Automated Traffic Management, Fraser Coast

Project summary: Fraser Coast Regional Council has installed integrated traffic counting piezo-electric sensors in urban areas of Maryborough and Hervey Bay to provide automatic upload to database capability. This has enabled more accurate/replicable collection of traffic count data, integral to monitoring growth and seasonal changes in calculation of Annual average daily traffic (AADT) for a range of purposes including:
- design purposes (particularly seals)
- traffic modelling
- funding applications/grants (e.g. Local Government Consolidated Return).

Benefits

• more accurate data collection that is already informing local and regional traffic planning;
• improved efficiency/cost savings - replacement of mobile unit with piezo-electric sensors, enabling the collection of detailed axle-based data onsite/remotely;”
• improved amenity for residents - noise reduction with replacement of tube counters; and
• improved safety of Council workers.

The challenge: Being able to provide traffic count data direct to processing software, provides Council with enhanced information to allow for timely forward planning and infrastructure delivery. This project will assist with road design purposes, calibrating traffic modelling, funding applications and informing developers

Solution: The installation of permanent traffic counters provides seasonal data to inform forward planning and timely infrastructure delivery as traffic demands are reached. This is achieved through remote data capture at the numerous counter sites across the region of vehicle numbers, speed profiles and vehicle classification. After raw data is collected, this information is checked before being placed on Council website for updated viewing and distribution.

Benefits: The project provides for increased efficiencies through the remote provision of data on a number of roads across the region. This provides accurate, seasonal variation and timely data for review and decision-making that is already being used to inform works for project identification. As counter detectors are fixed in the road, there are no on-going maintenance costs as per the previously tube counters. Additional counter sites can be easily added to the system in the future to provide greater data collection.

Lessons learned: Due to the number of sites there is some manual processing and verification of the data. A number of sites that were originally looked considered from a network perspective, however due to poor pavement condition these sites were not suitable for this application and alternative sites were selected. As the originally identified sites are reconstructed it is anticipated that counters will be installed at these key locations.

Outcomes: Hervey Bay traffic is seasonal with high tourist traffic during the peak summer months. The data being provided will assist greatly in providing correction factors to weekly traffic counts. Information obtained with this new technology is already being used to inform the forward works program with more accurate traffic data. A new Maryborough Mesoscopic Traffic Model has been completed by Qld Dept Transport and Main Roads, and the new count data is being provided by Council to assist with calibration of the model as well as predicated annual traffic growth numbers.