PIPS Technology have supplied and installed two Journey Time Measurement Systems (JTMS) in Gravesend and Tunbridge Wells for Kent Highway Services (KHS).
The JTMS locations consist of 34 Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras and JTMS software all provided by PIPS Technology.
PIPS JTMS solutions in Kent both involve a network of award winning P372 integrated Spike ANPR cameras, linked via wireless communications to the JTMS software.
The Spike cameras are able to read the number plate of every vehicle that passes and sends time stamped and encrypted data back to the JTMS server. The JTMS server calculates journey times from the data collected and forwards them to a common database which calculates journey times from systems all over Kent.
To calculate the journey time the JTMS database uses the data transmitted from PIPS cameras and calculates how long it takes each vehicle to travel from one part of the network to another. From this an average time is calculated so that users know how well the traffic is flowing.
Journey time data is extremely useful as it can be transmitted to the roadside to communicate travel times to drivers via VMS (variable message signs) and allows planners to see areas of the road network which aren’t flowing as they should. The system in Kent is being used to monitor journey times and alert operators in the KHS Traffic Management Centre of possible congestion and delays on the network.
In total there are 21 different camera sites featuring PIPS Spike cameras spread across the two individual project locations, all of which are on single lane carriageways. The cameras, which are all able to take their power from traffic signal or street light installations, send number plate data to the JTMS server located at the KHS Traffic Management Centre.
The JTMS software is also currently receiving number plate data from other ANPR cameras already located in the area. All of the data which the JTMS receives can also be forwarded to the KHS Urban Traffic Management Centre (UTMC) common database for further use and analysis.
Steve Gest, Customer Service Manager at PIPS Technology, said: “PIPS are very proud of the system that we have provided to Kent Highway Services. Our cameras are working 24 hours a day to provide Kent Highway Services with important journey time information and our JTMS software is processing information from our cameras and ones that were previously installed. The JTMS solution in Kent is one of the largest that PIPS have provided and we look forward to adding to the project in the future. ”
