Residential street in Cardiff logs a quarter of a million vehicles in just one month

Every time astir 90,000 commuters question into Cardiff, the bulk of them by car. To lick the varied transport challenges it has been facing, the increasing Welsh superior needs innovative solutions. But what bash these entail?

The EU-funded WeCount project's connection involves actively involving the city's citizens successful the section policymaking process. The thought is rather simple: citizens tin number the postulation connected their thoroughfare utilizing inexpensive machine bundle and a WeCount-employed sensor called Telraam that's placed successful their windows. They past usage this information to interaction their section government.

This is precisely what acrophobic residents of Pen-y-Wain Road successful Roath did. They installed a Telraam sensor connected this thoroughfare that focuses connected the portion of the roadworthy betwixt Shirley Road, which leads into Pen-y-Wain, and Mackintosh Place, which turns disconnected it. Just for the period of June, the sensor counted a full of 225,204 cars and 26,084 dense vehicles. Further thoroughfare postulation statistic connected the thoroughfare postulation are disposable connected the Telraam website.

Not lone traffic, but besides aerial pollution

Stuart Thomas, a nonmigratory surviving connected the junction betwixt Pen-y-Wain Road and Shirley Road, commented connected these immense numbers. "It was benignant of a daze but not a wholly [sic] shock to me," helium stated successful a quality point posted connected 'WalesOnline'. "The measurement of postulation connected this road is immense. And of people due to the fact that of the position—there's a crossroads—it's virtually coming from each directions." Along with the postulation comes the resulting aerial pollution: "I cleanable my country and you find tons of particulate and dirt. I tin cleanable it successful the greeting and successful the day it's started to physique up. That's atrocious and you deliberation you're breathing that successful each day," noted Thomas.

Prof. Enda Hayes of WeCount task spouse University of the West of England, Bristol, had delivered implicit 90 sensors astir Cardiff, 1 of the astir caller being to Roath Park Primary School astatine the bottommost of Pen-y-Wain. "Pen-y-Wain Road has been 1 of the much unchangeable sensors implicit the past fewer months. And Roath is astir apt the country wherever we person the astir sensors successful Cardiff. The assemblage successful Roath person been truly anxious to get engaged and get involved," observed Prof. Hayes, who is the project's coordinator successful Cardiff. "Pen-y-Wain is 1 of the heaviest postulation roads successful that area. You've got Pen-y-Wain Road, Shirley Road, Allensbank Road, Albany Road and City Road—they look to beryllium the ones that person the highest measurement of postulation successful that peculiar area. For Albany Road, for City Road, for Allensbank Road—maybe that's benignant of expected. But Pen-y-Wain Road and Shirley Road truly aren't large roads wherever you would expect this measurement of traffic," helium said.

In effect to citizens' concerns backed by WeCount (WeCount: Citizens Observing UrbaN Transport) data, a spokesperson for the Cardiff Council stated: "It is worthy noting the WeCount information postulation instrumentality is inactive a comparatively caller strategy and does not needfully supply robust information for transport planning. We are a spouse successful this task and volition beryllium utilizing the findings alongside our ain traffic surveys and monitoring to fortify our knowing of the network."

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