Skip to main content

Pedestrian counters help monitor the effectiveness of new investment

Eton Community Association has commissioned the charity, the Outdoor Trust, to develop a promotional Walkway for the town in Berkshire in the UK. In advance of the launch in spring 2017 two Eco Pyro pedestrian counters, supplied by UK company Traffic Technology, have been installed in the town to study footfall along the High Street. Results indicate that on most days people are using the bridge as the main gateway to the town but that only 60 per cent of people crossing the bridge travel the distance o
December 16, 2016 Read time: 2 mins
Eton Community Association has commissioned the charity, the Outdoor Trust, to develop a promotional Walkway for the town in Berkshire in the UK.  In advance of the launch in spring 2017 two Eco Pyro pedestrian counters, supplied by UK company 561 Traffic Technology, have been installed in the town to study footfall along the High Street.

Results indicate that on most days people are using the bridge as the main gateway to the town but that only 60 per cent of people crossing the bridge travel the distance of the High Street during the week and at weekends this reduces to 30 per cent.  

It is hoped that once launched the Eton Walkway, which connects 18 points of significance over a two-mile walk and takes approximately one hour to complete, will entice people to explore further and stay longer to enjoy more of the historic town.

The weather- and vandal-proof Pyro Box Compact uses the patented Eco-counter Pyroelectric sensor which uses passive infrared technology to count pedestrians passing within range of the sensor by detecting their body temperature. The narrowness of the detection area ensures that even two people following each other closely will be counted.  For wider walkways, two lenses can be installed facing in opposite directions.

Eton Community Association will be closely monitoring the impact of the walkway and both Eton Town Council and local traders are also planning to use the data to analyse the impact of other events and activities.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Active traffic management increases safety and capacity
    February 2, 2012
    WSDOT is deploying Active Traffic Management in order to increase safety and capacity on its strategic roads. WSDOT's Patricia Michaud elaborates
  • USDoT pilots show win-win potential for connected vehicles
    December 19, 2017
    Pete Goldin discovers the state of play with connected vehicles trials in the US and the impact of Hurricane Irma on Tampa’s pilot. The US Department of Transportation’s (USDoT’s) connected vehicle (CV) pilot sites have moved into phase 2 of the deployment programme– design, build, test and, maybe most importantly, collaborate.
  • Asking drivers what information they need: radical but effective
    March 19, 2014
    When Texas A&M Transportation Institute was asked to devise a temporary traveller information system for work zones, it started by asking drivers what they need. Robert Brydia explains the thinking, implementation and results. US Interstate 35 (I-35) runs roughly north–south originating in Laredo, Texas and ends 1,500 miles away in Duluth, Minnesota having passed through Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri and Iowa. Within Texas the I-35 splits into I-35E and I-35W passing through Dallas and Fort Worth respectiv
  • Phoenix rises to the Smart City challenge
    December 10, 2015
    Andrew Bardin Williams looks at the City of Phoenix where voters backed a $30bn plan to revamp its transportation network to cultivate a more connected community. According to a Land Use Institute study, half of all Americans and even more millennials (63%) would like to live in a place where they do not need to use a car very often. The City of Phoenix is putting in place plans to revamp its urban development and transportation policies to meet these changing quality of life perceptions.