Canton Ticino, Switzerland's southernmost canton, uses our RoadPod® VL inductive loop counters to improve roads and infrastructure. We had a brief chat with Barbara Lupi, head of traffic counting for Canton Ticino, to learn more about their data collection methods.
Hello, Barbara. For what purposes does Canton Ticino conduct traffic surveys?
We conduct traffic counts for statistical and monitoring purposes. The data we produce is also used for planning new infrastructure measures and road maintenance interventions. The data is also requested by engineering firms and other entities (outside the state apparatus), particularly for noise assessment and public lighting studies.
How do you collect traffic data?
We believe that, to date, inductive loop technology remains the best for counting vehicles on roads. Throughout the canton, we use two types of counting stations. About 70 fixed stations are installed in high-priority locations on cantonal roads. Then we have about 140 "temporary" stations. These are actually permanent installations, but we only conduct counts occasionally, 1-2 weeks every 3 or 4 years.
How are you using the RoadPod VL counters?
The MetroCount systems are used in these "temporary" locations, which cover secondary axes and sometimes municipal and national axes (highway exits).
We already have loops installed at these stations, so we've adapted the RoadPod VL to these sensors. They work very well, and we're very satisfied. To date, they have never had any operational problems. The battery life is also good. Additionally, the price-quality ratio is excellent compared to other similar devices.
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