Clearview Traffic Launches M830 Bluetooth Traffic Monitoring System

Clearview Traffic is pleased to announce a new low-cost journey time monitoring and queue detection solution based on Bluetooth device recognition. The Golden River M830 represents the state of the art in this new vehicle detection technology.
 
Until now, journey time monitoring required the deployment of expensive ANPR cameras – often one per lane in each direction. Apart from the cost of installation, this approach raises concerns about privacy and data protection.

Queue detection has traditionally relied on inductive loops to measure the spot speed and separation of individual vehicles, needing a complex algorithm to recognise the formation of a queue. Loops are expensive and disruptive to install, and costly to maintain. The associated counting equipment is typically housed in an obtrusive dedicated roadside cabinet.

The M830 overcomes all of these drawbacks. A single unit detects and uniquely identifies multiple vehicles simultaneously across all lanes and in both directions. On a dual carriageway the cost of an installed site is as little as 10% of an equivalent ANPR installation. The M830 Bluetooth traffic monitoring solution provides a reliable real-time statistical sampling of actual journey times from the traffic flowing through the network that empowers traffic officers to react quicker to early warning signs and prevent unnecessary congestion. By recording the anonymous MAC addresses of devices along with a timestamp as they pass through the detection zones at each sensor location and then matching anonymous MAC addresses as they pass through additional sensor locations, traffic officers can build up a picture not only of the typical journey times but also of the average speed through the network and identify where significant changes in traffic conditions have occurred.

The equipment is compact and quick to install with the minimum of disruption, being entirely off-road. It can be mounted on existing poles, lamp columns or bridges, so there is no need to install additional obtrusive street furniture.

The product has already been successfully deployed in a number of trials in major motorway, trunk road and urban environments, enabling traffic flow and congestion to be readily monitored. More trials are already planned with customers in the UK and internationally over the next three months.

Wayne Stant, Head of Product & Marketing for Clearview Traffic Group Ltd, states “Representing the first output of the next generation of Golden River products, we are very excited about the launch of the M830 and can see a very strong future for the deployment of this technology in helping traffic authorities to establish a real-time picture of traffic flow across their networks at a fraction of the price of traditional ANPR technology. With ever increasing pressure on authorities to do more with less, the M830 provides a reliable and affordable alternative that both eliminates disruption to road users during and post installation, but also does not suffer from the effects of changing light levels during the day or obscuration from other traffic that often hinders ANPR technologies. As the technology has matured and the trend for integration of Bluetooth technology in vehicles has grown, the time is right to bring this product to market and we are already working with key partners in the ITS sector to develop this solution further as we look towards the future of the connected vehicle.”
Clearview Traffic will be showcasing the M830 along with other new and exciting developments at Intertraffic 2012 - Stand No. EL30.