CALIFORNIA PARTNERS FOR ADVANCED TRANSIT AND HIGHWAYS (PATH) ENHANCED LOOP-BASED TRAFFIC SURVEILLANCE PROGRAM

In this paper, the authors describe a multi-phased approach designed to improve the base accuracy of loop detection stations and deploy techniques for producing more useful Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) information from available detector data. The process involves three phase of research. In the first phase, existing loop detector hardware already deployed in the field is used, with upgrades to the communication protocols and analysis software. In the second phase, the existing loop detector cards are replaced with commercial detector cards capable of outputting each vehicle's inductive signature. The third phase involves using more advanced detector hardware that is optimized for ITS functions and using simpler cheaper, and more reliable loop geometries.