Traffex visitors will be among the first to see AGD’s latest offering up close, when the event begins on Tuesday 14^th June.

One of the products being showcased on our stand will be the AGD650, a stop-line detector that will have the capability to deliver a rich data stream on targets approaching intersections.

And our Commercial Director Ian Hind and Commercial Manager Greg Baker will also be taking to the stage at the Solutions Showcase Theatre to discuss exactly how the ITS sector can develop the use of data – to the benefit of highways authorities everywhere.

About the AGD650:

The smart, optical AI detector is designed for either single or dual stop-line configurations, with provision for cycle refuge areas. High-grade optics and deep-learning image recognition are used to detect stationary and moving targets – making use of WiFi AGD Touch-setup to speed up installation and reduce risk.

The ability to send real time data and video with IP connectivity to ITS control rooms means truly informed decision-making is on the horizon for all vehicle target types.

About our presentation:

Ian and Greg will be speaking at the Solutions Showcase Theatre at 11.05am on day 2 of the event (Wednesday 15^th June), focusing on where the data stream journey may lead.

Looking at the need for a shared industry-wide language, and how the sector can respond to new forms of transport and new travel patterns, they’ll explore not only what data is available now, but also what the future could hold.

Questions and discussion are welcomed, so do join them for what promises to be an interesting debate.

Where to find us:

You can find us at stand D026, where we’ll be displaying the AGD650 and many of our other class-leading detection solutions which have contributed towards our position as one of the UK’s most successful manufacturers of ITS products.

If you haven’t yet secured your free visitor ticket, you can do so at www.traffex.com

The team at AGD Systems is thrilled to be finally attending Intertraffic Amsterdam, scheduled to take place from 29th March to 1st April 2022 – a welcome return for the event after organisers were forced to postpone last year’s plans.

We’re embracing the opportunity to showcase our class-leading pedestrian and traffic monitoring radar solutions, connect with over 800 exhibitors, and greet contacts old and new during what is sure to be an outstanding event.

With the traffic industry undergoing major changes in a bid to drive growth towards safer, greener and more efficient transport environments, visitors will have the opportunity to explore the latest trends in traffic mobility, from Infrastructure, Safety, and Parking, to Smart Mobility and Traffic Management.

As one of the leading UK manufacturers of ITS products developing the most innovative systems for smart cities, smart highways and intelligent crossings, our friendly team will be on hand throughout the four-day event to explore with you our pioneering and future-proof pedestrian and highways monitoring radar systems.

It is also the perfect occasion to share with you details of an exciting new product launching soon, which is in the final stages of development and set to be a game changer, showing early signs of hugely impressive performance!

The AGD team will be on Stand 05.428 in Hall 5, so do come along and say hello if you’re planning to attend.

If you haven’t already done so, head along to the Intertraffic Amsterdam website now to secure your ticket to this unmissable event.

When it comes to preparing for an influx of visitors, ensuring traffic stays moving while hosting one of the biggest sporting events on the globe is a tall order.

The team at ITS Qatar has been tasked with ensuring that intelligent traffic systems on the ‘FIFA Corridor’ (as it’s known colloquially) are up to the task ahead of the FIFA World Cup 2022 kicking off in Qatar in November. Given the importance of the job, they’re relying on tried and tested technology manufactured and supplied by AGD Systems to maximise the safety and efficiency of the roads during the event.

Matches will be played across eight venues, one near Al Khor in the north and the other seven in and around the capital city of Doha. It’s estimated that more than 1 million fans will attend the 28-day event, meaning traffic monitoring and movement will be crucial.

ITS Qatar’s CEO Eng. Abdelrahman Al Khateeb explains: “We wanted to use technology that had been tried and tested across the world, and partner with a company which we knew would be able to meet the specifications needed.

“Qatar has developed incredibly quickly, and many huge highways were built around five years ago – now that technology has improved, enhancements are needed to update the systems being used on these highways.

“Ian and the team at AGD have been great at not only providing the systems that we required, but also keeping us up to date at every step along the way, supporting with installation and maintenance, and providing training for our clients too.

“We are involved in two of the FIFA infrastructure projects, worth a combined total of almost £30m – these both have a tight schedule to ensure everything is ready for the games, so the first began in December 2020 and will finish by May this year, and the second began in November 2021 and will be complete in August 2022.

“It’s been a breath of fresh air to work with Ian and the AGD team, they’ve been there to assist us with everything we’ve needed and the response rate has been excellent. I would definitely recommend them and hope to work with them on future projects.”

AGD has supplied over 100 of their AGD343 Systems as part of ITS Qatar’s FIFA infrastructure projects.

The 343 Highways Monitoring Radar provides real-time, multi-lane highways data and helps agencies across the world enhance the safety, capability and efficiency of their traffic systems.

Detailed data can be captured across up to 10 lanes, including the speed, direction and type of passing vehicles. The 343 leads the way, not only compared to outdated high-maintenance loop systems, but also compared to radar systems which must be installed far from the carriageway: by comparison, the 343 can be sited just 2 metres from the nearest lane.

Manufacturing, supply, and support for the installation and maintenance are all taken care of by AGD Systems, one of the UK’s most successful manufacturers of ITS products. With more than 30 years of delivering solutions for smart cities and highways, and strategic transport initiatives around the globe, AGD has a range of product solutions which fit today’s needs and tomorrow’s challenges.

Transport for London (TfL) has been experimenting with the default status of traffic lights, trialling new Green Person Authority signals at 18 locations across the city.

These innovative signals shift the priority from road users to pedestrians, showing by default a red light to traffic and a green man indicating that it is safe to cross on foot. When traffic approaches these sites, the red light temporarily switches to green to allow it to continue through.

Interesting new data has now been released from the trial, which indicates that this pioneering technology has been hugely successful in helping to boost safety since the beginning of the trial in May 2021 – helping deliver TfL and the Mayor’s Vision Zero commitment to eliminate deaths and serious injuries on London’s roads.

The trial highlighted huge benefits to pedestrians, with the technology making it easier and safer for them to cross, and reducing their journey times. At the average trial location, the collective time saved by pedestrians was 1.3 hours per day, with the green pedestrian signal showing for an extra 56 minutes per day. More than half of pedestrians were able to cross within 5 seconds of arriving at a crossing, effectively not waiting for the green man at all. Whilst compliance with the signals by road users stayed the same, compliance by pedestrians did increase during the trial by 13%, reducing the risk of collision with a vehicle.

This increase in safety and convenience for pedestrians was found to have virtually no impact on traffic. Any increase in journey times was minimal, with the largest recorded increase in travel time being just 11 seconds. Several sites even showed improved journey times.

To ensure a healthy and sustainable pandemic recovery, enabling more people to walk or cycle is paramount. The trial offered promising results for a shift towards this goal, and TfL now continues to assess how pedestrian priority technology could be improved and rolled out to other locations across London.

At AGD, we’re pleased to see such positive results and hope this paves the way for more pedestrian and traffic monitoring solutions being implemented across the capital, to the benefit of all road users.

When the Ministry of Transportation (Highways Division) in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia was seeking an effective solution to its outdated vehicle monitoring and traffic flow system, it was the team here at AGD that had the perfect offering.

Having previously relied upon standard inductive loops, The Highways Division was looking for a non-intrusive alternative in order to provide high quality data on vehicular volume, classification, and speed across all lanes of a busy highway.

Having had a partnership with us lasting more than two generations, AGD’s Canadian distributor, North Line Canada Ltd, recommended to its client an initial trial of our 343 Highways Monitoring Radar.

The project’s location was Kelly Lake Compliance Station situated on the Veteran’s Memorial Highway route 102, a site that utilised Weigh In Motion Sensors (WIMS) along with high-maintenance inductive loops.

One of the core challenges posed by the Canadian Highways Division was that the highway (which spanned almost 90 metres) comprised of multiple lanes in both directions, divided by a large, grassed median. Being able to set the radar to accommodate an elevation difference of over one metre between the north and southbound lanes was also vital.

Dean Jarvis, AGD’s Commercial Engineer, explains: “Our 343 radar was designed specifically to combat the challenges faced by authorities who require their monitoring products to be situated close to the highway itself. Most radars must be mounted between 5m and 8m from the carriageway, and – particularly on roads where the edge of the highway is close to the built environment – there isn’t always that amount of space available.

“The 343 can be mounted as close as two metres from the inner edge of the inside lane and, due to a bespoke antenna, will still provide information for the lane immediately below the radar, as well as the lane on the farthest point of the carriageway. The 343 is angled at 30o, but it can also monitor up to ten lanes of traffic, looking across both carriageways to detect vehicles travelling in approaching and receding directions – making it the perfect solution for this particular project.”

Following official approval for the trial to proceed at the designated site, the North Line team got to work and completed the installation at the location in less than 45minutes, with all traffic monitoring fully functional within a quarter of an hour of final commissioning.

Jim Sheehan of North Line Canada, commented at the start of the trial: “When we were approached by the Province of Nova Scotia and asked for assistance, the AGD343 product was an obvious choice as a solution to their very specific needs.

“AGD’s reputation for reliable equipment, intensive quality control, and their highly efficient responses to customer feedback meant that we were extremely confident that the initial installation would be a success – and we’d like to offer a huge thank you to the expert and experienced team on the ground at AGD who ensured a smooth and pain-free transition.”

The trial was a success, and the Highways Division in the Province of Nova Scotia were very happy with the performance of the radar at the test site, with the data provided being consistent with the data received via their IRD WIMS site. Subsequently we’ll be sending more units out in the coming months.

North Line Canada continue to recommend the AGD343, and we’re also set to deliver 343s to other customers of theirs – including highways authorities in British Columbia eagerly awaiting feedback from Nova Scotia with a view to updating their older loop sites.

At AGD, we are delighted with the continued success of the AGD343 product in providing the ideal solution to the unique challenges faced in Nova Scotia.

Introducing the enhanced 24m AGD 326, the on-crossing pedestrian detector from AGD Systems

The latest update provides greater range and more precise coverage of the crossing, increasing support for wider crossings and improved pedestrian detection.

Building on the performance of the original 326, AGD Systems have developed an enhancement that eliminates detection black spots using a unique kite shaped detection zone. Furthermore, the radar range has been increased from 16 to 24 metres, making it suitable for use on wider crossings.

“AGD Systems is committed to continually improving our products to provide safer, greener and more efficient solutions for our customers and road users. The enhancement to the 326 radar will supersede the current model and lead to more accurate detection on crossings, increasing safety and expanding its applications in international markets.”

Installers will benefit from the new wi-fi AGD Touch Set-up user interface, which has been simplified to be more intuitive and can be easily accessed using a mobile device or tablet. The pedestrian crossing visualisation ensures correct set-up according to the road layout, which can be verified using the Walk Test method.

“Combined with the new interface, the Walk Test method is a quick and effective way to set-up and test the 326 radar. Installers will benefit from a new level of detection accuracy, which will enable the precise mapping of the detection zone to the crossing.”

The AGD 326 pedestrian on-crossing detector will be available internationally from 1^st of September. AGD Systems are supporting the release with a new product manual and video guides, which can be accessed via their website and by scanning a QR code contained within the product packaging.

For more information, please contact [email protected] or visit www.agd-systems.com

We are thrilled to be returning to Nottingham Trent University on the 15^th and 16^th September for the 26^th JCT Traffic Signal Symposium and Exhibition.

After many months of social restrictions, the team is hugely excited to have the opportunity to once again meet with industry peers face-to-face at this long-established annual event.

We’re also proud to be co-sponsors of the 2021 video recordings of the Symposium presentations and are very much looking forward to hearing from all of the fantastic speakers from across the sector.

Throughout the two-day event, we’ll be showcasing our range of traffic and pedestrian monitoring products and will also be sharing news of what’s to come over the next few months.

We’ll be on Stand number 01 – so do come along and find out more.

As an organisation that has been manufacturing intelligent traffic systems for over 30 years, we’re proud to have worked alongside city and local authorities right across the globe to make their highways safer, greener, and more efficient.

And Australia has been one of our latest success stories.  In a country where over half of households have access to two or more vehicles and where RTA fatalities are high (almost 1,100 people were killed on Australia’s roads in 2020), authorities have naturally been eager to further pledge their commitment to improve road safety for all.

AGD Systems here in the UK recently partnered with AGD Australasia and Hyperion Technology Pty to roll out our Highways Monitoring Radar technology on roads across Brisbane, Sydney, Newcastle, and the Gold Coast.

This ambitious programme saw the integration of AGD’s proven radar technology into road authority software systems, resulting in an end-to-end solution for the implementation of the AGD343  – a much-needed alternative to the existing traditional and out-dated in-road loop system…

To read the full case study, please click here

The car has always been king of the road, with pedestrians and cyclists historically forced to take a rather subservient role.  But, it was during the recent (and ongoing) pandemic that we saw the tables flip – with traffic movements significantly reduced, those on bike and foot had much more freedom of the road.  Resulting in much improved pedestrian and cyclist safety, and growing recognition that perhaps the car’s crown has well and truly slipped.

With high numbers of pedestrian-related road incidents affecting almost every country around the world, authorities have naturally sought better ways to protect individuals.  In California for example, where at least two pedestrians or cyclists lose their lives every day, its Department for Transport has introduced a number of safety measures including the installation of nearly 3,000 new crossings and extended pedestrian crossing times.  And in London, TfL has since 2020 been trialling the ‘green man authority’ which has switched priority on the roads from vehicles to pedestrians.

Despite pedestrian safety being a core priority across the globe, it’s evident however that a ‘one size fits all’ approach simply isn’t fit for purpose.  We’ve put together an overview guide looking at why there can’t be a universal solution, what authorities should be considering, and how technology is playing – and will continue to play – a key role in pedestrian safety on an international scale.

To read the full case study, please click here 

We are sorry that Intertraffic has been postponed again for another year, but we understand and support the decision of the organisers, based on the travel disruption created by the coronavirus outbreak.  While we regret that we will miss the opportunity to showcase our solutions and meet with contacts old and new in Amsterdam next month, we are very much open for business and we look forward to talking to our customers about their ITS requirements in the coming weeks and months, and to meeting face-to-face again soon.

Please see Intertraffic’s recent press release for  further details