6 Reasons Why Road Traffic Data is Important: Accurate and Real-Time Insights
Road traffic data is important for a lot of reasons. Here are six reasons why accurate and real-time traffic data is so important:
1) To measure the impact of roadworks on traffic flow
While roadworks are a necessary evil, they may have a significant impact on traffic congestion, especially during rush hours. You can modify the timetable of temporary traffic management signals in real-time to minimize the effect on cars by monitoring actual-time traffic data like vehicle counts, average speed, or headway/gap.
This is important because:
a) you can schedule roadworks during times when traffic is not congested
b) you can modify the timing of traffic signals to keep traffic flowing smoothly
c) you can monitor whether your changes are having the desired effect on traffic flow.
2) To identify congestion points on the network and understand how best to relieve them
Congestion points are locations on a road network where road capacity suddenly drops, causing traffic jams.
You may use traffic data to identify congestion spots and then take action to alleviate them. This might include rerouting vehicles, adding new signage, or adjusting the timing of traffic lights.
Real-time traffic detection cameras can be used to identify blockages and congestion as they happen.
Based on artificial intelligence, AI-based cameras can also understand the type of traffic participants (classification), like private vehicles, vans, public transport, commercial vehicles ( trucks), or vulnerable users (VRU) like bicycles or pedestrians. Turning movements, speed of vehicles and additional traffic data-related parameters are collected and analyzed.
3) To assess the effectiveness of new road schemes or changes to existing ones
You can also use traffic data to monitor the effectiveness of changes to the road network such as new traffic lights, roundabouts, or speed bumps. If the data shows that traffic is not flowing as well as it should be, you can quickly adjust the changes.
Once a new road or change to an existing one has been completed, traffic data can be used to assess how effective it has been.
Traffic data
Enterprise Mapbox global data based on OpenStreetMap. You can use your custom traffic analytics software with leading accuracy for live and typical traffic.
4) To help set speed limits that are appropriate and safe for the conditions
Speed limits are there for a reason – to keep people safe. But they need to be appropriate for the conditions. You can use traffic data to help set speed limits that are safe and appropriate for the conditions on the road.
This is especially important on roads where the speed limit has been changed or where there have been changes to the road layout.
Particularly useful for this kind of analysis, data from Bluetooth and Wi-Fi devices can be used to monitor the average speed of vehicles in real-time by using dedicated Bluetooth/WIFI detectors like Deepblue.
5) To improve journey time reliability for public transport and develop new public transport routes
Having accurate and real-time data for traffic can help improve journey time reliability for public transport, as well as optimize public transport routes. This is especially important in large cities where traffic congestion can cause significant delays. By having up-to-date traffic data information on traffic conditions, public transport operators can make better decisions on route planning and scheduling.
Traffic data is also important for understanding where people are coming from and where are they going.
This transportation information can be used to plan new roads and public transport routes. It can also be used to improve the way that existing roads are used.
Traffic data can help to make sure that people are able to get where they need to go, and that they can do so in the most efficient way possible.
This information is transmitted to a cloud-based or on-premises transportation application where it is processed and made available through a dedicated web portal and map-based tool.
6)To Create Traffic Density Heatmaps
The traffic data collection process will provide traffic data that can also be used to generate heatmaps that show areas of high or low traffic density.
This transportation information can be used by city planners and the department of transportation to make decisions on where to build new roads or public transport infrastructure. It can also be used by businesses in any industry to decide where to locate their premises based on an analysis of city-wide traffic movements.
Please contact us for more information and to schedule a demo of how this works. A 30-minute online session is available; please contact us to book a demonstration. https://swiy.co/7lAW
