The city of Žilina boasts the latest success in the field of intelligent transport. As part of the EnCLOD project, 40 innovative traffic sensors have been installed at 18 locations in the city. These sensors, which are embedded directly into the roadway, provide valuable traffic information and help to manage traffic in the city more efficiently.
Innovative technology for smart cities
The traffic sensors used in the EnCLOD project are an advanced solution for collecting traffic data. In principle, they are magnetometers, and thanks to battery power, they are easy to install. The LoRa wireless network, which is one of the standards for Internet of Things (IoT) sites, is used for communication and thus the installation of the sensors is fast and requires minimal and only short-term traffic restrictions.
The sensors are capable of monitoring a number of important parameters such as the number of vehicles, their length, speed, direction of travel and even the road temperature. This data is then processed and can be used to optimise traffic flows, improve traffic flow and increase road safety.
Localization of sensors in Žilina
The sensors were strategically placed in busy places in Žilina, especially in the southern part of the city around the housing estates Solinky and Vlčince, as well as in the city centre, focusing on problematic places in terms of road traffic safety and especially on places where traffic modes cross, especially with the most vulnerable road users – pedestrians, i.e. at pedestrian crossings.
Location of traffic sensors EnCLOD project marked with X
When designing the location of the traffic sensors, we took into account the data on the accident rate in Žilina provided by the Police Corps of the Slovak Republic, our own measurements of vehicle speeds at selected locations in Žilina, and especially the results of a survey on the perception of road safety among citizens, which we carried out in cooperation with schools and the City of Žilina. It turned out that in many cases these data sources correlate with each other.
The location of the sensors is shown in the attached figure. Thanks to these sensors, the city obtains valuable data on the current traffic situation, which enables better decisions to be taken in the area of traffic management.
The EnCLOD project is an important step towards building a smart city that uses modern technology to improve the quality of life of its citizens.