At SRL we’ve built our business around innovative thinking, finding better ways to help our customers manage traffic on the UK road network. So, we’ve collaborated with Smart Video & Sensing Ltd (‘SVS’) to design a bespoke detection solution incorporating our pioneering Urban64® intelligent temporary traffic system. The partnership with SVS has been kick started with a significant order of smartmicro® UMRR-11 Type 45 radars that provide superior detection of vehicles and congestion at busy junctions.
Quick and easy to install, this innovative solution also reduces the amount of infrastructure needed on site, ensuring projects run as smoothly and efficiently as possible.
How it works
Urban64 is designed predominantly for use on MOVA controlled sites. It uses above-ground detection rather than inductive loops in the road surface which on new road layouts might not have been installed and on existing sites often can’t be used during to changes in road layout or resurfacing and on new road layouts may not be available.
The combination of Urban64 with SVS’s smartmicro UMRR-11 radar, which is mounted on a primary signal pole and can see up to 200 metres in the distance with 97% accuracy, delivers superior detection.
This radar’s highly advanced sensor technology enables it to differentiate between objects even in areas where many vehicles are closely spaced: for example, in multi-lane scenarios with dense traffic or stop-and-go traffic or at busy intersections. As a result, traffic managers are provided with highly accurate real time information about the amount of vehicles and congestion approaching junctions and roadworks which is utilised by our Urban64 results to deliver the most efficient flow of traffic in any given scenario.
And because the SVS UMRR-11 solution also offers remote connectivity and visual verification, it enables us to adapt detection zones and lanes for temporary MOVA deployment as roadworks progress and zones change.
Benefits
Improved range: up to 200m from the primary pole
Better detection including differentiation between objects in multi-lane scenarios
Simplified installation with no need to run cables along road extremities
Reduced installation time means less resource needed on site
Less radar/camera equipment needed: 1 radar does the work of 4 traditional traffic cameras
Less temporary infrastructure for a seamless transition from permanent signals.
Highly adaptable; the SVS NOVUS system offers remote visual verification and control, so operators can respond instantly without needing to be on site.
In partnership with SVS we trialled the UMRR11 radar at a live site on the Binley junction of the A46 in Coventry where a flyover is being constructed over a roundabout. The project is part of a National Highways project designed to unlock congestion, improve journey reliability and support economic growth in the region. [1]
The project was an unqualified success.
Why SVS
James Smart who managed the relationship with SVS was impressed by the team’s work ethic and technical expertise, commenting:
‘SVS did everything we asked of them and were extremely knowledgeable and helpful. They understood our precise requirements and customised the radar to meet them all. I think the solution’s greatest strength is its adaptability. Not only do traffic managers have a much more accurate idea of what’s happening on the ground, if they need to change things on site, we can access and adjust the radar remotely. Ultimately that means less disruption and an improved experience for road users.’
What’s next?
James continues, ‘The success of paring of the UMRR11 smartmicro radar with the Urban64 is a leap forward in the management of traffic at temporary sites. I believe it will quickly replace more cumbersome, time consuming and ultimately less effective traffic camera solutions currently used on the UK road network. And I look forward to working with SVS in the years ahead to achieve this ambition.’
To find out more about the smartmicro® UMRR-11 radar solution with Urban64 intelligent temporary traffic light system, please email:
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