Nottingham City Council has partnered with transport technology company VivaCity to install 219 sensors with a mix of Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR), traffic monitoring and Smart Signal Control system capabilities across the city.
The council said the sensors use their Artificial Intelligence (AI) capability to gather accurate, detailed and anonymous data around the clock on transport modes, traffic flow and travel times, ‘supporting strategic decisions to help enhance the transport network and improve urban infrastructure’.
It added that the technology can identify each individual vehicle type, from HGVs and coaches to bicycles and pedestrians and that with the data being received in real time, this will increase the capacity to make rapid decisions to keep traffic moving freely around Nottingham.
The council said the technology will also enable it to understand how different transport mode volumes affect pollution levels.
Audra Wynter, portfolio holder for highways, transport and parks, said: ‘Our city needs the best, latest technology to help us in our fight to become carbon neutral by 2028.
‘To help us to monitor traffic flow and analyse the behaviours of road users in the area, we’re looking forward to working with VivaCity to help make accurate decisions on future schemes and to reduce pollution in the heart of our city.’
The sensors will be installed in four parts, with the first installed in February and the last in November.
The council said the first ‘Smart Junction’, on the Ring Road at its junction with Aspley Lane, will use VivaCity sensors to help make the traffic lights more reactive to current traffic levels and help reduce waiting times.
If it is successful, more smart junctions will be installed across the network.
The council said the technology will be upgraded as new functions are developed, pointing out that the AI capability is currently being further developed to identify many more vehicle types such as taxis, minibuses and mobility scooters.
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