Good evening, Thought this might be of general interest, it came from the Thunderhead list. Nick

---------- Original Message ---------------------------------- From: Ralph Fertig sb-ralph@cox.net Date: Sat, 17 Feb 2007 10:40:00 -0800

In 1995, Santa Barbara County, California, started testing video cameras for signalized intersection control. They tried two manufacturers and decided on Iteris cameras. All new traffic signals have video sensors installed, and old signals with sensors in the pavement were updated as funding became available. This is great for bicyclists for whom street sensors often fail to detect us. The cameras are more expensive initially, but are more cost-effective in the long run.

I know that the California cities of Santa Cruz and San Luis Obispo have also installed video-based bicyclist detection equipment. In my experience, the cameras work well in detecting me, unlike many in-pavement detectors still used by other local jurisdictions.

Video cameras can be used to make separate traffic counts for motor vehicles, bicycles, and pedestrians; count and analyze turns at an intersection; record accidents for attribution of guilt; automatically record license plate and driver images of those violating the law; turn signals to green for buses; and hold lights in the green phase for slower bicyclists or pedestrians to complete their crossing of broad avenues. In-ground sensors do none of this.

~~ Ralph Fertig, President ~~ Santa Barbara Bicycle Coalition ~~ www.sbbike.org =============

Ralph Fertig received this email from Rick Price on 2/17/07 6:36 AM

Our streets engineers have asked for help in identifying efficient & functional actuation devices that will actually recognize cyclists at a stop light and encourage compliance with stopping. We have modern, computerized, synchronized stoplights throughout Fort Collins but no good actuation. Any suggestions we could pass on?

Rick Price, Ph.D. President Friends of the Fort Collins Bicycle Program, Inc. 970-493-3424 or 1-800-685-4565

Who are the Friends of the Fort Collins Bicycle Program? See this web site: http://www.bikefortcollins.org http://www.bikefortcollins.org/

_______________________________________________ Thunderhead mailing list http://mailman.listserve.com/listmanager/listinfo/thunderhead Thunderhead Archive: http://mailman.listserve.com/listmanager/private/thunderhead