Try to frame it as a safety hazard when you talk to them.
12if you live in a city then they should do this for you. alot of cities have open data. if they dont.. the probably still have the data they just dont want to share it with you.
8automate data collection of the speeds of cars, number of cars going by
My garmin bike computer + garmin varia radar can do this.
how many actually stop at intersections/stop signs
The thing about cars actually stopping will require either a video camera with a review of the footage afterwards, or a live volunteer.
5My garmin bike computer + garmin varia radar can do this.
Interesting! what data does it collect? Like: number of cars, their speed and distance from your bike? Does it give you aggregated statistics or data over time? Can you export it?
Could you maybe show me an example?
1There are two radar data apps for the Varia that I know of, but DCrainmaker explains the more popular of the two here. The app has been updated since the article, so it's better 🤗
When you are actually on a bike ride, you can see the real-time stats of approaching cars, their relative and absolute speeds, distance, etc.
It's pretty amazing.
2
Depending on your technical ability, it might be worth looking at something like this.
https://github.com/jthomas/ai-speed-camera
A camera aimed at the road can be used to gather numbers and speeds.
Proviso, I've not actually played with this one. It's a comparatively easy task for AI however, so I'd be surprised if there weren't several options.
5I don't know about where you live, but where I live this is pretty illegal. I don't like cars either, but you should not be recording the public street in any way whatsoever, even if you only analyze it with a program but don't write it to disk.
This is bad for not just motorists but everyone else. Don't do this.
-1Speed bumps are a terrible idea. They impede the normal flow of traffic, and slow down the ambulance when seconds count.
-12you know what else slows down ambulances? Congestion
I live near a school. Cars go way too fast and blast through intersections. Impeding the flow of car traffic is exactly what we need. I'd rather not require the ambulance in the first place.
18You MUST be trolling lmao
8They're not. There are far better options like speed tables and speed cushions.
2Ask your paramedic friends.
-1
Many speed bump designs can be built to slow down most cars while allowing larger emergency vehicles to clear the bumps. If you ever seen a speed bump thats more like 3 bumps side to side that is why. The wider axle width allows them to miss the bumps while most cars cannot.
2I haven't seen those in my area.
1That sounds like incentivising the worst kind of cars - oversized trucks - even more.
1