About JPC Consulting
We are a small transport engineering consultancy, primarily supporting new development proposals being considered by local council planning & roads offices.
We have an eclectic client base which ranges from small-scale housing developers to major commercial operators.
We provide traffic and transportation engineering information in the form of plans and reports that support our clients’ planning proposals.
Move to gathering traffic data in-house
Due to limited staff resources we previously sub-contracted out the gathering of traffic data for our roads work.
Unfortunately, timescales for data collection from our sub-contractors became unacceptably long when they encountered peaks in their workload.
Therefore, we decided to bring data collection in-house and take control of when traffic surveys were completed.
Following the decision to complete traffic surveys in-house, we considered a range of traffic counters and spoke to local authority roads staff.
Based on their experience, the consensus of recommendations we received was to purchase a RoadPod VT traffic counter and classifier from Daryl Ellison at MetroCount.
We did just that! We received our traffic counter and quickly learnt how to install the tube sensors and set up the counter for what we needed.
Challenges encountered
Whilst taking control of the collection of traffic survey data was an advantage to our work, it required staff to spend more time monitoring survey sites, some of which were at very remote locations (+50 miles).
We like checking our traffic data collection sites daily for the best quality data. However, visits to remote site locations could sometimes take several hours, which unfortunately resulted in delays in completing our roads work.
Given the impact of these delays, we searched for a solution to monitor our survey sites more efficiently. We came across the Remote Access Link (RAL) on the MetroCount website and contacted Daryl for more information.
He explained how the RAL could connect to our RoadPod VT traffic counter and wirelessly send data and counter/sensor diagnostics to any computer running MetroCount Traffic Executive software.
Within a few days we had our hands on one, which we installed at a proposed development site located 50 miles from our base. The benefits of using the RAL in conjunction with our traffic counter were immediately clear.
"We could monitor the traffic counter from our office, collecting data when required without the need for staff to make a round trip of 100 miles to check the survey equipment."
Receiving traffic data wirelessly
We connected to the RAL on a daily basis, gathering data cumulatively from the start of the survey period until that day’s download. This allowed daily assessment of traffic movements and vehicle speeds in the area of the proposed developments.
This change to our work has been revolutionary. Staff are able to work more efficiently in our office without the need for repeated trips to remote sites which at times raised “lone worker” issues.
We now undertake a brief setup process for the RAL in the comfort of our office and only need to visit traffic survey sites for the installation and removal of the equipment.
Improved processes due to remote data access
The survey data is remotely accessed in our office which allows staff to analyse data daily following its receipt and then decide if changes are required to the survey parameters.
When using the RAL at our last survey site we decided to extend the survey period by 1-week following analysis of the data received at that counter site.
We don’t wish to over emphasise the improvements we have experienced in gathering traffic survey data using the RAL.
However, being able to install traffic survey equipment, monitor the data being collected in our office and only visit the site to remove the survey equipment has been groundbreaking.
We have been able to fine-tune our quotations for roads work, knowing that staff won’t be spending nugatory time travelling to and from remote survey sites to monitor data output.
"We have been so impressed by the RAL that we are likely to incorporate this equipment into all of our future traffic surveys to provide remote access to data on demand."
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