Skip to main content

UK city to introduce thermal imaging traffic management

City of York Council is to introduce thermal imaging technology on key cycle routes in York to help reduce the time spent at traffic signals, improve journey reliability and cycle safety. The city is set to become one of the first councils in the country to start using the technology which will accurately detect cyclists at signals by their ‘heat signature’, allowing the signals to react accordingly and be adjusted to give more ‘green time’ for cyclists. The thermal technology was first introduced by
March 24, 2016 Read time: 2 mins
City of York Council is to introduce thermal imaging technology on key cycle routes in York to help reduce the time spent at traffic signals, improve journey reliability and cycle safety.

The city is set to become one of the first councils in the country to start using the technology which will accurately detect cyclists at signals by their ‘heat signature’, allowing the signals to react accordingly and be adjusted to give more ‘green time’ for cyclists.

The thermal technology was first introduced by 1466 Transport for London last year as part of the cycle superhighway network.

The scheme is all part of a multi million pound overhaul of York’s ageing traffic signals – the largest scheme the city has seen since the last major overhaul of York’s traffic signals in the mid 1990s which introduced the city’s new urban traffic control system to control the city’s transport network.

The five year scheme also includes replacement of worn out and unreliable in-road road loops with camera systems for traffic detection.

The authority is also proposing to replace approximately half of the 122 traffic signals and 54 pedestrian crossings in the city over a five-year rolling programme with modern equipment.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Teledyne has eyes on Çanakkale Bridge
    August 17, 2022
    Teledyne Flir’s incident detection cameras cover length of 4.6km Turkish bridge
  • Eco Bicester project uses Traffic Technology counters
    April 19, 2012
    UK company, Traffic Technology Limited will install ten pedestrian and cycle counters on behalf of local authorities in and around the town of UK town of Bicester, Oxfordshire, as part of the new Eco Bicester project.
  • ‘Free’ power for signs, shelters and so much more
    March 17, 2016
    David Crawford looks at the sunny side of the street. Solar power has been relatively slow in entering the transport sector, but a current blossoming of activity bodes well for the large-scale harnessing of an alternative energy that is zero-emission at source and, in practical terms, infinitely renewable. Traffic management and traveller information systems, and actual vehicles, are all emerging as areas for deployment. Meanwhile roads themselves are being viewed as new-style, fossil fuel-free ‘power stati
  • Smart parking technologies: solving drivers parking pain
    March 30, 2017
    Smarter parking can benefit city authorities and other road users as well as drivers looking for a space, argues Dr Graham Cookson. As witnessed by the recent announcements at the Consumer Electronics Show, the automotive industry continues to focus on the driving experience; moving from speed and handling towards safety and efficiency.