AGD’s 344 Speed Enforcement radar selected for major safety project in Hsuehshan Tunnel, Taiwan

AGD’s approved partner in Taiwan, Eastern Science and Technology Co, has been awarded the speed enforcement tender in a 4 partner safety project in the Hsuehshan or “Snow Mountain” tunnel.

Snow Mountain or Hsuehshan is the second highest mountain (1184ft) in Taiwan. The Hsuehshan Tunnel connects Pinglin, Taipei County and Toucheng, Yilan County and runs to a total length of 42323ft. It is the longest road tunnel in East Asia and also the fifth-longest tunnel in the world.

Originally, when the Hsuehshan Tunnel was opened to traffic, the speed limit was 80km/h. It was later reduced to 70km/h.

Automated enforcement cameras have been installed all through the length of the tunnel to monitor speeders, tailgaters and illegal lane-changers. On average, the Hsuehshan Tunnel is a 20-minute drive. The total drive between Taipei City and Yilan County was reduced from over two hours to less than 40 minutes.

The 344 Gantry Mounted radar, part of AGD’s world leading and Home Office Type Approved [HOTA] enforcement portfolio, was selected following rigorous pilot trials in 2013.

Mr Lin, Eastern Science Managing Director, commented “The Snow Mountain project has taken 7 years to come to fruition and it is testament in no small part to having the right technology partner in AGD that we won this bid”.

“We are delighted with the performance of the 344 radars in the tunnel, as are the tunnel authorities and the police”

AGD hits the airwaves at JCT Symposium

AGD Systems attended the JCT Traffic Signals Symposium at Warwick University in September 2015 and showcased their Cycling Strategic Detection solutions and Medium Range Wireless communications solution.

n a radio interview with Smart Highways recorded at the JCT Traffic Signals Symposium, AGD says it’s now using its advanced radar detection platforms that give positional information to give the extra element for safety, and because they can differentiate between different types of road user.

“The main reason for strategies is to enable the cyclists to be safe. They are a vulnerable road user and it is very important to be able to determine exactly where they are in the road environment and the traffic management can be adjusted to provide the maximum safety for them.”

The delegates, to the Symposium, enjoyed excellent papers delivered by leading professionals in the industry and lively discussions took place on the relative merits of different solutions to well-known and developing challenges.

AGD enjoyed meeting a broad cross section of colleagues from Local Authorities, System Integrators and Design Consultants and further information on the papers given can be found at: JCT Traffic Signals Symposium2015

AGD’s inaugural seminar proves a hit with authorities in the North East

Local and city authorities attended a free training seminar in Gateshead last month to learn more about AGD’s detection capabilities. This was the first in a series of events to showcase everything from AGD’s current solutions to the very latest, intelligent radars for strategic detection.

20 delegates attended the CPD-accredited event including representatives from: Durham County Council, Middlesbrough Borough Council and an eight-strong team from Gateshead Council.

The seminar held at the Civic Centre in Gateshead was organised to share best practice, hear about radar detection development from AGD’s commercial team and take part in a lively Q&A session.

Commercial Manager Greg Baker took the assembled attendees through the current product portfolio, highlighting key features and benefits. Key product highlights included:

• The market-leading, multi-platform ‘318’ radar for strategic urban and inter-urban detection applications
• 316 radar for stop line detection
• ‘Janus 5’ – enabling wireless linking between traffic control equipment
• The ‘640’ kerbside pedestrian detection radar

Commercial Manager Stephen Trinder looked to the future providing his vision for radar detection and presented AGD’s innovative new product development plans.

In addition, AGD was pleased to host a presentation from Gavin Neate, founder of Neatebox, who has developed an innovative smartphone solution using Bluetooth technology to help disabled and partially sighted people use pedestrian crossings. The technology is being developed with the support of a number of local authorities and system integrators.

Commenting on the success of the day, Greg Baker said: “Feedback from the event has been very positive with 100% of attendees saying they would recommend an AGD seminar to their colleagues in other local authorities. Several commented they will go back to their jobs armed with considerably more product knowledge and understanding of AGD’s solutions. We’re confident that their new learning will come in extremely useful when it comes to deploying our systems on the street throughout the North East area.

“We are looking forward to meeting some of the delegates and having further follow-up discussions when we take a stand at Traffex 2015 next month to showcase our intelligent radar detection platforms.”

Plans are underway for more regional seminars in 2015 with the next event scheduled for Sheffield later in the spring. Watch this space for further details!

AGD partners with Traffic Tech Group to install pedestrian detection in Middle East

AGD has a strategic new partnership with Qatar-based Traffic Tech Group to introduce its award-winning pedestrian detection solutions in the Middle East.

Traffic Tech Group will be AGD’s exclusive distributor for Puffin and Toucan pedestrian crossings in the region, proven to increase pedestrian and cyclist safety and improve traffic flows.

AGD’s pedestrian detection solutions have been deployed worldwide since the early 2000s. They have been widely accredited with improving pedestrian safety and increasing convenience for disabled and older people and those with young children, as the system adjusts to different walking speeds.

On-street trials of AGD-enabled Puffin and Toucan schemes commenced in November 2014 at a dual pedestrian crossing on the busy Al-Jazeera Al-Arabiya Road in Doha, Qatar. Local feedback has been extremely positive and the AGD Puffin and Toucan schemes have now received approval from the Qatar Authority.

The Puffin crossings use a combination of nearside signals and pedestrian ‘push button’ demand units with AGD 640 pedestrian detectors to automatically vary the length of the pedestrian period. This gives pedestrians the time they need to cross the road and if the pedestrian leaves the wait area, the demand is cancelled, freeing up the traffic.

AGD’s 226 radar continuously monitors the pedestrians when they are on the crossing, only allowing vehicle traffic signals to turn back to green once the crossing is completely clear. The fact that the system is detector-based ensures that waiting time for traffic is minimised while maintaining safety for vulnerable road users. This is in comparison to the traditional time-based systems which are still in use throughout the region.

Faris Bakir, Head of Traffic Signal Projects at Traffic Tech, said: “On-street trials of AGD’s Puffin and Toucan schemes went very well and we are delighted they have now received approval by the authorities. This will open the door for using AGD’s solutions for existing and new projects in Qatar and subsequently, the wider Gulf region.

“This global strategic partnership is very important to us. With AGD’s renowned industry reputation and Traffic Tech’s position as the region’s leading ITS and traffic control provider, we will be a force to be reckoned with in the pedestrian detection arena. We look forward to rolling out the schemes to ensure as many road users as possible benefit.”