Cities are regularly experiencing gridlock traffic; ambient air pollution poses a serious health risk to citizens; and an estimated 40,000+ motor vehicle traffic-related deaths occur each year in the United States. Traffic management is more crucial than ever – and effective traffic management starts with traffic management data. Here, we’ll explore the different types of traffic management data, and how it can be used to improve safety and mobility on our roads.

The Building Blocks: Different Types of Traffic Management Data

Traffic management data refers to information collected across a variety of data points that monitor and control traffic based on both historic and real-time road conditions. There are many uses and benefits of traffic management data, but there are also a variety of formats. So before we go any further, let’s make sure we’re all on the same page…

Traffic volume

Traffic volume indicates the number of vehicles on the roads at any given time. By comparing historic data with real-time updates, we can analyze traffic volumes at peak times and during quieter periods.

Speed

Speed data collection highlights speeding trends by time of day and time of week. It also indicates the effectiveness of traffic calming measures to inform future road safety strategies.

Safety incidents

A safety incident is a road event which increases the risk of road-related accidents, like harsh braking or acceleration. This traffic management information can be used to pinpoint potential accident hotspots.

Weather conditions

Inclement weather conditions can cause traffic operations to rapidly deteriorate, leading to road accidents, serious injury, and casualties. Traffic management data gathered during changing weather conditions can help determine which areas are adversely affected.

By incorporating all of these factors when analyzing driver and pedestrian behavior, we can develop a comprehensive picture of our roads – identifying common patterns and recurring issues.

Gathering Insights: Traffic Data Collection Techniques

There are a number of tools available to give us ‘eyes on the road’, monitoring real-time traffic flow to enable faster decision making around safety and mobility. 

Cameras‍

Traffic cameras apply radar technology to measure the speed of passing vehicles – helping to enforce speed limits by detecting those that drive too fast past the camera.

PROS:

An effective method of monitoring speed and capturing events occurring on the road, and an alternative to risky and costly physical policing. Also, revenue generated from speed violations can be reinvested into towns and cities.

CONS:

Cameras are often visible, so drivers may be encouraged to speed once driving away from them. Similarly, a visible camera may also trigger a harsh breaking event, making it counterproductive.

Inductive loops‍

Inductive loops are wires buried in a road surface that emit an electromagnetic field within the area surrounding the loop – detecting passing vehicles via changes in the emitted field.

PROS:

Able to provide information on time of detection and speed – indicating travel times, delays, and queue lengths. They’re also low cost and accurate.

CONS:

Installation disrupts traffic and can deteriorate the pavement. Water penetration and poor pavement conditions can impact their reliability. ‍

GPS

GPS software draws on satellite technology combined with mapping and cellular communication – recording the positions and speeds of vehicles at various times of the day.

PROS:

Can deliver information in real time, offering a high degree of visibility as a result. GPS tracking can also highlight events throughout the road network, such as roadworks and accidents.

CONS:

Without a clear line of sight, receivers are unable to achieve a satellite signal, which can cause inconsistencies in the data. Signal barriers can be anything from trees and mountains to buildings and tunnels.

Connected vehicles 

Connected vehicles generate data that includes information such as vehicle location, speed, acceleration, fuel efficiency, engine performance, and even whether or not a vehicle’s door is locked. 

PROS:

One of the most precise data sources when it comes to traffic monitoring. Highly accurate, quality data can be used for optimizing traffic routing and reducing congestion. Drivers can also receive automatic alerts via sensors.

CONS:

Susceptible to cyber attacks, from data theft to system hijacking. Common vulnerabilities include hijacking electronic control units to interfere with braking, steering, and engine operation.

The Nerve Center: Traffic Management Information Systems

Intelligent traffic management systems are context-aware solutions that rely on real-time data from connected road infrastructure and predictive analytics to effectively direct traffic across busy intersections.

The key elements of traffic management systems are:

• IoT road, temperature, and air quality sensors
• Connected CCTV cameras
• Connected traffic light systems 
• Small toll gates

Traffic management systems also include cloud computing and edge processing capabilities, big data and predictive analytics, and location-based services. Together, these features can process, analyze, and visualize traffic data, enabling traffic controllers to respond to events in real time, and resulting in more efficient traffic flow. 

Driving Change: Applications of Traffic Management Information

‍Traffic management data can be applied to road scenarios in a number of ways – one of which is traffic signal optimization. This involves implementing the best possible timing settings that dictate a traffic signal’s operation. Take Kittelson & Associates as an example.

By deploying Wejo’s connected vehicle data, the transportation consulting firm helped MetroPlan Orlando access more accurate datasets to reduce traffic signal delays. Overall, they gained an in-depth understanding of the effects of retiming a signal (plus the ability to evaluate the effectiveness of past signal retimings), and could determine how corridors should be retimed in future.

Traffic management data can also be used to inform congestion pricing, which refers to the policy of charging motorists a fee for using certain lanes of highly congested roadways – aimed at discouraging drivers from using these lanes, and in turn, reducing congestion. Another way is incident management, where traffic management information facilitates immediate action and vehicles can be redirected.

Infrastructure planning is another highly impactful application of traffic management information – and this isn’t limited to transportation infrastructure. NewQuest Properties is a full-service commercial real estate firm and Wejo customer. They used our smart mobility data to measure traffic patterns across the entry and exit points of properties in their portfolio, getting a granular look at how visitors accessed their properties. Going forward, NewQuest Properties will use Wejo’s smart mobility insights to promote new projects and help them close deals.

Leveraging Big Data and AI for Advanced Traffic Management

Along with informing immediate traffic management decisions, traffic management information can be aggregated into a big data source, equipping traffic controllers with the tools to enable more holistic traffic planning. When used in conjunction with artificial intelligence (AI) technologies, this wealth of information results in more accurate and granular traffic analysis. Instead of responding to traffic events reactively, traffic management teams can detect anomalies, and even predict traffic events before they occur.

Wejo customer ETALYC is a SaaS provider dedicated to helping organizations evaluate and optimize traffic flow. ETALYC’s AI-based solutions harness widespread data from a range of transportation modes – but traditional methods weren’t providing a full picture of traffic flow. So they turned to Wejo. With our connected vehicle data, they benefited from higher quality insights into the entire roadway corridor, with better penetration rates.

Balancing Benefits And Risks: Privacy and Security in Traffic Management Data

Although smart city tools are undoubtedly making urban communities more efficient, there are some drawbacks to traffic management data – namely surrounding privacy and security. With such vast amounts of data being stored, there are concerns that information could fall into the wrong hands, and hackers could use it to launch attacks and send cities into a new form of gridlock.

Fortunately, ensuring the security and strength of connected networks is at the core of smart city development. Security is built into the very foundations of smart mobility optimization – with end-points isolation halting the spread of viruses, or limiting a hacker’s capability if a certain device is identified as the point of entrance. Security-by-design will also include a multi-layered protection system, designed to trip up hackers at the first hurdle and deter them from cyber attacks.

Envisioning the Future: Traffic Management Data in Smart Cities

In a true smart city, connected and autonomous vehicles (AV) will interact with various IoT systems to improve traffic management throughout urban communities. Of course, to embrace the full potential of smart cities and effective traffic management systems, we’ll need fast, reliable connectivity. 

Wejo is a leading provider of connected vehicle data – analyzing more than 13 million active vehicles and collecting data directly from the head unit of a car up to every three seconds. 

We’ve also developed the world’s first first AV platform. Our Autonomous Vehicle Operating System (AV-OS) has the capability to integrate live and historic connected vehicle data, accelerating AV development and furthering the advancement of a highly connected and secure infrastructure.

To learn more about how Wejo can help revolutionize traffic management and safety and mobility in your community, reach out to our team.