Sheffield City Council is planning to spend £360,000 on traffic sensors because it “lacks information about how people and vehicles move around”. A capital spending hearing will vote later today (21 September) on installing 36 sensors across the inner ring road, city centre and Clean Air Zone, says The Star.
The move represents increasing the city’s combined ‘Intelligent Transport Systems’ budget from £7,500 to £360,000.
The local authority claims the plan would offer “significant benefits” behind the plan including being able to “understand patterns in walking, cycling, public transport use and traffic movements to inform future investment and improve journeys”.
Council papers read: “Sheffield currently lacks comprehensive, reliable and up-to-date information about how people and vehicles move around the city.
“Recent changes have reduced the council’s ability to monitor traffic, public transport use, walking and cycling, including the loss of historic data sources and monitoring equipment.
“As a result, there are gaps in the evidence needed to understand travel patterns, measure the impact of transport investments and support informed decision making.”
The sensors would be spread across with city, with 17 in the inner ring road, 13 in the ‘city centre and lower Don Valley’ Clean Air Zones, and six in the city centre.
(Picture: Mapillary)
