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

AGD normally attend the Highways UK show at the NEC each year but this year is slightly different and the event has gone virtual. We’re really looking forward to ‘attending’ and catching as much of the packed schedule as we can, as well as speaking to lots of attendees about the capabilities of our AGD 343 Highways Radar between November 2^nd and 6^th. Links to book your tickets, can be found by clicking here: https://bit.ly/30KaQQK

For information surrounding the current Covid 19 pandemic, and how AGD Systems Ltd are equipping themselves to ensure business continuity whilst supporting our customers, please see the latest update from our MD, Pete Hutchinson.

AGD COVID-19 Announcement

We are sorry that Intertraffic has been postponed to next 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.

There are 350,000 people on the registers of blind and partially sighted people in the UK, but it’s estimated that nearly two million (or one person in thirty) have a sight problem which seriously impacts their daily life.

Road safety is an issue for all of us, but it is a particular challenge for people who are blind or sight-impaired. And while almost every pedestrian crossing has some special technology that can help those who need it, not every sight-impaired person knows it’s there or how to use it.

AGD Systems is one of the main suppliers of pedestrian crossing signal equipment in the UK and, through its subsidiary Radix, is the largest manufacturer of ‘rotating cone’ technology that assists sight-impaired pedestrians at signalised crossings. The tactile indicator, when fitted to the familiar nearside crossing signals, allows a blind or sight-impaired person to hold a cone which protrudes from the signal. When it is safe to cross, the cone starts rotating as the green man appears.

Around 200,000 of these tactile cones are operating on the UK’s crossings and junctions, and AGD works closely with charities and local authorities to help ensure that users are made aware of this equipment and how to use it. AGD recently attended an event hosted by the East of England branch of the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) in Ipswich, where delegates learnt about this tactile solution and got the chance to try it for themselves.

AGD, which donated one of its crossing units to RNIB for future training and awareness sessions, also wanted to seek users’ opinions on a different style of cone that it believes will be particularly helpful in cold weather, when gloves will almost certainly be worn, and for sight-impaired people who can suffer from loss of sensitivity in their fingers. This option, known as ‘Cone B’, has a different spline shape and feel to the current ‘Cone A’ style, and makes more of an impression on the fingertips when it rotates.

Of the ten volunteers who participated in the comparison, only one had ever used rotating tactile cones at a crossing before, but all were impressed with the facility and most said it was easier to feel ‘Cone B’ through gloves than ‘Cone A’.

Bernie Reddington, RNIB Confidence Building Co-ordinator for the East of England, who delivered the course, said: “Frequently we come across people with significant sight loss who have never been told about the tactile cones, which are a very quick-win way of helping them stay safe while crossing the road. We were happy to help AGD in their research on how tactile cones can help people with diabetic neuropathy, which can impair the feeling in their fingertips, and of course anyone who might be trying to use it while wearing gloves in cold weather. We were very grateful for the donation of a working AGD pedestrian signal fitted with both types of cone, which will be really useful for our courses aimed at reducing the barriers to sight-impaired people getting out and about safely.”

Our latest range of traffic and pedestrian control detectors to include the 306, 326 and 641 series now have the added benefit of quick reference cards which will be included inside our product boxes over the next few months.  Customers can now  point their smart phone app at the QR code for instant access to the online product manual for easy setup and application information. For more information and help please contact our technical support team, T: +44 1452 557404, E: [email protected]

AGD Systems, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of ITS product solutions, will exhibit at this year’s Highways UK, 6-7 November at the NEC, Birmingham.

Highways UK is the flagship event for and about roads for a modern and connected Britain.  It brings together the people involved in planning, designing, operating and future-proofing urban and strategic road networks.

AGD will present its new 343 Highways Monitoring Radar at the event. Developed using the company’s experience and expertise in designing radars for highway speed enforcement, the AGD 343 is an easy-to-integrate traffic flow monitoring solution that provides real-time data on multi-lane highways.

The 343 can be mounted as close as 2m from inner edge of the inside lane of the carriageway and will still provide information for the lane immediately below the radar, as well as the lane on the farthest point of the carriageway – looking across both carriageways to detect vehicle travel in approaching and receding directions. It can be used almost anywhere for better-informed decision-making and optimised traffic flows and combines well with AGD’s enforcement solutions to offer a full product suite for UK smart motorways as well as international highways.

AGD will also showcase its WiFi-enabled, IP-capable 645 Pedestrian Detector – now with 10m x 3m detection zone, and the non-intrusive, loop-replacing 318 Traffic Control Radar. The 645 now has volumetric capability as part of the standard build, which allows monitoring of the level of pedestrian occupancy in the wait zone for safer, smarter pedestrian crossings. The 318 includes an important new function: the ability to detect stationary or queuing traffic. This, together with WiFi AGD Touch-setup technology and an enhanced user setup GUI, will facilitate MOVA installations and other strategic applications.

Ian Hind, AGD’s commercial director, says: “We’ve had a tremendous amount of interest from customers in the UK and overseas in the 343 Highways Monitoring Radar. Units are actively deployed in Australia, Thailand and Malaysia where live radar traffic data is enabling real-time decision-making on the highways to improve traffic flows. Customers really like the ease of 343 radar setup using the AGD Align tool to ensure optimum performance for challenging multi-lane highway environments. The MCH UK approval is proceeding as planned and we anticipate volume deployment on the smart motorway network during 2020.”

He continued: “Our highly successful 645 Pedestrian Detector and 318 Traffic Control Radar have been deployed in hundreds of installations – both together and separately, and customers have told us how much they appreciate the ease, convenience and safety offered by WiFi AGD Touch-setup across the whole range.”