Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Traffic Department; and ISBAK, a Turkish ITS supplier and the technical team in charge of onsite sensor installation and maintenance.
Istanbul is one of Europe’s most congested cities, with over 13 million inhabitants and 2.6 million registered vehicles. To keep traffic moving, the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality has invested heavily in intelligent transportation systems, and these systems rely on accurate data: real-time speeds for traveler information systems; and traffic volumes and occupancy for transportation planning and traffic signal optimization. The IMM requires vehicle detection devices that are accurate, easy to install and more cost effective to maintain.
The IMM has used a broad mix of detection technologies to monitor traffic conditions, including radar sensors, loops, Bluetooth sensors, image processing sensors and wireless magnetometers. However, IMM has seen that some of these technologies have been unreliable from time to time and costly to maintain; in some cases, device installation or location requirements have made using these devices impossible.
“Use of some of these technologies has resulted in high maintenance costs, and we have found that some are difficult to keep working properly after their initial configuration,” says Esma DİLEK, a software engineer for the IMM Traffic Department and director of the VITAL project under the Seventh Framework Programme of the European Community (2013–2016) at IMM. “Also, we have received negative feedback from our driving public when sensors fail to work and do not detect accurate traffic flow speeds.”
In 2013, the IMM installed SmartSensor HD in order to get more accurate speed data and to reduce installation and maintenance costs. SmartSensor HD uses true high definition radar to monitor up to 22 lanes of multi-directional traffic, and it is the only radar traffic detector in its class to feature dual radar beams for highly accurate per vehicle speeds. The IMM tested SmartSensor HD for two years and found it easy to install and very easy to maintain. They were also impressed with its performance in difficult locations.
“We would like to get traffic data from roads that include two lanes for metro buses in the middle of the highway,” DİLEK says. “In the past, we had to install one sensor on each side of the road. Now with SmartSensor, one sensor is enough to collect data from both sides.”
“The data we get from SmartSensor HD allows us to provide drivers with more accurate journey time information, and this allows them to make better driving decisions.”–Esma DİLEK, software engineer for the IMM Traffic Department
The IMM has benefitted from the training and support it has received from Wavetronix. Wavetronix trained employees from the IMM and its technical partner, ISBAK and certified them to properly install and configure the sensor. As a result, the sensor has been easy to install, saving the agency both time and money.
In performance, SmartSensor HD provides accurate speed data, which results in better control of traffic flow; it also provides accurate volume data, particularly during peak hours, which is essential for planning and signal optimization.
